新浪微博
腾讯微博
微信
QQ空间
QQ好友
手机阅读分享话题

West China

NW China's Shaanxi breeds 32 captive pandas in 5 yrs

2020-12-07 09:15:26

XI'AN, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Shaanxi Province has bred 32 captive giant pandas over the last five years, making the province one of the major breeding bases for the popular mammal, local authorities said Tuesday.

The fourth national survey of giant pandas conducted between 2011 and 2014 showed that Shaanxi's wild population of the species reached 345, ranking first in terms of increase and density in the country, said Dang Shuangren, director of the Shaanxi Forestry and Grassland Bureau.

China plans to upgrade the nature reserve in the Qinling Mountains, mainly in Shaanxi and also known as a natural boundary between China's north and south, into a national park in a bid to protect and restore giant panda habitats. Dang said the park is expected to lay a solid foundation for population stability of the species.

Data by the bureau shows that the Qinling Mountains are home to about 3,800 kinds of seed plants and 587 wild animal species -- 112 mammals, 418 birds, 39 reptiles and 18 amphibians. Covering more than 50,000 square km, the mountain range is renowned for being China's gene bank of wild biology.

The number of captive giant pandas in the world stood at about 600 in November 2019. Fewer than 2,000 pandas live in the wild, mostly in the provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi. Enditem

 

Editor:Jiang Yiwei