insightWINTER 2009

PANDA

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On 12 May 2008, China suffered the devastating

impact of an 8.0 magnitude earthquake – the most destructive natural disaster in the history of the People’s Republic. Some 87,000 people were reported as dead or missing while millions were affected in some way.

Large-scale devastation occurred in many of the key panda landscapes, including Wanglang Nature Reserve, home to your adopted animal Zhu Xiong. The earthquake also caused substantial damage to other panda reserves in Minshan, Qionglaishan and Qinling.

According to official estimates, 83% of wild panda habitat suffered some degree of damage. A total of 49 giant panda reserves were badly affected by the quake, and many of our conservation projects were put on hold whilst access to the

areas was re-established and the damage was assessed.

Experts have now surveyed the pandas habitat for damage, by using satellite photos of nature reserves, forests, rivers, vegetation and farmland. A two-week field trip organised by WWF and local

forestry departments has also recently been undertaken. This was the first ground-level survey to assess the impact on giant panda habitats in Zhu Xiong’s province of Sichuan. Aftershocks and mudflows caused by rain had kept people out of the mountains ever since the devastating quake.

Hope amid devastation

FIELD Update

Rangers survey the damage in Longxi-Hongkou nature reserve

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A post-disaster action plan is helping to restore giant panda habitat affected by last year’s earthquake in China

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The pilot survey chose the Qianfoshan and Longxi-Hongkou nature reserves, two heavily damaged panda reserves in Sichuan, to get a general idea of the earthquakes damage on the local ecosystem. More than 40 rangers and researchers took part, trekking up to 30km through the reserve each day.

Signs of pandas living in these areas were observed, bringing new hope that wild pandas’ innate survival instincts would have alerted them to flee quake-triggered landslides. “The earthquake might not have caused direct population loss to the pandas, but it will have damaged their habitats and

blocked their migration routes, which may affect the animals breeding in the future”, says Prof Ran Jianghong,from the Bioscience Institute of Sichuan University.

Our staff also helped to provide emergency relief efforts – WWF’s Chengdu office donated six tonnes of rice for those in badly affected zones, and deployed essentials such as satellite phones and tents to nature reserve staff. Fresh supplies of bamboo are also being delivered to reserves where the vital panda food source has been destroyed by landslides.

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Disaster planWe are working tirelessly with the government in China to put into place a ‘Post Disaster Reconstruction Plan’, which will:

• help restore damaged nature reserves, offices and field stations, and replace equipment destroyed in the earthquake

• rebuild giant panda monitoring and patrolling systems

• help local communities in relevant areas to recover from the earthquake; and

• promote green reconstruction in local communities and neighbouring nature reserves that suffered damage

It is only through the support of people like you that WWF can carry out such critical work. We will not allow the numerous milestones and conservation successes already achieved, such as establishing nature reserves and reconnecting panda habitats, to be undone by the quake.

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Typical giant panda habitat in the Sichuan province of China

Scientists have carried out an extensive survey

investigating the current and potential impacts of climate change on giant panda habitat. Data from several areas, including the Minshan Mountains – home to Zhu Xiong – were assessed. Patterns of rainfall, temperature and humidity over the last 50 years were measured. Currently,

75% of all wild giant pandas live in regions where the survey was conducted.

Results show that, since 1990, temperatures have been increasing in all areas except Liangshan and Xiaoxiangling. The survey also revealed that annual rainfall had decreased overall, particularly during the summer and autumn months. It was found that average

SPECIES News

humidity, as well as the number of sunlight hours, had decreased over time.

The report, carried out by the Sichuan Climate Centre, concluded that giant panda habitats have become much drier over the past five decades. Researchers predict that temperatures will continue to rise throughout the panda’s range. Rainfall is expected to increase in the panda’s north-east range and decline in south-eastern areas. This is bad news for pandas living in the south-east as rainfall is

Changing landscapeLatest research reveals climate change is affecting giant panda habitat

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Snaps by stealthThis is not just any ordinary image – it is a rare photo of a giant panda in the wild

The remarkable picture of a panda walking through its

habitat at Xuevaoding Nature Reserve, close to the home of your adopted panda Zhu Xiong, was taken by one of several new ‘stealth cameras’ installed by WWF and its partners.

It is part of a new biodiversity monitoring project, aimed at researching the state of species and habitats in China’s Sichuan Province. And it is not just pandas that have been caught on camera. A red fox was recently snapped for the first time in this area. Other animals captured on film include black bears, badgers, tufted deer and blood pheasants.

Cameras are now located in Wanglang nature reserve, home to Zhu Xiong, as well as Yele and Shenguozhuang reserves in the Liangshan mountains. This is the most southerly habitat for wild giant pandas and is home to about 160, or 10% of the total wild population. Their habitat has been significantly fragmented over the years, largely due to the construction

of roads and hydropower plants, in addition to being degraded by mining activity and firewood collection.

Our dedicated team will use the photos to bolster their research. This new knowledge will be used to carry out bold efforts to conserve the giant panda and the many other species that share its habitat.

Thanks to your adoption, we are also working with the Chinese government to monitor and patrol these key areas, to reduce habitat fragmentation and to help develop sustainable, alternative livelihoods for people in neighbouring communities so that they rely less on forest resources.

Changing landscapeessential for the growth of bamboo, their main food source. As a result, scientists predict that giant panda habitat in the far south, particularly in the Xiangling and Liangshan regions, will shrink. The good news is that habitats in the north-west regions will expand if the predicted increase in rainfall continues.

This vital new insight into the way climate change is affecting the pandas will help shape WWF’s future efforts to save the species.

Did you know?Sometimes pandas gather a fist full of bamboo leaves before lying back to enjoy them one at a time.

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On 28 March, at 8.30pm, communities from all over the globe will join together to turn out their lights for one hour – Earth Hour. It is an event which aims to unite one billion people with

a single purpose: to send a message to the world’s governments that they must take action to help avoid dangerous climate change.

This year will be WWF’s third Earth Hour – and in 2009, the event takes on an added significance. In the year of the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, which will decide future international climate policy, Earth Hour gives each individual the chance to show they want action.

Take ActionSign up for EarthHour at:wwf.org.uk/earthhour You can also download a free WWF dinner party pack here, to use during the hour.

One hour, one billion people, one message to global leaders – WWF’s Earth Hour gives the world a chance to speak out against climate change.

“Earth Hour will be a great leveller. If one billion people collectively say ‘this is the year’ to make a change, and to make the right decisions, then we will have a great chance to conserve species, ecosystems and the human race itself,” says Andy Ridley, executive director of WWF’s Earth Hour.

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WWF’s Wider Work

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“Copenhagen marks the planet’s moment of truth. It is the opportunity for our leaders to choose between starting the journey towards stabilising the climate or leaving an even greater problem to those that will follow.”

Since it began as a comparatively humble city-wide event in Sydney, in 2007, Earth Hour has gathered momentum. Worldwide media coverage of a blacked-out Sydney Opera House during the first Earth Hour helped create a truly global movement. Last year, more than 50 million people took part, with more than 370 cities and towns across the world extinguishing their lights. People from all corners of the globe played a part and celebrated Earth Hour in their own way, holding candlelit vigils in their homes or at community centres. Thousands of others took part in candlelit dinners, acoustic concerts, torch parties and street celebrations.

Well-known landmarks including the Colosseum in Rome, the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Brighton Pier in the UK, and even the infamous Alcatraz Jail in San Francisco, were plunged into darkness to show support.

“Earth Hour is a rallying call to the people in power to take action now,” adds Ridley. “There are plenty of historical examples showing that amazing things can happen when communities come together and have a shared, positive vision.” In

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Let’s celebrateEarth Hour is a celebration – and it’s up to you what you do for the 60 minutes on 28 March. But if you’re looking for inspiration, take a look at some of our tips and ideas below.

Why not:• Play a murder mystery

game in the dark• Invite friends over for

a candlelit dinner• Have a moonlit walk

or picnic, or don binoculars to admire the night sky

• Convince your local pub or restaurant to hold a special event

• Use the hour to write a letter by candlelight to a distant relative or friend

To view our Earth Hour themed gadgets and sustainably sourced products, visit:

wwf.org.uk/shop or alternatively to order by telephone, call:

0870 750 7023

(9am-6pm Mon-Fri)

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wwf.org.uk

WWF-UK Panda House, Weyside Park Godalming, Surrey GU7 1XR T: +44 (0)1483 426333F: +44 (0)1483 426409

The mission of WWF is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by• conserving the world’s biological diversity• ensuring that the use of renewable natural

resources is sustainable• reducing pollution and wasteful consumption

Word search competition!

A T S A C L P M I S O Q R A B A

C A L F O C K I B C S A D V I Z

T C L I M A T E C H A N G E L G

I E S A M O A W E L H U A M L L

O L Z W U D T X O Z I J S N I O

N E V Y N O W N A R B G E P O B

A B W A I I X P Z T L G H N N A

B R O P T Z T A B L A D K T A L

K A U A Y H B W A H C R W A S V

Q T A V C R W I N L A E B I P A

A I N X Y Q N E V J B O S Z D M

I O A C F A P I S Y D N E Y A E

L N V A E O B P A O E R A C B W

A N M C C E A R T H H O U R A W

P A U Z W J B A X E M A R C H F

The Eyes of the Jungle tells the story of the 25 tigers living in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in the heart of India. It contains stunning photographs of tigers and the many other species who live in the reserve. We have five copies to give away.

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WWF Insight is printed on paper that is 100% recycled and recyclable. It comes from waste paper - paper that has been used previously – e.g. newspapers, magazines and waste paper from printing companies and paper manufacturers.

COMPETITION

How to enter

All you have to do is find the one word hidden in the grid that is NOT in the list. Send the hidden word together with your name, address and telephone number to: Winter Insight Quiz, WWF UK, Panda House, Weyside Park, Godalming GU7 1XR. Alternatively you can email your answers and contact details to: insight@wwf.org.uk Please give your email the heading ‘Winter Insight Quiz’.

The 5 winners will be randomly selected from the correct entries. All entries must be received by 1st April 2009.Full terms and conditions can be obtained at: www.wwf.org.uk/insightcompterms or by phoning 01483 426333.

Photography by Thorsten Milse and text by Uta Henschel. Published by Bucher and distributed in Britain by Prestel. HB, £35.00.

WWF-UK registered charity number 1081247 and registered in Scotland number SC039593. A company limited by guarantee number 4016725 © 1986 Panda symbol and ® “WWF” Registered Trademark of WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature (Formerly World Wildlife Fund)” Printed on recycled paper Project number 2590 / January 2009 Cover image: © Bernard DE WETTER / WWF-Canon

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