Giant pandas are famous for their love of bamboo, but it seems that they also have a preference for old forests, suggesting that maintaining such habitats is important for conserving this iconic endangered species.
Fuwen Wei at the Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing and his colleagues analysed data collected between 1999 and 2003 on 4,908 plots of land in Sichuan province for signs of pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, pictured). They found that the presence of old-growing forests was just as good an indicator that pandas live in the area as the presence of bamboo.
The authors suggest that maps and models of suitable habitats for pandas should be revised to prioritize old forests. They also call on the Chinese government to renew its ban on logging.
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Pandas prefer their trees mature. Nature 469, 268 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/469268a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/469268a
