Sophisticated, reliable methods track wild panda population

On By Karl

China’s successful giant panda conservation efforts saw the endangered species threatened with extinction in 2016; The population of wild giant pandas has increased steadily from about 1,100 in the 1980s to about 1,900 last year.

Against this background, giant panda lovers around the world applauded the growing tribe of China’s national treasure.

But an article published in The New York Times earlier this month raised some concerns. Citing comments made by experts in 2006 and 2010, he stated that the methods China used to survey the wild panda population were “not ideal” and that “China has kept its methodology secret.”

Chinese experts responded by stating that assessing the panda population in the wild is not at all easy, although a variety of sophisticated and reliable methods have been used to improve the accuracy of the count.

What’s more, there have been four giant panda censuses since the 1970s, with the most recent completed in 2015; That’s exactly five years after comments made in 2010 by sources cited by the New York Times.

“Population assessment is a challenging task in wildlife conservation research, especially for forest-dwelling animals such as giant pandas, which are often difficult to directly observe and count and can only be evaluated by collecting relevant trace information,” Vice President Xu Weihua said. he said. National Parks Institute.

The country’s protected area for giant panda habitat has increased from 1.39 million hectares in the 1980s to 2.58 million hectares today.

The establishment of the Giant Panda National Park in 2021, covering Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, ensures the protection of approximately 70 percent of the pandas’ wild habitat. Thanks to careful monitoring, the number of giant pandas caught on camera and encountered in the wild has increased, according to the National Forest and Grassland Administration.

In the third national giant panda survey, which began in 1999, and the fourth survey, which began in 2011, researchers established survey lines every two square kilometers in key areas throughout the panda’s distribution range. In areas where pandas are less abundant, survey lines were established every six square kilometers.

“This is high-density information collection. Researchers collected data on panda feces and bite marks and used distance and bite mark differentiation methods for a comprehensive analysis to evaluate the giant panda population across the country,” Xu said. he said and noted that both methods are scientific. It is validated and effective for conducting research on wild populations.

The term “bite marks” refers to undigested pieces of bamboo stem found in pandas’ feces.

The distance differentiation method involves calculating the distance between panda track points such as feces, footprints and fur obtained during field research and determining whether they come from the same panda, thus confirming the number of pandas in the area.

Regarding the relevant counting method, Xu said: “Giant pandas are solitary animals, and except for mating and seasonal migration periods, their movements within a certain time frame are limited and stable. By determining the home range and dispersal ability of giant pandas, it can be confirmed whether the track points belong to the same panda.” “If the distance between two track points exceeds the normal activity range of a giant panda, it is first determined that there is more than one panda in the area.”

When the distance between two monitoring points falls within the potential activity range of a single panda, further identification can be made using bite mark differentiation to increase the accuracy of the census.

“Ninety-nine percent of a giant panda’s diet consists of bamboo, which they cannot fully digest… Due to differences in individual digestive abilities, there can be significant variation in the average number of bite marks in their feces,” said Xu.

“By comparing characteristics such as bite mark length, we can determine whether feces in an area were left by the same panda,” he added.

In the article in The New York Times, some foreign experts suggested using infrared cameras and DNA analysis to evaluate the panda population.

However, Chinese experts argued that due to the pandas’ similar appearance, it is difficult to distinguish individual pandas by examining photos taken from infrared cameras. In addition, DNA analysis requires fresh panda feces, making it impractical for large-scale operations and unsuitable for reflecting the total panda population nationwide.

“The survey methods used by Chinese giant panda experts have a complete process flow chart and calculation method, and are the most reliable among the currently available methods,” said Xu.

“We are also exploring new technologies for giant panda population assessment and individual identification. With advances in technology, particularly the application of artificial intelligence, big data and the emergence of new equipment, future panda surveys will become more efficient and population assessments will become even easier.” “It’s true,” he added.