What was the effect of the massive Sichuan earthquake on panda habitat?
The magnitude 8.0 earthquake that caused catastrophic destruction to towns and villages in Sichuan, China in May, 2008 also caused sever damage to giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) habitat. A research article appearing in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment found that 354 km2 (23%) of panda habitat in the region was destroyed, 249 km2 of which was inside nature reserves. The researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing also found that the remaining habitat was fragmented by landslides and mudflows. This is obviously bad news for the long term survival of the giant panda with some estimates at 1500 individuals living in the wild. Giant panda. Ailuropoda melanoleuca, at Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C. Image credt, Jeff Kubina.The Sichuan region is home to more than 12,000 species of plants and 1122 species of vertebrates, the area includes more than half of the habitat for the Earth’s wild giant panda population. The researchers e
