Research Findings of Giant Panda Research Team at CWNU Published Online in Science Advances

Pandas with their cubs [Photo by Xu Jun]

On July 30, 2022, the research findings of the giant panda research team at China West Normal University, titled "Landscape-scale giant panda conservation based on metapopulations within China’s national park system" were published in Science Advances (JCR1 area, latest impact factor 14.957).

for large mammals is the foundation for in situ and ex situ conservation of species, and its results are of great significance for exploring the mechanisms of species endangerment and formulating reasonable conservation and management plans. Based on this, the giant panda research team of China West Normal University spent three years, based on the field data of the fourth national survey of giant pandas, and using models such as resource selection function, to clarify the reasons affecting the habitat selection of giant pandas from the mechanism, and fill in the research gap in this field.

It is understood that the study aims at the metapopulation of giant pandas at the landscape scale, integrates population density, distribution area, human disturbance, habitat selection factors, etc., systematically formulates conservation and management measures at the level of giant panda population, and provides standardized suggestions for the conservation and management of giant panda national parks. This study not only provides direction for future conservation research of wild giant pandas, but also provides reference cases for conservation research of other large mammals worldwide.

(Text by Yang Biao)