Where Does the Giant Panda Live?

The giant panda is an endangered species that is native to bamboo forests in the mountainous areas of western China. According to the World Wildlife Federation (WWF), the giant panda habitat was once much more widespread and covered southern and eastern China as well as parts of Burma and Vietnam.

  1. Numbers

    • According to and article published in the Ottawa Citizen on August 17, 2009, there are 15,900 giant pandas living in the wild and 180 have been bred in captivity.

    Significance

    • There are only 20 isolated patches of giant panda population left int the wild, and all are located in mountain ranges that surround the great Sichuan plain.

    Geography

    • According to the WWF, 45 percent of the giant panda population lives in the Minshan Mountains, which border Tibet. The remaining wild giant panda population lives in the Qinling, Qionglai, Daxiangling, Liangshan, and Xiaoxiangling Mountains.

    Considerations

    • According to the article in the Ottawa Times, the giant panda is in danger of becoming completely extinct in two to three generations.

    Potential

    • The WWF is working with the Chinese government to protect the giant panda and its habitats, and they report that some threats, such as poaching and illegal logging, have been greatly reduced.