Conservation of giant panda habitat in South Minshan, China, after ...

Panda habitat conservationXu et al.358of restoration areas in each area of damaged habitat, particularlythe key areas or corridors, is a critical step. Suchefforts should be placed in the context of both long-termpanda habitat management plans and the long-termplanning for allocation of funds during the current reconstructionstage. In order to select restoration sites and thebest approach (eg natural restoration or human-mediatedrestoration), the potential effects of restoration can besimulated and assessed, based on a combination of differentfactors, such as rainfall, soil quality, and human disturbance.These effects can also be assessed via case studiesconducted following other disasters, such as the 1976Songpan earthquake (magnitude 7.2), which occurred inthe same mountain range as the 2008 earthquake.Furthermore, integrated monitoring systems should beestablished to monitor the long-term process of restorationof ecological structure and function, relying on multipleapproaches such as remote sensing and field surveys.The third issue that needs to be addressed concerns conductingwildlife field surveys, as well as patrolling andmonitoring programs. During the earthquake relief effortsand aftershocks, such surveys and programs in the naturereserves were postponed. These activities should now beresumed in the reserves, as well as in the proposed key areasand corridors, so as to rescue pandas and other wildlifespecies that may have suffered from insufficient access tofood resources due to earthquake damage and subsequenthabitat fragmentation. Moreover, such efforts will beimportant for determining whether giant pandas doinhabit – or at least pass through – these key areas and corridors.Integrated field surveys also need to be carried outthroughout the earthquake-damaged portion of the pandadistribution area, to identify current panda distributionpatterns in damaged habitat. Because of the inaccessibilityof some zones after the earthquake, the continued aftershocks,and other potential dangers, field patrolling andmonitoring in the future should be adjusted to avoidpotential harm to field patrol staff. Assessment of the risksand the level of accessibility throughout the region couldcontribute to the planning of such patrolling activities.The May 2008 Wenshuan earthquake and its aftermathcaused marked loss and fragmentation of panda habitat inSouth Minshan. In order to conserve the remaining habitat,we propose establishing protected habitat across three keyareas and two corridors outside the current reserve system.This could be incorporated into the coming 10-year(2010–2020) plan for conservation of the giant panda andits habitat in China. Measures including relocation of residentialareas and ecological compensation (an environmentalprotection policy intended to balance ecological protectionand economic development; Yang et al. 2007) couldpotentially aid in the formation and operation of such amanagement unit. The existing National ForestConservation Program and the Grain-to-Green Program aregood examples of successful ecological compensation policiesalready in place in this region. Similar policies shouldalso be introduced throughout the entire earthquake-damagedarea, which could contribute to habitat restoration andlong-term conservation of the giant panda and other species.When coupled with increasing human activities, naturaldisasters – including earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes– create unprecedented challenges for biodiversity conservation,especially with respect to endangered species. Moreattention needs to be focused on these issues for future biodiversityconservation around the world. AcknowledgementsThis study was funded by a grant from the Major State BasicResearch Development Program of China (973 Program,#2009CB421104) and Funds of the Chinese Academy ofSciences for Key Topics in Innovation Engineering. We thankthe Sichuan Forestry Administration, WWF, Longxi-hongkouNR Administration, and Qianfoshan NR Administration forproviding assistance for field surveys after the earthquake. Wegreatly appreciate the provision of pre- and post-earthquakeremote-sensing data by NASA and the Center for EarthObservation and Digital Earth, the Chinese Academy ofSciences, and the provision of basic spatial data by TheNational Geomatics Center of China, as well as the provisionof the panda image by the China Conservation and ResearchCenter for the Giant Panda. We also acknowledge V Hull forconstructive comments on this paper. ReferencesCCTV (China Central Television). 2008. News report. CCTV.http://news.cctv.com/china/20081008/103396.shtml. Viewed 18Nov 2008.CEA (China Earthquake Administration). 2008. www.cea.gov.cn/manage/html/8a8587881632fa5c0116674a018300cf/_content/08_09/01/1220238314350.html). Viewed 18 Nov 2008.Liu JG, Linderman M, Ouyang ZY, et al. 2001. Ecological degradationin protected areas: the case of Wolong Nature Reserve forgiant pandas. Science 292: 98–101.McGarigal K, Cushman SA, Neel MC, et al. 2002. 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