Impacts Of Human Disturbance On The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda Melanoleuca) And Its Habitats At The Wanglang Nature Reserve

Habitats of the giant panda have been fragmented in recent years due to long -term various human activities, which results in the drastic diminishing of the distribution area of this endangered species. In 1980s diet bamboo of the giant panda was blooming. All these are responsible for the decrease of the population size of the giant panda. To prevent the further degradation of the panda habitats and protect this endangered species, we should assess impacts of human duisturbance on the giant panda and its habitats. A study of assessing impacts of human disturbance on the giant panda and its habitats at the Wanglang Nature Reserve was conducted. The Wanglang Nature Reserve is located in the heart of the Minshan Mountains, which is richest in biodiversity both in China and abroad, and of importance for conservation of the rare and endangered species of plants and animals. This study aims at censusing of the panda population, panda's exploitation of habitats and impacts of various human activities on the giant pandas and its habitats.The route transect method was used and plots were set along the route in each valley at Wanglang. Elevation, features of slope, vegetation, tree and shrub coverage, height, panda traces (droppings, dens, individuals, gnawing bamboo stems) in each plot were recorded to characterize the population size of the giant panda, their habitats and impacts of human disturbance on pandas at Wanglang.We examined and simulated the frequency distribution of bamboo stemfragment (BSF) lengths in droppings of the giant panda. Multiple comparison method and similarity coefficient method were developed to estimate population size of the giant panda. The chi-square testing was used to determine the relationship between the occurrence of pandas and the type and intensity of human disturbance. Habitat selection of the giant panda and impacts of human disturbance, such as logging, livestock grazing, herb collecting, poaching, road building, were quantitatively analysed by habitat selection index of Manly.The results suggest that at the Wanglang Nature Reserve: 1) the horizontal distribution of the panda population is uneven and most of the individuals are distributed in the valleys between the Muyang Farm to Baozi (leopard) valley. Panda population density at the west part of the Reserve is higher than that at the east. Most of the pandas are distributed between 2 600-2 800 m; 2) the pandas more often exploit the conifer-and-broadleaf-mixed forests and prefer to feed Fargesia denudafa and more of their activities happen in forests where arrow bamboo grows better; 3) the pandas avoid habitats where human disturbance is intensive (x2 = 22.000, df - 3, p = 0.000); logging and livestock grazing significantly influence feeding habitats of pandas, while herb collecting and poaching has not. The giant pandas prefer the habitats where no human disturbance occurs.In conclusion, human activitires have intensively influenced feeding and other activities of the giant panda and its habitats. Cease of livestock grazing by management is urgent for conservation of the giant panda and other species of rare and edangered plants and animals since quit of logging in 1998.