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?
I commented on these blogs:
http://natashasbioblog.blogspot.com/
http://debsbioblog.blogspot.com/
You're right. Although it is our fault in the first place that species of animals (such as the panda) become endangered and extinct, human intervention HAS also done a lot of good in the world. The fact that the Chinese government decided to impose a deforestation ban to save the Panda, I feel, is very admirable! Instead of thinking about their annual capita, and how much money they earn from using bamboos, they think of the lives of the members of this great species.
ReplyDeleteThe Chinese government, however, is not the only one that has imposed a ban in order to protect a species of animals. In fact, Canadian governments, after seeing the dwindling populations of beaver during the 1930's (as a result of the fur trade), actually prohibited beaver trapping! As a result, the beaver populations were able to recover, and it is because of this specific human intervention that there are still beavers in Canada today. (You can learn more about this here: http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?cid=4&id=232)
I really love it when governments step in to do something about endangered species! It would be nice to see other countries follow the Chinese government's example, and act to preserve their wildlife.
Hey Wayne, I really like your blog on endangered pandas. It's shocking to hear that people are tearing apart forests for bamboo and other resources, rather than protecting pandas and wildlife by replanting bamboo trees. If this keeps up, who knows what would happen to the panda bear; they would probably be all extinct if the deforestation ban wasn't in use. "A Panda is happy with two simple things. A Panda friend as well as bamboo to feast on. Not that hard to please, right? - since we see them in zoos everywhere, we hardly expect them to be endangered. And so after reading this blog, I've learned that even pandas can be endangered and it also made me think of how easily any kind of creatures can be easily affected such as maybe even elephants!
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