The protected area of ​​giant panda habitats has increased from 1.39 million hectares to 2.58 million hectares, effectively maintaining the safety and sustainable development of giant panda wild populations and promoting the total wild population of giant pandas from about 1,100 in the 1980s. The number has grown to nearly 1,900. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has adjusted the giant panda's threat level from "endangered" to "vulnerable".

On January 25, Zhang Yue, a second-level inspector of the Animal and Flora Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, made the above statement at the bureau’s first quarter press conference.

The giant panda is an endangered species unique to my country and is known as a "national treasure". In terms of in-situ conservation of giant pandas, my country has taken proactive measures to strengthen the protection of giant pandas and their habitats, and has achieved remarkable results that have attracted worldwide attention. But why do we need to carry out ex-situ conservation of giant pandas?

"In-situ protection and ex-situ protection are not antagonistic. The two complement each other. In terms of protecting endangered wild animals, the two play different roles," Zhang Yue explained. The role of ex-situ conservation in the protection of endangered, especially critically endangered, wild animals is irreplaceable. The ex-situ protected population is a necessary backup for the in-situ protected population. When the in-situ protected population becomes extinct, it is the hope for the continuation of the species and its return to nature. The rejuvenation and reintroduction of my country's elk and wild horse populations are successful examples of the important role of ex-situ conservation.

In the 1980s, the number of giant pandas in the wild has dropped from 2,400 in the first census to 1,100. The survival prospects of the wild giant panda population are in danger.

“At that time, our country quickly carried out ex-situ conservation of giant pandas to provide a backup guarantee for the wild population. Currently, the captive population of giant pandas has grown to 728, achieving self-sustainment and high-quality captive populations. Development." Zhang Yue said that on this basis, we can also achieve another goal of ex-situ conservation and feed back the wild giant panda population. After artificially bred giant pandas undergo rewilding training, they are released into small wild populations that are at risk of extinction. This can effectively replenish the population and participate in the reproduction of small wild populations. It is one of the important means to protect small wild populations.

Through years of efforts, my country has successfully released 10 captive giant pandas into the wild, promoting the rejuvenation of the small giant panda populations in Xiaoxiangling and the southern end of Minshan Mountain. "Implementing ex-situ protection is one of the important ways to promote high-level protection of giant pandas, and together with in-situ protection, they constitute two aspects of giant panda protection work," Zhang Yue said.

In order to strengthen the protection of giant pandas, our country has carried out four national giant panda surveys to understand the wild population and distribution, and through vigorous implementation of natural forest protection, returning farmland to forests and grasslands, and wildlife conservation Key ecological projects such as conservation and nature reserve construction have continuously strengthened the protection of giant panda wild populations and habitats.

Especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in the process of vigorously strengthening the construction of ecological civilization, the country The Forestry and Grassland Administration established the Giant Panda National Park in October 2021, with a total area of ​​more than 22,000 square kilometers. About 72% of wild giant pandas are strictly protected, further improving the connectivity, coordination and safety of giant panda habitats. Integrity has formed a habitat protection system with the Giant Panda National Park as the main body.

Zhang Yue revealed that in the next step, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration will continue to promote the construction of a giant panda habitat protection system with the Giant Panda National Park as the main body, accelerate the restoration and connectivity of giant pandas’ fragmented habitats, and increase the number of wild animals in the wild. Strengthen efforts in reintroduction, promote the reconstruction and rejuvenation of wild populations, and promote the high-quality development of giant panda protection.

(Source: China Popular Science Network)