The giant panda is an endangered species unique to my country. It is a messenger of peace and friendship and is known as a "national treasure." In recent years, my country has proactively taken measures to continuously strengthen the protection of wild giant panda populations and their habitats. Data show that the total wild population of giant pandas has increased from about 1,100 in the 1980s to nearly 1,900.

The first is to strengthen habitat protection. In October 2021, the Giant Panda National Park was established, 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 integrity of giant panda habitats, forming a A habitat protection system with the Giant Panda National Park as the main body has been established. 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 International Union for Conservation of Nature to adjust the threat level of giant pandas from "endangered" to "endangered". Vulnerable". Zhang Yue, a second-level inspector of the Animal and Flora Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said that the adjustment of the threat level also shows that my country’s giant panda protection achievements have been recognized by the international wildlife conservation community, and is also a full affirmation of my country’s conservation efforts.

Second, strengthen artificial breeding of giant pandas. It is understood that my country began artificial breeding of giant pandas in the 1960s. At the beginning of this century, it solved three major problems: difficulty in estrus, difficulty in mating and conception, and difficulty in survival of young pandas. The captive population of giant pandas has gradually expanded. At the same time, by improving the giant panda artificial breeding system with the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center and the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base as the main bodies, and implementing scientifically optimized pair breeding, we have effectively maintained the continuous expansion of the captive population and the increasingly optimized genetic structure.

Zhang Yue said that the number of giant pandas in captivity in the world currently reaches 728. The average relatedness value of captive populations gradually decreases, while genetic diversity continues to increase. Scientific evaluation shows that the current captive population of giant pandas can maintain 90% of its genetic diversity for up to 200 years, becoming a healthy, dynamic and sustainable population.

Third, promote the smooth progress of reintroduction into the wild. my country launched research on the rewilding training and release of captive giant pandas into the wild in 2003, and 12 captive giant pandas were released into the wild after undergoing rewilding training. There are currently 10 left alive, and a technical system for wild panda training and release into the wild has been established. At the same time, pioneering research on the introduction of captive giant pandas into the wild was launched. Through the introduction of 12 cubs into the wild, the blood exchange between the wild population and the captive population was realized, further promoting the improvement of the genetic diversity of the captive population.

Fourth, strengthen international cooperative research. Since the 1990s, my country has carried out cooperative research on giant panda protection with 26 institutions in 20 countries. So far, it has successfully bred 41 giant panda cubs and 68 cubs alive. As of the end of 2023, Japan, the United States, Austria, Thailand, Spain, Australia, France, Singapore, Belgium, Malaysia, South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany, Indonesia, Finland, Denmark, Russia, Qatar, etc. have carried out cooperative research on giant panda protection with China. There are 18 countries and 20 institutions, with a total of 56 giant pandas living abroad. Through international cooperation projects, a large number of professional and technical talents and business backbones have been cultivated, which not only promotes the protection of giant pandas, but also improves the overall level of global wildlife protection.

Some time ago, the situation of giant pandas traveling abroad has attracted much attention from the public. focus on.

Zhang Yue said that international cooperation on giant pandas has played an important role in the protection of giant pandas. Giant pandas traveling abroad have become a window to promote friendly exchanges between China and foreign countries. Through foreign exchanges, giant pandas not only bring joy to people around the world, but also effectively promote friendly people-to-people exchanges and become messengers of friendship between China and people of other countries. Since 2023, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration has organized relevant units to conduct on-site inspections and assessments of 23 overseas cooperative institutions in 19 countries, achieving full coverage of the assessment of the living conditions of all overseas giant pandas. Judging from the inspection and evaluation, all cooperative institutions generally meet the requirements in terms of venue construction, feeding and care, and disease prevention and control measures. The health status of giant pandas traveling abroad is generally good, and some elderly giant pandas in poor health have also received proper diagnosis, treatment and good care. In 2023, in accordance with the requirements of the cooperation agreement, China arranged for the orderly return of 17 mature giant pandas that were delayed due to the COVID-19 epidemic. In the next step, we will continue to improve the early evaluation and post-supervision mechanism of cooperative research projects, strengthen the management of cooperative research projects, refine the inspection and evaluation standards and emergency response measures, further improve the management and protection of giant pandas traveling abroad, and ensure that giant pandas living abroad can live a safe life. healthier.