Unfortunately the wild life of where the bamboo is exists is being affected, Pandas have been starving because they can't find enough bamboo eat. Humans are harvesting bamboo so quickly that it can't even grown fast enough. Therefore, bamboo will have preserved if we want pandas to live.
Pandas are also being forced out of their homes because of over population in China. Urbanization has taken a huge affect on China for the past 10 years, buildings and factories seem to pop out everywhere every 5 seconds. According to the WWF, some areas of China have
bamboo belts no more than 1.2 km wide.
But even though there are less than 1600 Pandas in 2004, more than 50 reserves have been established in China to repopulate the Giant Panda. China has realized the many problems that have caused the Giant Panda to be almost extinct. In 1998, China created a ban of deforestation to sustain bamboo for the Panda. The deforestation ban helped Panda reserves to sustain the population and start repopulating the endangered animal. Ever since the deforestation ban, the Panda population has somewhat started to increase, but without human intervention it would be nearly impossible to repopulate the Giant panda.
By just enforcing a deforestation ban is simply not enough, instead the Chinese government as well as the WWF are uniting the Pandas dispersed in more than 20 habitats. Some Pandas are extremely lonely and don't have any friends to play with, and this is because roads, farms, and cities are blocking them from seeing each other. By putting the Panda zones closer to each other, they are able to mate as well as being able to socialize, which makes for a much happier Panda bear. Bamboo corriders are put in to guide Pandas to the 20 different habitats, which basically means they get to socialize.
Fulfilling a Panda is not very difficult according to the WWF, a Panda is happy with two simple things. A Panda friend as well as bamboo to feast on. Not that hard to please, right?
Bottom line, I think that humans have done a great deal for the panda bear and we should continue with our efforts. In fact, the Toronto Zoo is trying to get a pair of pandas from China to boost its tourists numbers as well as to help repopulate the fluffy black and white bear. In Canada, it is much more suitable to raise pandas. (Keep in mind this is my opinion only.) This is because its cooler in the summer and winter months, as well as having ample space for the pandas to play.
Work cited list:
Mid-2005, By. "WWF - Giant Panda." WWF - WWF. Web. 09 Oct. 2010. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/giant_panda/
"WWF - Fragmented and Isolated." WWF - WWF. Web. 09 Oct. 2010. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/giant_panda/problems/fragmentation/
Bamboo picture courtesy of:
http://blog.builddirect.com/greenbuilding/19_uses_bamboo/
Panda picture courtesy of:
http://assets.panda.org/img/31203_237416.jpg
"WWF - What Is a Corridor?" WWF - WWF. Web. 09 Oct. 2010. <http://www.blogger.com/%22WWF%20-%20What%20Is%20a%20Corridor?
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