Giant pandas could be left hungry and struggling to survive by global warming, scientists have warned. A new study predicts that climate change is certain to wipe out much of the bamboo on which the bears rely for food. Prime panda habitat in China could be completely lost by the end of the century. Human development adds to the threat by blocking the bears' access to places where bamboo is less affected by rising temperatures.
The research focused on the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi province, which is home to around 275 wild pandas. The animals make up around 17% of the entire wild giant panda population. Qinling pandas have been isolated for thousands of years due to a long history of human habitation around the mountain range. Their limited range makes them particularly sensitive to the loss of food resources.
Bamboo, which carpets the forest floor where the pandas live, is the single item in the bears' diet and also provides essential food and shelter for other animals. The plant's unusual reproductive cycle limits its ability to adapt to climate change. One species studied by the scientists only flowers and reproduces every 30-35 years. Tuanmu's team pointed out that three main bamboo species were likely to disappear in the Qinling Mountains as the climate warmed.
"We will need advance actions to protect the current giant panda habitats," said leading researcher Mao-Ning Tuanmu, from Yale University in the US. "We need time to look for areas that might become panda habitat in the future, and to think now about connection between good panda habitats and habitats for other species."
Conservation efforts should now aim to protect areas that have a better chance of supplying pandas with food, despite climate change. Natural "bridges" could also be created to help the pandas escape from a bamboo shortage. Looking at the climate impact on the bamboo can help us prepare for the challenges that the panda will likely face in the future.
