An  Introduc+on  to  the    China/UK  Giant  Panda  Project  

Meet  the  Panda  Team:          

1Social  Studies  -­‐  Second  Level  I  can  discuss  the  environmental  impact  of  human  ac+vity  and  suggest  ways  in  which  we  can  live  in  a  more  environmentally-­‐responsible  way.  SOC  2-­‐08a  

Suggested   Ac?vity:   Inves?gate   Global   Sustainable   Community  Ini?a?ves  and  RZSS  Conserva?on  Programmes    Aims  •  To  find  out  how  RZSS  are  contribu+ng  to  the  global  giant  panda  conserva+on  effort.  •  To  understand  how  habitat  loss  has  led  to  giant  pandas  being  classed  as  Endangered.  •  To  find  out  about  organiza+ons  that  are  helping  to  develop  sustainable  community  ini+a+ves.  •  To  understand  that  many  rural  communi+es  around  the  world  are  poor  and  they  rely  on  the  land  to  

help  them  survive.  •  To  research  and  discuss  some  of  the  sustainable  community  ini+a+ves  that  have  been  set  up  globally.  •  To  research  the  conserva+on  programmes  carried  out  by  RZSS.  •  To  think  of  ways  to  help  support  the  organiza+ons  that  are  spearheading  conserva+on  programmes  

around  the  world.  •  To  think  about  ways  to  make  your  own  school  and  local  community  more  sustainable.      

Suggested  Learning  Framework    •         Watch  Lesson  S+mulus  –  Meet  the  Panda  Keeper  to  find  out  more  about  giant  pandas  and  how  

RZSS  is  contribu+ng  to  the  global  giant  panda  conserva+on  effort.    •  Giant  pandas  are  classed  as  Endangered  on  the  IUCN  red  List  of  Threatened  Species.  This  is  because  

much  of  their  habitat,  along  with  their  main  food  source,  has  been  destroyed  over  the  last  40  years.                                          cn        Read  Background  Notes  for  Teachers  –  Giant  Panda  Habitat  Loss  to  find  out  more.  

 •  Many  organiza+ons,  such  as  Act  for  Wildlife  led  by  Chester  Zoo,  are  working  closely  with  local  Chinese  

communi+es  to  help  protect  and  manage  forests  and  develop  sustainable  community  ini+a+ves  that  will   ul+mately   protect   the   habitats   of   many   endangered   species.       Find   out   more   about   this   at  hWp://www.acYorwildlife.org.uk/china/china?gclid=CPad6-­‐ikhsECFSXKtAodyiIA2A    

•  Educa+on,   awareness   and   sustainable   community   ini+a+ves   will   help   local   communi+es   in   the  Sichuan   Forest   area   reduce   the   environmental   impact   of   their   ac+vi+es.   This   will   ul+mately   help  protect  local  habitats  and  wildlife.  However,  the  communi+es  of  Sichuan  Province  are  poor  and  they  rely  on  the  land  to  provide  an  income  to  help  them  survive.  It’s  a  very  tricky  balancing  act  and  they  are  by  no  means  the  only  communi+es  impac+ng  the  global  environment.  Cont:  

 

Suggested  Learning  Framework  Cont:    Cont:    •  Ask   pupils   to   research   what   a   ‘Sustainable   Community’   is   and   discuss   some   of   the   sustainable  

community   ini+a+ves   that   have   been   set   up,   not   only   in   China,   but   around   the   globe.                                                            hWp://www.sustainable.org/        

 •  Ask  pupils  to  research,  and  feedback  to  others,  some  of  the  conserva+on  programmes  carried  out  by  

RZSS.                  hWp://www.rzss.org.uk/conserva+on-­‐programmes    

•  Ask   pupils   to   think   of   ways   they  might   help   and   support   organiza+ons   that   are   trying   to   educate  communi+es  about  the  environmental  impact  of  human  ac+vity.  

 •  Discuss   ways   of   making   your   own   school   and   local   environment   more   sustainable.                    

hWp://www.suschool.org.uk/      

Background  Notes  for  Teachers    This  series  of  ac+vi+es  will  help  young  people  understand  and  appreciate  the  dangerous  consequences  human   ac+vi+es   have   on   our   environment.   They   will   inves+gate   the   development   of   sustainable  communi+es  and  understand   that   this   is   one  way  we   can   reduce,   and  possibly   reverse,   the   impact  of  previous  and  current  behaviour  to  ensure  a  healthy  environment  for  future  genera+ons.      Sustainable  communi+es  are  places  where  people  want  to  live  and  work,  now  and  in  the  future.  They  meet  the  diverse  needs  of  exis+ng  and  future  residents,  are  sensi+ve  to  their  environment,  and  contribute  to  a  high  quality  of  life.  They  are  safe  and  inclusive,  well  planned,  built  and  run,  and  offer  equality  of  opportunity  and  good  services  for  all.      Sustainable  communi+es:    •  Ac+vely  seek  to  minimise  climate  change  through  energy  efficiency  and  the  use  of  renewables    •  Protect  the  environment,  by  minimising  pollu+on  on  land,  in  water  and  in  the  air    •  Minimise  waste  and  dispose  of  it  in  accordance  with  current  good  prac+ce    •  Make  efficient  use  of  natural  resources,  encouraging  sustainable  produc+on  and  consump+on    •  Protect  and  improve  bio-­‐diversity  (e.g.  wildlife  habitats)    •  Enable  a  lifestyle  that  minimises  nega+ve  environmental  impact  and  enhances  posi+ve  impacts  (e.g.  

by  crea+ng  opportuni+es  for  walking  and  cycling,  and  reducing  noise  pollu+on  and  dependence  on  cars)    

•  Create  cleaner,  safer  and  greener  neighbourhoods  (e.g.  by  reducing  liWer  and  graffi+,  and  maintaining  pleasant  public  spaces).    

Pupils  will  also  find  out  about  how,  through  research  and  conserva+on  projects,  RZSS  contributes  to  the  management    and  conserva+on  of  many  threatened  species,  habitats  and  communi+es  around  the  world  and  find  out  how  they  can  help  to  support  RZSS  in  their  work.              

An  Introduc+on  to  the    China/UK  Giant  Panda  Project  

Meet  the  Panda  Team:    1

Background  Notes  for  Teachers      Giant  Panda  Habitat  Loss    The  giant  panda’s  mountainous  bamboo  forest  habitat  once  covered  vast  areas  of  China,  northern  Vietnam  and  northern  Burma.  Now,  fragments  of  forest  can  only  be  found  in  a  few  isolated  mountain  ranges  in  Gansu,  Shaanxi  and  the  Sichuan  Provinces  of  south-­‐central  China.  Habitat  loss,  and  the  subsequent  loss  of  their  primary  food  source  -­‐  bamboo,  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  major  reasons  for  the  dwindling  numbers  of  giant  pandas  in  the  wild.      A  typical  pair  of  breeding  pandas  needs  a  minimum  area  of  around  30km2  of  bamboo  forest  to  support  them,  but  logging  has  destroyed  much  of  their  original  habitat.  In  the  Sichuan  Province  alone  the  panda’s  habitat  shrank  by  50%  between  1974  and  1989.    In  1998  the  Chinese  government  banned  logging  but  up  un+l  that  +me  large  areas  of  natural  bamboo  forest  were  cleared  for  +mber,  fuel  wood,  infrastructure  for  a  growing  popula+on  and  land  for  hydropower  development.    Use  of  the  land  for  agriculture  also  had  a  major  effect  on  the  giant  panda’s  habitat  and  food  source.  Bamboo  only  grows  at  al+tudes  of  between  500m  and  3,100m.  Unfortunately,  much  of  the  lower  land  u+lized  by  the  giant  panda  has  been  claimed  for  agriculture.  This  in  effect  has  confined  most  of  the  panda’s  habitat  to  al+tudes  greater  than  1,400m.  As  pandas  do  not  hibernate,  this  has  caused  major  problems  for  them,  as  they  are  unable  to  retreat  to  lower  levels  during  the  cold  winter  months.      Three-­‐quarters  of  all  wild  pandas  now  live  in  nature  reserves  –  but  despite  this,  they’re  s+ll  endangered.  Nearly  half  of  all  wild  pandas  were  lost  between  the  early  1970s  and  the  late  1990s  –  mainly  owing  to  habitat  destruc+on  and  poaching.  Habitat  loss  and  fragmenta+on  are  s+ll  the  main  threats  today.  Giant  pandas  are  doing  their  bit  to  reinstate  their  habitat  and  keep  it  healthy.  By  spreading  seeds  in  their  droppings  all  around  the  forest  –  they  help  vegeta+on  to  spread  and  grow  and  this  in  turn  helps  the  forest  thrive.      

An  Introduc+on  to  the    China/UK  Giant  Panda  Project  

Meet  the  Panda  Team:    1

           The  giant  pandas  habitat,  seen  here  as  red  pockets  of  bamboo  forest,  is  now  restricted  to  a  few  isolated  mountain  ranges  in  south-­‐central  China.