Deforestation of Giant Pandas' Habitat

Deforestation is a major problem all over the world, which impacts the organisms that live in those forests and the people who live near them. Not only does it damage the environment because it lowers the biodiversity of the area, but it also provides an unreliable infrastructure material that, if not taken care of, will cease to exist. Many people in these areas relied on the bamboo forests to build their homes and businesses and used the resources in the forests to make their living and build their communities. However, when the forests disappear due to deforestation, many people's communities will begin to decline, and countless animals will lose their habitats.

The main issues being discussed are life on land, climate action, and industry, innovation, and infrastructure (UN). Life on land relates to deforestation and the animals whose environments are being destroyed. Climate action relates to the different actions that the Chinese government is taking in order to protect the forests that have been previously destroyed. Industry, innovation, and infrastructure relate to the infrastructure that was created with the wood and bamboo shoots that were collected during the deforestation of the forest and the lumber industry that relies on the forests for their products.

Pandas themselves are very solitary creatures and prefer to live in large areas so they can isolate themselves from other pandas. When they had a large environment there was no problem with their separate lives, however when the population of people started to grow in the surrounding areas they started cutting down the forests to use the lumber for buildings and spread their agricultural crops into the newly cleared areas so that the forest would not be able to grow there again. When pandas are forced into smaller areas, they have to compete more for food, breeding partners, and areas safe from predators. Over time, the once-thriving giant panda population that sprawled over thousands of acres was forced into about 20 small spots with less food and a higher concentration of predators. With the declining panda population, there are fewer breeding partners to work with so the gene diversity of the pandas also decreased which caused the Chinese government to step in and create sanctuarys for pandas were they would be able to be safe, fed, and have access to pandas from some of the different areas which increased their gene diversity. However, this does not save the wild panda population from the problems that we humans have created.

Throughout China's history, giant pandas have been a symbol of friendship and goodwill, and they are currently used as signs of diplomacy for countries that the Chinese government is willing to work with. Panda diplomacy started during the Tang Dynasty between 618 and 907 CE and has continued to the present day (Diplo). Countries have the option of renting the pandas from the Chinese government directly, or they can be gifted to the countries, and they get to keep the bears for free until the government wants them back. Because of the importance of the bears to the government and the people, pandas are never fully given to the different zoos around the world; instead, the Chinese government lends the animals to the zoos of their choosing until they want them back.

There are currently about 20 countries that have pandas outside of China, including the US. The San Diego Zoo has had pandas as residents since 1996 and has had several different pandas come and go as needed for the panda breeding program (NBC San Diego). However, in 2019, China and US relations turned south, and because of this, China made the decision to remove the pandas as a sign of their unhappiness with our country. This action reminded many people of China's Panda Diplomacy and the weight that these simple animals hold in world politics.

The idea behind the triple bottom line is that businesses and governments have to balance people, profit, and planet. Looking at the deforestation of the panda's environment, the people are the government, the profit refers to the lumber businesses, and the planet refers to the panda's natural habitat in Central China that is being destroyed. The Chinese government has to look at everything that affects the triple bottom line and find a way to keep everyone happy and healthy.

The Chinese government, like many countries, for a long time had not regulated the amount of trees and bamboo that lumber companies are allowed to cut down to use in building. However, as soon as they saw the consequences of not regulating the lumber industry, they started to make changes. In 1998 there was a large flood which pushed the government to create the Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) to monitor and regulate how many trees they could cut down without causing harm to the Chinese citizens ( Y. Wang at al.). Because of the NFPP, there were natural forests that were banned from logging, and in the next 15 years, more and more areas would be restricted until in 2017, all logging in natural forests was banned, and only human-grown forests could be logged.

There was worry in the industry that because of these restrictions, the industry would suffer. However, while the government regulated where the lumber industry could get their lumber, the wood product industry was also growing to a large extent, causing the large lumber companies to need to plant more trees to make up for the restricted area where they could cut down trees. The profits of the lumber companies continued to increase until the number 1 and 2 lumber companies were both located in China (Y. Wang at al.). This proved that sustainable logging does not hinder the profits of the lumber companies, and it helps to save the natural habitats of the giant pandas. There have also been many studies that show how deforestation affects the economic state of the countries. For a while, the studies show that countries that cut down more of their forests have a better economy because they make space for agriculture, but after they reach a point of deforestation, their economy begins to decrease (M. Zambrano-Monserrate at al.). This means that when governments put restrictions on the amount of deforesation that can occur they are helping the future generations economy.

This infographic created by Jack Pomfret is extremely informative about who is affected, the different causes of deforestation, and how we can solve the problem. This graphic not only talks a lot about my main points in the struggle with deforestation, but it also gives more information about other animals that are affected and other ways that the forests are destroyed by humans. It also gives a few different solutions, although because this infographic was made for GreenPeace, the solutions are aimed towards their organization.

For this project, the KPIs are:

1. The population of wild pandas - there are currently 1,864 wild pandas in the Central China forests, and monitoring them will allow us to see if the regulations implemented are helping or hurting the population.
2. Acres of forests that are available to the wild panda population - looking at the pockets of forest available to the pandas to see if the acreage increases or decreases will tell us if we need to do more for the animals.
3. Rate of deforestation - measuring how fast the logging industry cuts down forests for profit.
4. Rate of reforestation - measuring how many acres are being replanted after the trees have been cut down.
5. Carbon footprint - the logging industry has one of the highest carbon footprint percentages and is estimated to continue to rise 3.5 to 4.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gasses annually (Searchinger at al.)

The Forest Management Certification is through the FSC, and they monitor and confirm that the forest is being sustainably managed. To obtain this certification, the forest operation has to pass ten principles that measure the environmental impact, community involvement, workers' rights, and conservation practices (FSC). This organization monitors forests all around the world in different environments to ensure that all forests are sustainable for the next generation.

1. Spread the word. Although pandas are in the media a lot, the media focuses on the pandas living in zoos and in the sanctuaries but the pandas who need the most help are the wild pandas who are stuck in the few small forests in China.
2. Donate to responsible organizations. World Wildlife Fund is a great resource for all endangered species that need help, and they focus on keeping the animals wild rather than keeping them in zoos. Wildlife rehabilitation centers also need help and funds from people to help rehabilitate animals before sending them back into their natural habitats. But, make sure that the organizations you donate to are sending the money where it is needed. Here is the link to the World Wildlife Fund to learn more about how to help endangered animals  https://www.worldwildlife.org/ 
3. Education on deforestation. While this project focuses on how deforestation affects pandas, deforestation occurs all over the world. Some countries have set regulations, but many others allow the mass habitat destruction. So people should learn more about the causes and effects of deforestation and how we can make policies to change how the environment is used.
4. Recycle your wood products. Because a majority of wood products around the world come from China, recycling your wood products will make it so that they do not have to cut down as many trees, which protects the habitats of countless animals.
5. Buy products from responsible companies. Companies have options on where they buy their resources, and they can get them from sustainable areas that take steps to keep the world healthy and running for the next generation. Or they will go for the cheaper options that skip steps and hurt the environment. So, finding a sustainable company and trying to buy products from them will help the whole world.

Giant pandas have long been a symbol of friendship and goodwill and have helped Chinese politics with other countries through their Panda Diplomacy program. The Chinese citizens take pride in their national animal and all of the different meanings that are associated with the bear. Unfortunately, pandas have been endangered because of deforestation for years, and their wild population has declined to 1,864 individual bears in the wild. The Chinese Government has made many steps to help stop deforestation and save their precious symbol. For example, they have created many restrictions on where countries are able to cut down trees for lumber, and they have made sanctuaries for the animals to help breed them and raise the population. They have also created the National Forest Protection Program, which helps to regulate and keep the forests healthy and thriving so that they can continue to be a good habitat for the pandas and all the other animals who live in them. By monitoring the key performance sustainability indicators, the government can continue to take steps to avoid more deforestation and habitat loss and help to stop the extinction of the giant pandas.

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Giant Panda. Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. (2016, April 25). https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giant-panda

Habitat: The land of the panda. WWF. (n.d.). https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/where_panda_lives_habitat/

Panda diplomacy. Diplo. (n.d.). https://www.diplomacy.edu/topics/panda-diplomacy/#:~:text=The%20symbolic%20value%20of%20pandas,increased%20tourism%20and%20cultural%20exchanges.

China’s wood-based forest product imports and exports. (n.d.-b). https://www.forest-trends.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/S9.pdf

 https://jackpomfretgraphicdesign.blogspot.com/2015/01/infographic.html 

Forest management certification. Forest Management Certification | FSC Connect. (n.d.). https://connect.fsc.org/certification/forest-management-certification

Staff, N. 7. (2024, August 8). Timeline: The nearly 30-year history between giant pandas and the san diego zoo. NBC 7 San Diego. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/timeline-giant-pandas-at-san-diego-zoo/3503904/

 https://www.careanimal.com/blog/giant-pandas 

Searchinger, T., Peng, L., Waite, R., & Zionts, J. (2023, July 5). Harvesting Wood has overlooked carbon costs. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/wood-harvests-overlooked-carbon-costs

Zambrano-Monserrate, M. A., Carvajal-Lara, C., Urgilés-Sanchez, R., & Ruano, M. A. (2018). Deforestation as an indicator of environmental degradation: Analysis of five European countries. Ecological Indicators, 90, 1-8.

United Nations. (n.d.). The 17 goals | sustainable development. United Nations. https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Treisman, R. (2025, January 24). The debut of New Pandas in D.C. marks the latest chapter in China’s “panda diplomacy.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/24/nx-s1-5272416/panda-diplomacy-china-dc-zoo