Wolong Overview

The giant panda is an endangered species endemic to China and is called "living fossil". There are only 1000 giant pandas left in the world, which are our "national treasure". Pandas are now confined to Sichuan, Shannxi, and Gansu. Qionglai mountains area is the biggest habitat for the giant pandas, where living 40% of the wild giant pandas living here. Wolong locates in the core of Qionglai Mountains.

Wolong Nature Reserve was established in 1963, the area was 200,000 hectares. It is a comprehensive national reserve focusing on the protection of alpine ecosystems and rare species such as the giant panda, golden monkey, takins and the dove tree. There are over 4000 species of plants and animals currently recorded in the reserve. It houses more than 150 wild giant pandas who count for 10% of the total number in the country; there are more than 80 species of rare animals and plants here, it is also an important area for us to protect the giant panda and other rare animals and plants. It is the important test area for the management project for the giant pandas in China. And the Chinese National Conservation Project for the Giant Panda and Its Habitat; abbreviated name was Giant Panda Project.

In June 1980, with the effort of WWF and the Chinese Government, the China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda was established in Wolong National Nature Conservation. After many years hard work, the dedicated researchers and breeders made great progress in breeding giant pandas, they finally solved the three difficult problems ---difficult to mate, difficult to conceive and to survival. During this period there were 43 births, including 18 twins and one set of triplets (which the mother reared with assistance) for a total of 66 cubs, of which 53 survived. The average of survival rate was 91%. In recent 4 years, it has improved to 100%!

There are more than 4500 people in Wolong Nature reserve. For many years, Wolong nature reserve administration burea succeeded in solving the problem between the protection and development, and the contradiction between protecting the resource and people´s production and life. There is no forest fire for 31 years. The habitat for the giant pandas enlarges gradually, the number of wild giant pandas increased from more than 90 in 1985 to more than 150. In 2002, to develop the pop education for giant pandas protection and research, Wolong Panda Museum of China was opened; it is the only museum in our country to introduce a unity species.

Now people in Wolong reserve are working hard to make Wolong the first class reserve and the best biology tour area. Our policy is paying more attention to protection, strengthening the research, increasing development, and keeping stability, contesting for the first.