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OPINION ARTICLE
Giant panda habitat restoration requires more than just
planting bamboo and trees
Dong Chen1, Xuelin Jin1,2, Ximing Zhang3, Qifeng Zhu1, Zhifeng Zhang4, Simin Hu1,
Yongxin Chen5, Qingxia Zhao1
Planting bamboo and trees is of great importance in giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) habitat restoration. In practice,
however, simply planting bamboo and trees cannot effectively and rapidly restore lost, degraded, and fragmented habitats.
Based on present restoration work in the Qinling Mountains, China, we argue that: (1) Planting should be done on open and
suitable forest lands, but the area that could be afforested is relatively small. (2) Forests that have regrown naturally on cut-over
lands are mostly middle-aged and early secondary stands, which need to be managed, not replanted. (3) Plantations of non-
native larch (Larix spp.) urgently need to be replaced and replanted with native trees and bamboos, but new policies are needed
that allow these plantations to be thinned or cut. (4) Bamboo forests in the mid-high mountain zones need to be assessed to
determine if they are disclimaxes of degraded forests. Pilot studies are needed to determine the best need and practices to reha-
bilitate and restore them. We conclude that the restoration of panda habitat cannot be accomplished simply through tree and
bamboo plantings.
Key words: habitat restoration, larch plantation thinning, logging, secondary forest tending, tree and bamboo planting
Implications for Practice
•Large scale of tree and bamboo planting is no longer
needed in giant panda habitat restoration because of the
previous reforestation projects and a favorable climate
condition.
•Furthermore, tree and bamboo planting does not reliably
result in functional panda habitat. The restoration prac-
tices should depend on the current vegetation status:
(1) secondary forest needs tending; (2) non-native larch
plantation needs thinning; and (3) pilot studies are needed
for bamboo forests.
•The restoration of emblematic species (like giant panda)
habitat provides a great chance to achieve and improve
ecosystem functions and services.
Introduction
The size, connectivity, and quality of giant panda (Ailuropoda
melanoleuca) habitat are critical for maintaining and increasing
wild populations, and support reintroduction efforts of captive
individuals (Li & Shen 2012). Although there are no specific,
quantitative measures of ideal giant panda habitat, there are
two general principles that have been used when setting goals
for its conservation and restoration. First, bamboo (For example,
Bashania fargesii and Fargesia qinlingensis) is the staple food
resource for giant pandas. Only high-quality bamboo can meet
pandas’dietary requirements. Second, trees that form a closed
canopy provide shelter for giant pandas and a microenvironment
for growth of bamboo and shrubs in the understory (Li &
Shen 2012). However, giant panda habitat is threatened by
logging, grazing, herb collection, road development, and tour-
ism, which together have resulted in increased habitat fragmen-
tation and a decrease in habitat size and quality (Kang 2020).
In the past few decades, the Chinese government has imple-
mented a series of ecological restoration projects to protect the
natural environment, including the Natural Forest Protection
Project (China’s logging ban), the Wildlife Protection and
Nature Reserve Development Program (establishing nature
reserves), and Returning Farmland to Forest Program. These
projects have led, either directly or indirectly, to the protection
of giant pandas and their habitat through reducing human distur-
bances like logging, hunting, and farming (Jin et al. 2012;
Zhou 2017). Currently, the protection and restoration of natural
ecosystems is a priority and projects focus on enhancing ecolog-
ical stability, quality, and service value (National Development
and Reform Commission of China 2020). In 2021, China for-
mally established a national park system that emphasizes the
Author contributions: DC, XJ conceived the idea; QZ, SH provided the photos; XZ, ZZ,
YC, QZ provided insights based on their field investigations and surveys; DC, XJ wrot e
the manuscript; all authors discussed and revised the manuscript.
1
Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Qinling Ecological Security, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology,
Xi’an 710032, China
2
Address correspondence to X. Jin, email zhgpanda@163.com
3
Shaanxi Changqing National Nature Reserve, Hanzhong 723301, China
4
Research Centre for the Qinling Giant Panda, Xi’an 710402, China
5
Shaanxi Forest Resources Administration, Xi’an 710082, China
© 2022 Society for Ecological Restoration.
doi: 10.1111/rec.13817
May 2023 Restoration Ecology Vol. 31, No. 4, e13817 1of5
integrity and authenticity of ecosystems. With such efforts, the
protection and restoration of giant panda habitat is well under-
way and will continue to be pushed forward into the future.
Timber demands and infrastructure construction have led to
vast areas of forests being cut down and damaged. The revege-
tation of these areas, through planting of trees and bamboo,
has become one of the most common ways to restore giant panda
habitat. This practice is emphasized in the forestry industry and
local standards (State Forestry Administration of China 2014;
Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision of Sichuan
Province 2015). These revegetation projects, however, do not
reliably result in functional panda habitat. In this paper we
use the habitat of the giant panda subspecies (A. melanoleuca
qinlingensis) in the Qinling Mountains as an example to argue
why functional habitat restoration cannot be simply achieved
by tree and bamboo plantings. We also discuss what research
and practical work is needed to guide and support the restoration
of giant panda habitat.
Open and Suitable Forest Land Does Need Replanting
The role that tree and bamboo plantings play in giant panda hab-
itat restoration cannot be ignored. The implementation of eco-
logical restoration projects and the regional warmer and wetter
climate accompanying global climatic change has led to an
expansion of forest canopy cover and bamboo density in the
Qinling Mountains (Sun 2007; Jin et al. 2012). The area of for-
ested land increased by 25,456 hm
2
from 2000 to 2015, and the
ecological quality of the vegetation has significantly improved
(Ji et al. 2021). There are very few open and suitable areas
around local communities that need reforestation (Zhou 2017).
Middle-Aged and Young Secondary Forests Need
Tending
Currently, giant panda habitat in the Qinling Mountains is com-
prised mainly of middle-aged and young secondary forests
resulting from large-scale timber harvests and construction of
roads and other infrastructure prior to the implementation of
the Natural Forest Protection Project (China’s logging ban).
From 1960 to 2000, approximately equal to 818,000 ha of giant
panda habitat in the Qinling Mountains was lost, approximately
equal to 399,000 ha was logged by six main state-owned forest
enterprises and approximately equal to 419,000 ha by local for-
est farms (Sun 2007).
Intensive studies have shown that pandas prefer old-growth
natural forest, and secondary forests are very different from
old-growth natural forests (Zhang et al. 2011; Hong
et al. 2012; Duan et al. 2014; Qin 2020). Compared to old-
growth natural forests, naturally regenerated secondary forests
have more shrubs and smaller trees (Hong et al. 2012; Duan
et al. 2014). Such dense shrubs can inhibit panda movement
(Hong et al. 2012), whereas larger trees provide more shade
and holes in which pandas can rest and breed (Hu 2001). Strati-
fied bamboo groves with varying height, density, base diameter,
and age structure can be found within secondary forests
(Hong et al. 2012; Qin 2020), but the overall structure and
composition of these groves depends on whether bamboo was
present within or near to the land at the time of logging, and
competition with other shrubs.
Secondary forests that have regrown after logging can, in
some conditions, be suitable habitat for pandas (Ouyang
et al. 2002; Bearer et al. 2008; Duan et al. 2014). In the Sichuan
Wolong Nature Reserve, it takes approximately equal to
50 years for the secondary forest to become suitable habitat for
pandas and approximately equal to 70–80 years for the vegeta-
tion community structure to resemble that of the native forest
(Ouyang et al. 2002). Another study at the same reserve indi-
cated that at least 37 years of natural recovery time was needed
for pandas to begin to reuse the land (Bearer et al. 2008).
Although apparent panda habitat in secondary forest is signifi-
cantly different from that in old-growth forests, pandas did use
the 50-year-old secondary forest in the Sichuan Wanglang
Nature Reserve (Duan et al. 2014).
Bamboo grows faster than the time it takes for vegetation
structure to recover after logging (Ouyang et al. 2002). Thus,
by planting bamboo within secondary forests and allowing for
some years of natural recovery, restoration of adequate bamboo
foods may be achieved. However, for middle-aged and young
secondary forests impacted by logging, planting trees and bam-
boo is insufficient by itself to re-establish panda habitat. In addi-
tion, more intensive management, including clearing and cutting
of shrubs and ramets to release them from competition, or sani-
tation cutting, increment felling, and replanting if necessary,
should be adopted for middle-aged and young secondary forests
to accelerate the habitat restoration process.
Non-Native Larch Plantation Need Thinning
Most of the nature reserves for pandas in the Qinling Mountains
are state-owned forest enterprises. Local forestry officials have
emphasized and prioritized the use of monoculture plantations
of non-native larch (Larix) to restore panda habitat in these
nature reserves. Two non-native species of larch (Larix
principis-rupprechtii (Mayr) and Larix kaempferi (Lamb.)
Carr.), which grow fast and have high yields, have been intro-
duced successively into clear-cut areas since the 1970s.
Although larch planting has now been stopped, a recent study
showed that larch plantations currently cover approximately
equal to 21,000 ha in the Qinling Mountains, of which just over
8,500 ha are in nature reserves (Nan et al. 2021). These larch
plantations, mainly distributed on hillsides and river valleys
and set into native vegetation, have caused the loss and fragmen-
tation of panda habitat (Zhao et al. 2008).
After decades of growth, the canopy closure of these larch
monocultures is nearly 90%. Their understory has no bamboo
and, at most, a few shrubs or herbs (Zhao et al. 2008), and there
is scant (0.5–1 cm) litter (Luo 2017). These plantations are not
suitable habitat for pandas. The most recent surveys (early
2000s: Sun 2007; early 2010s: Zhou 2017) found no panda
activity in larch plantations in the Qinling Mountains. Similarly,
larch plantations are rarely utilized by other sympatric species
(such as Budorcas taxicolor and Rhinopithecus roxellanae)
(Zhao et al. 2008).
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Habitat restoration of giant panda
Although larch plantations are no longer used for restoration
of panda habitat by foresters and conservation biologists, the
felling of standing trees is restricted by ecological and environ-
mental protection polices, and is unpopular with the public and
in the media. Instead of felling, an attempt to plant an understory
of bamboo (B. fargesii) within larch plantations has been con-
ducted by the Shaanxi Changqing Nature Reserve. Although
B. fargesii survives and grows in these larch plantations, they
had still not branched into clumps 3 years after planting and
the understory was still poor with few herbs, even in forest gaps
(Fig. 1). In Sichuan’s Wolong Nature Reserve, stand thinning of
larch achieved some positive results: understory shrubs and
herbs species increased in abundance (He et al. 2020). In this
same study, bamboo and native mid-successional trees had
lower survival rates and growth than native pioneer tree species
after being planted into highly-thinned larch plantations
(He et al. 2020).
Although more studies are needed, thinning and clear-cutting
of larch plantations is necessary, whether to restore panda habi-
tat or increase ecological security. Therefore, it is imperative to
have the support of the government to pursue restoration efforts
through thinning of larch plantations followed by native tree and
bamboo plantings (Luo 2017;Li2020). At present most larch
plantations have reached maturity or near-maturity with years
of growth and larch seedlings are not naturally regenerating in
forest gaps (Zhao et al. 2008; He et al. 2020). This is an ideal
time to thin the larch plantations as a means to recover and
restore panda habitat. However, this work must be supervised
effectively to prevent extensive cutting of other natural and sec-
ondary forests while thinning the larch stands.
Pilot Studies Are Needed before Restoring Bamboo
Forests
Restoration of bamboo (F. qinlingensis) forests in the mid-high
mountain zones of the Qinling Mountains (Fig. 2) for panda
habitat frequently has been proposed. There are only a few stud-
ies on the vegetation characteristics, driving factors, wildlife
habitat selection, and restoration practices of this region. A sur-
vey conducted on giant panda habitat of the Qinling Mountains
Figure 1. Panda habitat restoration status from larch plantation through
understory planting of bamboo Bashania fargesii after 3 years of planting.
Photos taken in November 2021, by D. Chen.
Figure 2. Examples of bamboo (Fargesia qinlingensis) forests in the mid-
high mountain zone of Qinling Mountains. Photos taken in April 2020, by
Q.F. Zhu.
May 2023 Restoration Ecology 3of5
Habitat restoration of giant panda
states that these bamboo forests are generally characterized by a
near monoculture of bamboo of uniform growth, high density,
approximately equal to 90% canopy closure, a height of
1.5–3 m, and low herbaceous cover (Zhou 2017). It has been
suggested that this vegetation structure is a result of the rela-
tively high altitude and poor site conditions (soil, water, and
strong wind). Another possible interpretation is that this is a
degraded forest ecosystem following clear-cutting that suc-
ceeded into a climax community of bamboo. These bamboo for-
ests are rarely used by giant pandas because there are no or few
tree stands and the dense bamboo poles that inhibit panda move-
ment (Zhou 2017).
To understand the origins of this bamboo forest requires the
collection and review of historic documents, interviews with
long-term farmers and foresters, analysis of satellite images,
and field studies. If this is found to be a degraded forest ecosys-
tem, pilot studies of restoration can be planned. Experimental
designs involving patterns and intensities of thinning with a
combination of native tree introductions could be tested to deter-
mine if this is a suitable and effective method for habitat restora-
tion (e.g. a restoration patent by Mo et al. 2021). Additional
studies and data are also needed to support policies or practices
of bamboo thinning and large-scale restoration efforts. Hasty
restoration efforts may lead to further degradation of the habitat.
Conclusions
Planting trees and bamboo is vital to giant panda habitat restora-
tion, but practical work is more complicated than it seems to be
for at least four reasons. First, there are few sites needing affor-
estation as vegetation has recovered on cut-over land and farm-
land because of ecological forestry projects in a warm and
humid climate. Second, naturally regenerating forests are mostly
middle-aged or young secondary forests, which need tending
rather than planting. Third, non-native larch plantations urgently
need to be replaced and replanted with native trees and bam-
boos; this will require new policies that allowing them to be
cut. Finally, it needs to be determined if bamboo forests in the
mid-high mountain zones are degraded forests, and if so, pilot
restoration practices should be implemented. Hasty planting
may lead to a low survival rate and poor growth of bamboo
and other species, leading to adverse consequences for the eco-
system. In conclusion, the restoration of giant panda habitat
requires moving from simply planting trees and bamboos to
recovering a native and diversified forest ecosystem with higher
stability, functions, and service values. Giant panda habitat res-
toration needs long-term exploration to accompany its practice,
support from scientific, financial and policy sectors, and will not
be accomplished at one stroke through tree and bamboo
plantings.
Acknowledgments
This research was jointly supported by the Shaanxi Academy
of Science, China (No. 2017k-16, No. 2020k-24) and the
Research Centre for the Qinling Giant Panda, Shaanxi
(No. XD21-3F-4S53). We thank Sound Solutions for
Sustainable Science (https://ssforsscom.wordpress.com/) and
Miss S. Jin for their technical editing and linguistic assistance
during the preparation of this manuscript.
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