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Is Shennongjia a Suitable Site for Reintroducing Giant Panda:

An Appraisal on Food Supply

Z. LI1,2,* and M. DENICH2

1

School of Resource and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, P.R. China

2

Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Str. 3, D-53113 Bonn, Germany

Summary. The giant panda was found on Mount Shennongjia in Central China for thousands of years but

vanished in the late 19th century. The possibility for reintroducing the giant panda in Shennongjia is discussed in

terms of food availability, carrying capacity, and predicted bamboo owering. Three species (Fargesia spathacea,

F. murielae, and Yushania confusa) are considered the preferred forage bamboos, which could feed 193 223 giant

pandas. However, in 1879 1888 these three species synchronously owered and died back. In the past, such bamboo

owering usually forced the panda to migrate to a new habitat where forage bamboos were available. But since the

19th century, Shennongjia has become separated from other panda habitats by densely populated agricultural zones.

Multi-species owering of the forage bamboo and isolating of the habitat might caused the extinct of the giant

panda in Shennongjia. If the owering cycle of the bamboo is genetically xed, the next synchronous owering of

two staple food species (F. spathacea and F. murielae) may occur in 2436 2439. It means that the food supply is

dependable in Shennongjia for reintroducing the giant panda before 2436.

Keywords: Central China, food availability, habitat isolation, mountain bamboos

Introduction provinces, with Shennongjia as the distribution cen-

ter (Feng and Li, 2001). However, by 1900, pandas

The giant panda (Ailurropoda melanoleuca) is a highly were apparently extinct over the eastern region includ-

specialized herbivore whose diet consists almost en- ing Shennongjia (Schaller et al., 1985; Reid and Gong,

tirely of various species of bamboo (Schaller et al., 1998).

1985; Feng and Li, 2001). Fossil evidence has demon- Bamboo availability has long been considered a

strated that the giant panda was once widespread key factor affecting the survival of the giant panda

in southern and eastern China and in neighboring (O Brien and Knight, 1987; Taylor et al., 1991; Feng

Myanmar and North Vietnam (Taylor et al., 1991; and Li, 2001). In the mid-1970s, three Fargesia species

O Brien et al., 1994; Reid and Gong, 1998; Loucks owered and died within a few years in the Min

et al., 2001; Liu et al., 2001). By 1800 the giant Mountains. Consequently, a total of 138 giant pandas

panda occurred likely in only two isolated mountain were found dead, mainly due to starvation (Schaller

regions: (1) on the east slope of the Tibetan plateau in et al., 1985; Taylor et al., 1991). In the early 1980s,

central Sichuan and southern Gansu, stretching east Bashania fangiana, the preferred sub-alpine bamboo

to the Qinling Mountains of south-central Shaanxi; in the Qionglai Mountains, synchronously owered

(2) in the hilly country in southern Shaanxi, eastern (Reid et al., 1989), and another 141 pandas were found

Sichuan, western Hubei, and north western Hunan dead (Feng and Li, 2001). In fact, wild pandas rapidly

declined from about 2,000 in the 1960s to less than

* Corresponding

1,200 in the 1990s (Li and Denich, 2001). Considering

author. E-mail: ***@****.***.**.

166 Li and Denich

Figure 1. Distribution of the giant panda in China during Pleistocene (50,000 years ago), 1800, 1900, and 1990s (distributions adopted from

Feng and Li, 2001; Reid and Gong, 1998).

the serious problems of bamboo owering and envi- real (Zhu and Song, 1999). From the mountain foot

ronment degradation in the panda habitats in Sichuan, (Songpei, 930 m) to the summit (Observation tower,

the Chinese government proposed to move some of 2,930 m), the mean annual temperature decreases from

12.1 to 2.2 C and the annual frost-free period from

the starving pandas to Shennongjia in Central China

(Fig. 1), because there is a plentiful bamboo supply 223 to 83 days, meanwhile the average annual precip-

and less human impact (Cui, 1996). This proposal has itation increases from 965.5 to 2,780 mm. Here bam-

not been put into practice, for many reasons. One of boos thrive over the mountain ranges and fed the gi-

the reasons is lack of knowledge/information on the ant pandas for thousands of years until the late 19th

panda s food supply in Shennongjia, despite the abun- century.

dance of bamboo. Bamboo species and distribution were intermit-

tently surveyed between June 2000 and August 2001 in

Shennongjia. Investigation focused on wild bamboos,

Sites and methods but cultivated bamboos were also sampled wherever

encountered (nomenclature followed Keng and Wang,

Shennongjia (31 18 31 52 N, 109-**-***-** E), 1996). Distribution of each species was expressed in

located at the western terminus of the Daba moun- two terms: the altitudinal range and the land coverage.

tain range in western Hubei of Central China (Fig. 1), Land coverage was estimated on the aerial-photos by

comprises 3,200 km2 of steep rugged mountains and interpreting the species with eld records. Flowering

elevations that range from 400 to 3,100 m asl. The ex- intervals of the bamboo species were estimated by in-

treme topographic relief coupled with the elevational tegrating the anecdotal evidence and eld observation.

range provides habitats for 2,762 species of vascular Monitoring of bamboo sprouting was done on ve

plants and 75 species of mammals, and climatic con- forage species listed on the panda diet following Yi

ditions that extend from warm temperate through bo- (1985): Fargesia spathacea, F. murielae, Yushania

Appraisal on Food Supply for Reintroducing Panda 167

confusa, Phyllostachys heteroclada and P. nigra var. Bamboo owering

henonis. A total of 14 plots were set up to observe the

Shennongjia is the sole home of F. murielae and all

shoot sprouting of these species. From late March to

individuals in the Western countries were offspring

mid-July in 2001, shoot emergence was inspected ev-

started with one clone in Shennongjia (Keng and Wang,

ery two days. Shoots were considered sprouted when

1996; Eberts, 1996; Gielis et al., 1999). From 1993

they were higher than 3 cm. Field observations then

to 1998, millions of F. murielae plants gregariously

were expressed as a sprouting phase for each species in

owered and then died all over the world (Gielis et al.,

terms of starting day, end day and duration of the phase.

1999). In Shennongjia, F. murielae started to gregar-

iously ower in 1996 at low elevations, later extend-

ing to the higher mountains. Until 2000, over 95 %

Results

of the bamboo clumps of F. murielae owered and

died back in Shennongjia. This is the rst synchronous

Bamboo species

owering of this species since Ernest Wilson recorded

The species inventory recorded 4 genera and 11 species and introduced it in the West in 1907. Considering F.

of mountain bamboos in Shennongjia. Of these, 4 murielae was in a fully vegetative stage in 1907 (Sar-

species (Phyllostachys nigra var.henonis, P. hetero- gent, 1913) and Fargesia bamboos usually need about

clada, P. nidularia and P. bambusoides) belong to the 20 years for rebuilding the bamboo stands after ow-

large bamboo with monopodial rhizomes, 3 species ering death (Taylor and Qin, 1993), it is assumed that

(Fargesia spathacea, F. murielae and Yushania con- the owering interval of F. murielae may be as long as

fusa) to the medium-sized bamboo with sympodial 110 years (1886 1996). Y. confusa owered in around

rhizomes, and 4 species (Indocalamus latifolius, I. lon- 1888 (sample Henry 6832 in Kew). After that it ow-

giauritus, I. wilsoni and I. tessellatus) to the small bam- ered again in 1976 79, which indicates that the ow-

boo with amphipodial rhizomes. According to panda ering interval of this bamboo is about 88 years. Latest

diet list (Yi, 1985), F. spathacea, F. murielae, and Y. owering of F. spathacea occurred in 1984 88 and the

confusa are the preferred food of the giant panda, while owering prior to this time was around 1949. There-

P. heteroclada and P. nigra var.henonis are accept- fore, the owering interval of F. spathacea is 35 years.

able food. Fargesia spathacea covers about 12% of The owering intervals other than these three species,

the mountain ranges. It is found between 1,200 and were just the anecdotal records without eld con rma-

2,600 m on the slopes and stripped plains of the moun- tions (Table 1).

tains. Fargesia murielae grows in dense clumps that

cover around 8% of the mountain ranges. It occurs Bamboo sprouting

from 2,400 m to the mountaintop of 3,100 m. The al-

titudinal range and land coverage for each species are Every year, new bamboo shoots are produced from

shown in Table 1. the rhizomes. In the low mountains (1,200 m), F.

Table 1. Summary of mountain bamboos in Shennongjia

Flowering interval

Species Elevation range (m) Land coverage Flowering type Last owering (years)

Indocalamus longiauritus 500 1200 Unknown Unknown Unknown

Indocalamus wilsoni 1700 2400 1 2 Sporadic 1997 98 Unknown

Indocalamus latifolius 500 1300 1 2 Unknown Unknown Unknown

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