Update
A Year of Green Recovery in China’s Panda Country
In the year since the May 12, 2008 earthquake that devastated southwest China’s Sichuan Province, WWF and our humanitarian partners have been active on the ground to care for pandas on the impacted reserves and lessen the suffering of the neighboring communities.
WWF’s response to this disaster was immediate, working with first-responders in affected areas to meet urgent human needs. We provided satellite phones, tents, fuel-efficient stoves, food and other emergency supplies to stricken communities.
What does a giant panda do for most of the day?
As soon as conditions allowed, WWF and partners undertook a comprehensive two-week survey of the damaged giant panda habitat in Sichuan. More than 40 rangers and researchers trekked through steep mountain slopes and dense forest trails – braving possible aftershocks and landslides. The team was delighted to find signs of live pandas, but confirmed that conditions on the ground matched satellite images showing widespread damage to their habitat.
WWF has been focused on rebuilding infrastructure and equipment within the affected panda reserves, and has been providing monitoring and patrolling equipment. We have also supplied technical and financial support during the field surveys and helped set up temporary monitoring posts within the hardest-hit reserves.
Through WWF’s Humanitarian Partnerships Program, WWF is working with the Chinese government to implement environmentally-sound reconstruction for the benefit of giant pandas and local communities. We continue working with the Red Cross and other relief organizations to supply water, sanitation and fuel in ways that reduce pressure on already-strained natural resources. Looking forward, WWF is also reducing the man-made threats – deforestation, habitat loss, and pollution – to the giant panda, which pose a far greater danger to the future of this iconic animal.
Giant panda fast facts
Watch how WWF's logo changed through the years
- The species has been WWF’s logo since we were founded in 1961.
- The giant panda is the rarest member of the bear family and among the world’s most threatened animals.
- Giant pandas are about five feet long from nose to rump, with a four to six inch tail.
- A large adult panda can weigh about 220-330 pounds, with males 10 percent larger and 20 percent heavier than females.
- Pandas live mainly on the ground but have the ability to climb trees as well.
- A giant panda may consume 26-83 pounds of bamboo a day to meet its energy requirements.
- Giant pandas are generally solitary, each adult having a well-defined home range.
Learn more about WWF's giant panda conservation 
Stories from the field
In this special anniversary newsletter (PDF, 1.67MB) read first-hand accounts of:
- Patrolling notes after the earthquake
- Science-based recovery planning for damaged panda habitat
- Restoring safe drinking water to a quake-damaged village
- Panda protection and locally-grown Red June peppers
- Helping villagers living in Qingmuchuan Nature Reserve
Where do giant pandas live?
Yangtze
The magnificent forests of the Yangtze region are home to a stunning array of wildlife – including the beloved giant panda, elusive snow leopard, and beautiful pheasants in all the colors of the rainbow. Many of the flowers we plant in our gardens, such as azaleas and rhododendron, originated in this part of China. The Minshan Mountains also play a vital role in watershed protection for the Yangtze River, regulating the flow of fresh water for 400 million people downstream. Learn more about the Yangtze region
WWF’s Humanitarian Partnerships program
WWF works with humanitarian organizations to focus on the connections between human livelihoods and conservation. Our goal is to ensure that international development, recovery and reconstruction efforts include the environmental sustainability elements necessary to achieve lasting results for human communities. Learn more
Download the latest WWF and Green Reconstruction brochure (PDF, 1.27MB)
