Panda conservation seen in US-China efforts helping other species thrive, scientists say

Expanded protected areas and use of similarly effective techniques with animals living alongside the vulnerable bears seen as key to success

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Giant panda cub Katyusha (left) and her mother Ding Ding at the Moscow Zoo in Russia in August. Pandas have long symbolised animal conservation efforts. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 12:10am, 18 Sep 2024Updated: 11:00pm, 24 Sep 2024

Decades of global conservation efforts for giant pandas have not only borne fruit for the iconic black-and-white bear but also helped their neighbours in the wild thrive.

As the the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington prepares to welcome two pandas later this year, scientists said a wider array of species was benefiting from America’s collaborations with China thanks to the expansion of protected areas and use of similarly effective techniques with other animals.

Bill McShea of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute said panda reserves had reduced poaching, human impacts and deforestation, conserving both forests and pandas’ neighbours.

“They are benefiting because the pandas have very specific habitat requirements [that] bring a lot of other animals along for the ride,” the wildlife ecologist said.

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As evidence of habitat recovery, McShea pointed to animals like takins, golden snub-nosed monkeys, migratory geese and cranes that are readily observable in China’s Giant Panda National Park, which is home to another 8,000 animal and plant species.

“The reserve staff could say, ‘Look, these animals are here,’” he said. “It worked because of that initial seed around the giant pandas.”