The protection zone spans 35,000 square kilometers, has 1,580 types of plants and 265 types of wild animals. Out of these, four are national Class I protected animals and 33 are Class II.
He Xiangbo, office director of the Protection Zone Bureau, said Shaanxi has a high density of wild giant pandas. They regularly send workers to patrol the mountains to find poachers or any destruction of the environment.
"We have six stations in the zone and more than 30 workers each, and we have a schedule where each has to patrol at least five days per month," he said. Every winter, all the stations do a complete checkup of the whole area to find out if any wild animals have been injured or if any part of the zone has been sabotaged by humans.
The WWF's Wan said an issue facing giant pandas in China is that different panda communities have lost contact with each other due to the destruction of forests, and long years of separation have led to inbreeding, which poses a problem for the entire species' survival.
"The WWF is cooperating with local protection zones and governments in China to create six 'environmental walkways,' connecting different zones with high densities of giant pandas," Wan said.
The project was launched in 2003 in Sichuan and Shaanxi and workers have been planting bamboo and trees in the hope to restore giant panda habitats.
But even though there are theories on how the recovery should be implemented, in practice there are difficulties. Scientists have had to fumble and experiment before finding methods that work in each particular region. Furthermore, in practical protection work, often results are visible only in the long term.
"For example, when we were planting a certain type of bamboo, local protection zone workers found that it was hopeless and dying rapidly. But the second year we tried planting the bamboo, they grew well," she said. "When you are doing detailed, practical work, it's impossible to see immediate returns."
Sustainable economy
Another important measure taken to protect pandas and their habitats is to involve the residents living in that area in the work of conservation, to avoid the deliberate destruction of the environment.
Foping natural zone's He said that in the past, there used to be a problem with poaching in the area. Most people who live near natural protection zones are farmers, often living in poverty. When harvest season is over, sometimes they sneak into the mountains to poach wild animals or illegally cut down trees.
Foping wildlife bureau developed a few projects with the surrounding residents, helping them to make money in lean times by raising bees or growing medicinal herbs.
"Gradually, they stopped going hunting in the forest because it's hard work and doesn't earn them as much," he said.
People are carrying out this idea on the grass-roots level as well. Zhao Huawen founded an NGO called the Happiness Bank in 2009 and launched the project of protecting the panda's habitat through establishing sustainable businesses run by people who live near these areas.
When he first started executing the program, through onsite investigations and polls he found out the people who live near panda habitats, which are usually in the mountains, are often poverty-stricken and lack a way to earn a living sustainably. In fact, in the past, many of these residents lived by the mountains also earned a living by cutting down trees or selling poached animals on the black market.
In the last couple of years, he and his team helped villagers plant and advertise local products, such as kiwis and other local fruits. After a while, farmers had an average increase in salary of 3,000 yuan per year.
Another key part of protecting the giant panda is helping them breed. Right now, there are more than 300 giant pandas being raised in zoos and breeding centers, a number that's more than doubled from 164 to 375. Scientists are also researching different ways for the giant panda to conceive.
One famous site is the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, which recruits scientists to conduct research while opening their doors to tourists and spreading awareness of panda protection.
Even though there have been remarkable contributions toward protecting the giant panda, there are more issues that need to be addressed in the future. Wan said the future focus of panda protection work should continue to be placed on habitat protection. The fragmentation of habitat is something to be worked on continuously.
Furthermore, habitats are facing different threats than before. As opposed to deliberate and illegal sabotage, habitats are now faced with changes brought by tourism, urbanization and development.
