Ecological Corridor for the Reunion of Giant Pandas
The Qinling landscape supports a large population of Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). In the 1970s National Road 108 was constructed through the previously intact forest, splitting the panda populations apart into distinct groups in the east and west. The eastern subgroup of pandas is at high risk of extinction. Habitat fragmentation like this limits resources and genetic movement for both groups of pandas. In 2000 a tunnel was built by the government to accommodate the new road and the opportunity to reconnect the panda population. The old roads, above ground, were closed so that habitat could be re-established. In 2003 the Shaanxi Guanyinshan Nature Reserve was legally established, and in 2005 the World Wildlife Fund together with the reserve launched the G108 Qinling vehicle tunnel corridor restoration project. The main activities of the project included baseline surveys of the panda population, bamboo plantings to improve habitat quality, local community engagement and wildlife monitoring.