My pandas YOUR ADOPTION UPDATE. Conservation. Climate Change. Sustainability. Panda rescue drama

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Eustacia Williams
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1 My pandas YOUR ADOPTION UPDATE Conservation Climate Change Sustainability Panda rescue drama

2 susan a. mainka / wwf-canon my pandas field report PANDAMERGENCY Giant panda rescued after nine-hour ordeal An adult panda became stranded on a steep hillside while looking for food about one kilometre outside of China s Heizhugou Nature Reserve. A local from a nearby village raised the alarm, and our rescue team were quickly dispatched to rescue the panda. To stop the wayward bear becoming frightened, onlookers and other nonessential staff were evacuated from the site. The rescuers then climbed down to where the panda was located, and lured it away from the hillside with sticks of delicious bamboo. project location species: giant panda location: minshan mountains, central china minshan mountains Page 2

The last occasion saw a panda ending up almost three kilometres outside of the forest.

3 wwf-china They soon managed to coax it back to the safety of the reserve. This is the second time in the space of a few months that our team has had to rescue a panda that s wandered out of Heizhugou Nature Reserve. The last occasion saw a panda ending up almost three kilometres outside of the forest. This was close to where many local people live, and, according to our team, could show that some pandas are being forced to range further afield in search of food. Diane Walkington, who leads our wildlife work, adds: Searching for food outside their forest habitat puts the panda at a greater risk from being caught in snares laid for other animals. And they need to stay within their habitat to feed and breed successfully. We re working hard to make sure more and more habitat is protected and connected. Left: The stranded panda my pandas news CONNECTED AT LAST? Millions ploughed into panda habitat conservation could see giant pandas reconnect Over the next three years we re investing around HK$44.6million to continue protecting the habitat of wild pandas, as well, help fund new Panda corridors so that the pandas can travel more easily between nature reserves. By enabling pandas to move more freely between nature reserves, and working to end the destruction of their homes, we re helping to make sure they don t disappear from the landscape forever. giant panda habitat, sichuan province, china george b. schaller / wwf Page 3

4 gansu northern shaanxi The money will help fund new panda corridors so that the pandas can travel more easily between nature reserves giant panda corridors sichuan locals with sustainable livelihoods that don t destroy panda habitat. china At the moment there are about 1,600 pandas living wild in central China. Though most have made their homes in the south-western province of Sichuan, others are spread out across Gansu and Northern Shaanxi. Part of the problem for pandas is that the booming Chinese economy means new railways and roads are being built which block their movements. Being free to roam is essential if pandas are going to meet new mates and find food. It s therefore important to the future of the species that something is done to help resolve this. It s not just us that are providing funds to save the panda. The Chinese government is also giving huge additional investment to conserve the bears. We re working together to improve panda habitat, reconnect populations, carry out regular patrols and provide One of the main goals of this project is to turn all giant panda habitats into a fluid network to help protect the forests, grasslands, wetlands, lakes and plant species that are crucial to pandas survival, explained WWF-China ex-country representative, Dermot O Gorman. Large-scale conservation projects like this just wouldn t be possible without your support. And thanks to you, the future looks a lot less bleak for our black-and-white friends. 20 YEARS AvERAGE TIME FOR bamboo SEEDS TO GROW INTO AN AREA THAT CAN FEED A PANDA POPuLATION Page 4

my pandas news PANDA MILESTONE As WWF celebrates 30 years of protecting wild pandas, we look back at our achievements so far It s official we ve spent the last three decades protecting pandas in

5 my pandas news PANDA MILESTONE As WWF celebrates 30 years of protecting wild pandas, we look back at our achievements so far It s official we ve spent the last three decades protecting pandas in China. And we re pleased to say that, thanks to supporters like you, we re still making great strides forward. Our work began in the mid-1970s, when a wildlife census revealed that the number of wild pandas had dwindled to just over a thousand. We knew we had to save those that were left, so in 1979 we became the first international conservation organisation to be invited into the People s Republic of China. Straight away we collaborated with Chinese scientists to undertake intensive research on wild panda ecology and behaviour. Three decades of cooperation followed in which we discovered more about the threats 2006 IN 2006, WE HELPED RECONNECT TWO PANDA POPuLATIONS THAT HAD been SEPARATED by A HIGHWAY FOR 23 YEARS Page 5 researchers use a radio satellite to track wild pandas pandas face. Most, like the destruction of their habitat and poaching, were man-made. In 1992 a groundbreaking deal between WWF and the Chinese Ministry for Forestry provided a way forward. A conservation plan paved the way for 14 new nature reserves linked by pathways which would reconnect stranded panda populations. Then in 1996 we helped combat poaching by training more than 300 panda reserve staff and government officials on how to monitor pandas and create their own anti-poaching patrols. The state council of China carried out a fresh census in 2004, which found that there were now 1,600 pandas left in the wild. But there s still a lot of work to be done to secure the survival of the species. george b. schaller / wwf

6 Pandas in numbers 30 YRS Year of 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of WWF s conservation work in China In 1963, the first four panda reserves were established with help from WWF. A law was also passed to ban the hunting of wild pandas panda symbol wwf wwf is a wwf registered trademark 50+ wwf-hong kong, suite1002, 10/f, asian house, 1 hennessy road, wanchai, hong kong. tel: (852) , fax: (852) , adopt@wwf.org.hk More than 50 panda reserves exist in China. 650 An average panda eats 650 bamboo shoots each day. cover image: eric baccega / npl.com this page: michael gunther / wwf-canon MY PANDAS Issue 1 WWF.ORG.HK

WILDLIFE AT RISK istockphoto Around the world, wild animals like giant pandas are under threat. One in four mammals, one in eight birds and one in three of all amphibians are facing extinction.

7 WILDLIFE AT RISK istockphoto Around the world, wild animals like giant pandas are under threat. One in four mammals, one in eight birds and one in three of all amphibians are facing extinction. All are victims of the same human-induced pressures of loss of habitat and over exploitation. And climate change piles yet more stress on these vulnerable creatures is the UN International Year of Biodiversity, so there may be no better time to celebrate the amazing variety of life which brings us so many benefits. And, more importantly, to take action to protect pandas and other species before it s too late. Here at WWF, we re working globally to find the answers that are needed. wwf.org.hk

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Healthy Planet. legacy circle Protecting Wildlife A FOR Healthy Planet Andy Rouse PROGRESS REPORT legacy circle As you will read in this report, last year we marked critical victories for some of Earth s most iconic and beloved species