Giant panda - Threats
A symbol of conservation under immediate threat
The latest survey pinpointed a number of threats to the long-term survival of this endangered species, including deforestation and continued poaching.
Habitat loss and fragmentationHabitat loss due to an explosive population growth and the unsustainable use of natural resources has pandas clinging to survival across their range, as large areas of natural forest have been cleared for agriculture, timber and fuelwood.
Because of China's dense human population, many panda populations are isolated in narrow belts of bamboo no more than 1,000-1,200 metres in width - and panda habitat is continuing to disappear as settlers push higher up the mountain slopes.
Across the panda's range, habitat is fragmented into more than 20 isolated patches. Within these patches, a network of nature reserves provides protection for more than half of the existing panda population. Because pandas cannot migrate between these far-flung habitat blocks (due to human presence), they have less flexibility to find new feeding areas during periodic bamboo die-off episodes (see below).
Small, isolated populations therefore face a greater risk of inbreeding, which can lead to reduced resistance to disease, less adaptability to environmental changes and reproductive problems.
Find out more about habitat loss and degradation
Illegal trade
Poaching of pandas still occurs. Even at low levels, this activity can have grave consequences for such an endangered species.
In recent years, several panda pelts being sold for large sums have been confiscated, but there is little information about the dynamics and dimensions of this market.
Pandas are also unintentionally injured or killed in traps and snares set for other animals, such as musk deer and black bears.
Find out more about wildlife trade
Bamboo 'die back'
Bamboo die-back is a natural phenomenon, occurring every 15-120 years depending on the type of bamboo. Once the bamboo dies it can take a year to regenerate from seed and as long as 20 years before a new crop can support a giant panda population. Bamboo die-back may have helped to disperse giant pandas in the distant past, as individuals migrated to seek areas with other species of bamboo, but now human settlements form a barrier against giant panda movements.
