The Giant Panda - Term Paper Example

Research paper on Giant Panda Human activities are constantly changing our planet and, in the process, endangering the survival of hundreds of biological species. The list of endangered flora and fauna is growing by the day. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has named the giant panda among the world’s most threatened species and classified it as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List 2006, while the giant panda is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and enlisted as Endangered species in the U.S. Federal (FWS) list on January 23, 1984. The giant panda is the logo and flagship species for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and a global conservation symbol. Classification The classification of the giant panda (scientific name, Ailuropoda melanoleuca) has been a much-debated subject. It belongs to the class Mammalia and has been shown by taxonomy and genetic studies to be closely related to the bears, and not raccoons as was previously believed from the distinctive physical characteristics they shared with the red panda. Thus, the giant panda has been placed in the bear family viz., Ursidae and order Carnivora. Interestingly, not all members of Carnivora are meat eaters. The giant panda mostly eats bamboo. The giant panda is the only member of the genus Ailuropoda as it is not very closely related to any other bears. Evolutionary history and distribution The habitat of the giant panda includes the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests located in regions of Southwest China (Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan Provinces) to the east of the Tibetan plateau. The preferred habitats are situated at the top of the Yangtze River Basin, an ecoregion whose natural resources they have shared with other communities for thousands of years. Fossil records of the giant panda group are restricted to Eurasia. They show that the giant panda populations had a much wider range in the Pleistocene, extending throughout most of southern and eastern China, northern Myanmar, northern Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Fossil evidence also indicates that this species originated in the late Miocene, swelled during the middle Pleistocene, and started reducing in the late Pleistocene. Major reductions in their numbers have occurred for thousands of years mainly due to poaching by humans and climatic changes. In the 16th –19th centuries the giant panda was distributed widely in southwest China, including Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. Rapid expansion of agriculture upstream along the principal river valleys split their distribution among six mountain ranges - the Qinling, Min, Qionglai, Daxiangling, Xiaoxiangling, and Liang Mountains that were completely isolated from one another. In the early 20th century, they could be found only in one region, the Qinling Mountains and along the edge of the Tibetan plateau. Today, the pandas total habitat range encompasses about 29,500 sq km, the actual habitat accounting for 20. Unlike certain species of bears, the pandas do not hibernate. From their usual habitation at altitudes of 8,500 to 11,500 feet (i.e., 1200 and 3500m), they descend to warmer temperatures at lower elevations (but not lower than 2600ft or 800m) in the winter. They take shelter in hollow trees, rock crevices and caves. Although it is predominantly terrestrial, the giant panda can climb trees well. In the wild, a giant panda’s average life span is 18 to 20 years (25-30 years in captivity). Giant panda females have extremely short periods of reproductive activity, usually coming into estrus once a year, and lasting only 3 days, in the spring (March to May). They signal this with scent secreted from glands located beneath the tail and the males respond with calls that can be heard echoing through the mountains. Usually the dominant male will mate with the female. The gestation period is variable (3-5 months) since the giant pandas have delayed implantation that is, the fertilized egg develops to the blastocyst stage and then floats free in the uterus for some time before implanting. The average gestation is 4.5 months. The litter size is 1-2 cubs but rarely more than one cub survives to become an adult. The cub is born in an extremely immature stage of development; and weighing only a very small fraction (around 1/900 or 0.001%) of its mothers weight. The distinguishing black markings appear by about 10-12 days. Cubs start to walk at four months of age and to feed on bamboo around 14 months of age. Pandas help to distribute the bamboo seeds over areas. Thus, as panda numbers decline, bamboo goes down too, making it harder for the panda to find food. The giant panda today is at the top of its food chain as no natural predators for pandas exist apart from human beings (homo sapiens). However, in the past, its predators might have included animals such as tigers. Panda population According to the outcome of the 3rd National Survey in 2004, currently there are around 1600 giant pandas in the wild (over 40 per cent more animals than previously thought to exist), about 60% of which (i.e., 980 or so) are under protection in 40 reserves. According to studies carried out by Chinese and British scientists using DNA sequence profiling of fecal samples, the above survey could have underestimated the giant panda population by more than 50%. Also, according to the scientists from Cardiff University and their Chinese counterparts, the giant panda has not reached the “evolutionary dead end” but could have a long term viable future since their decline seems to be linked directly to human activities rather than a genetic inability to adapt and evolve. Monitoring studies have revealed that the giant panda is flourishing and population numbers are increasing in areas where habitat conservation projects have been undertaken. Conservation efforts The giant panda has been a top priority for conservation action in China since the 1950’s. The conservation efforts are directed towards tackling the 4 major threats to the giant panda’s survival which are: 1) habitat loss, 2) population fragmentation combined with low reproduction rate, 3) bamboo die-off, and 4) hunting. Habitat loss has been the primary cause of the decline of the giant panda since ancient times. In the late Pleistocene, habitat loss occurred due to climatic shifts. Now it is the result of clearing vast areas of forest land forroad construction, agriculture, timber and firewood to meet the needs of the rapidly growing human population. The ensuing loss of habitat endangers the existing population of panda by reducing the amount of available food, decreasing home range size, and disrupting social organization. Bamboo undergoes periodic dieback every 40 - 60 years and swathes of a species will disappear. But like earlier, pandas cannot migrate to alternate bamboo sources since only fragments of forest remain which increases the vulnerability of the populations. Finally, the giant panda population is endangered by hunting. Pandas are still being poached for their skin and are accidentally captured in traps meant for other animals such as muskdeer. The first efforts at giant panda conservation were initiated by the Chinese government in the 1960s when the first four panda reserves were established and hunting of the panda was prohibited through issuing a nature decree. Following extensive flooding in 1998 that affected nearly 21 million hectares, China sought to implement the Natural Forest Conservation Program (NFCP) which aims to increase forest cover in the upper Yangtze, Yellow, and Songhuajiang river basins so as to prevent similar floods. The policy also bans logging in natural forests, strengthens protection of existing forests, implements afforestation, and resettles unemployed forestry workers. Again, in May 2008, an earthquake devastated southwest China affecting 83 percent of the countrys total giant panda habitat areas, as shown by remote sensing surveys. In 2006, Chinas giant panda habitat was included in the World Heritage List which means that the giant pandas and their habitat will be protected not only in accordance with Chinese law but also international law. However, no information is available regarding U.S. National Laws involving private owners in conservation such as (1) Safe Harbor Agreement whereby landowners agree to take actions to benefit listed species on their land, and (2) Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances which makes landowners agree to take actions to benefit candidate or other non-listed species on their land. Conservation: Importance and Controversies The pandas territory is one of the most critical regions for bio-diversity conservation in the world as it houses diverse habitats consisting of many rare and endangered animals including golden-haired monkeys and antelopes, and tens of thousands of plant species. Therefore, conserving the panda habitat is ecologically very important. Between 1957 and 1983, a total of 24 pandas were given by China to 9 foreign countries as a goodwill gesture. In 1984, the Chinese government realized that the panda was a lucrative commodity and began to loan pandas to zoos with fees of up to US$1 million per year. The practice continued into the 1990s before the international conservation communities stepped in to stop this increasingly controversial practice of loaning of pandas for commercial purposes, emphasising the negative impact this procedure could have on wild populations. Whether the rent-a-panda programs are the best way to safeguard the endangered animals survival is controversial, but many gave the panda program credit for helping raise environmental awareness in China and beyond. Future outlook Improvements in technology, especially non-invasive technology, and their applications to make accurate health and reproductive assessments in the giant panda will go a long way in the improvement and long-term preservation of the stock. Genetic assessments would provide independent evidence about the effectiveness of artificial insemination and other aided reproduction techniques which would be of value in the captive breeding program of giant pandas. According to my prediction, all these research and conservation measures would result in at least a 25-fold increase in the number of giant pandas in the next 100 years. The giant panda is a living fossil – a relic from the distant past. It would be a shame to allow it to become extinct, which will happen, if urgent and effective conservation measures are not put in place. Besides, the survival of the panda and the protection of its habitat will ensure the quality of life of millions of people living in the Yangtze Basin area, an important ecoregion. I would definitely vote for the continuance of efforts to protect and recover the species. The money, time and energy spent on such a mission would be really worthwhile. References Ciochon, Russell L. and K. Lindsay Eaves-Johnson. “Bamboozled! The Curious Natural History of the Giant Panda Family.” 20 Jul, 2007. Accessed 8 April 2009 http://www.scitizen.com/screens/blogPage/viewBlog/sw_viewBlog.php?idTheme=27&id Contribution=855 Jin, Changzhu, Russell L. Ciochon, Wei Dong, Robert M. Hunt, Jr. et al. “The first skull of the earliest giant panda.” PNAS, 104.26 (2007) : 10932-10937 doi: 10.1073/pnas.0704198104 Loucks, Colby J., Zhi Lü, Eric Dinerstein, Hao Wang et al. “Giant Pandas in a Changing Landscape.” Science, 294.5546 (2001) : 1465. Accessed 9 April 2009 http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/294/5546/1465/F1 http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/?13588 Accessed 10 April 2009 http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ailuropoda_melanoleu ca.html Accessed 10 April 2009 http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/features/?150563/Giant-Panda-Habitat-Long-road-to- recovery Accessed 10 April 2009 http://assets.panda.org/downloads/giant_panda_factsheet2006.pdf Accessed 9 April 2009 www.china.org.cn. “A 20-year history of the Giant Panda.” http://www.china.org.cn/english/environment/233213.htm Accessed 9 April 2009 http://www.animalinfo.org/species/carnivor/ailumela.htm Accessed 9 April 2009 Bruford, Mike. “Giant panda can survive.” 24 August 2007 10 April 2009 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-08/cu-gpc082407.php Read More