MajorThreatstothePanda

　　1.Destructionofthepanda'snaturalhabitat.Intheelevenyearsfrom1973to1984,suitablepandahabitatshrunkby50percentinsixisolated,butotherwiseideal,areas.A1998loggingbanimplementedbytheChinesegovernmenthelpedtoslowthehabitatdestruction,butpoachingandillegalloggingarestillaproblem.

　　2.Interruptionofmigrationroutes.Bamboo,thePanda'smainfood,flowers(producesseedsanddies)onceevery10to100yearsdependingonthespecies.Whenthebambooinoneareaflowers,pandashavetomovetoareasthathavenotflowered.Historically,itwaseasyforpandastomovefromoneareatoanother,butnowitisnot.Humanpopulationhasexpanded,roadsandsettlementshavebeenbuilt,andforestshavebeenclearedforagriculture,fuelwood,andtimber.Thesechangesmakepandamigrationdifficult,oftenleavingpandasrestrictedto"islandsofforest."

　　3.ConsumptionofWildMeatAlthoughpandasareoccasionallyhuntedfortheirpelts,mostpandasthatareinjuredorkilledbypoachersareinadvertentlyharmedwhenthepandasarecaughtintrapsmeantformuskdeer,takin,bear,andotheranimals.Wildmeatissoldinthemarketsandrestaurantsincitiesnearbythereserve.EatingwildmeatinChinaisathreattopandasurvival.(Note,pandasarenotsoughtforuseintraditionalChinesemedicine.)

　　WanglangProtectstheGiantPandaby:

　　·PatrollingtheReserveforpoachersandsickorinjuredpandas.

　　·Protectingtheforestsasakeyhabitatarea.

　　·Educatingvisitorsaboutpandaprotectionandenvironmentalissues.

　　·Supportingpandaresearch.

　　·Providingacorridorforpandamigrationbetweenadjacentpandahabitats.

　　·Educatinglocalresidentsaboutthevalueofconservingpandas.

　　·Supportingeconomicdevelopmentoflocalcommunitiestominimizetheirneedtousepandahabitatfortoprovidefortheirlivelihood.

　　HowYouCanProtectPandas

　　·KnowandfollowtheregulationsoftheReserve.

　　·Don'tpurchaseoreatanykindofwildmeat.

　　·MakeadonationtopandaconservationatWanglangNatureReserve

　　·PurchasesouvenirsattheReserve,aportionofwhichsupportspandaconservationprogramsatWanglang.

　　·Joinanenvironmentalorganizationtoprotectwildlife.

　　·TellafriendaboutWanglangandpandaprotection.