The new national park will link up 67 existing reserves and will be three times the size of the American Yellowstone.
China wants to boost its wild populations of the giant panda by creating a huge reserve increasing the endangered species’ habitat connectivity and mating chance.
With a total of 10,476 square miles (27,134 square km), the park will link up 67 existing reserves located on six mountain ranges. This represents a size three times bigger than the Yellowstone park in the US and it will help protect 8,000 endangered animals and plants.
“It will be a haven for biodiversity and provide protection for the whole ecological system,” Hou Rong, the director of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province, told Xinhua. “Many scientists and conservation experts support the building of a national park.”
“Many scientists and conservation experts support the building of a national park.,” he added.
In the new park, the pandas will be able to roam freely between the current far-flung habitats and a core protection area will be delimited.
“Unlike nature reserves, the park does not stand alone. China will formulate an overall plan for the national park system. It will be a haven for biodiversity and provide protection for the whole ecological system,” says Hou Rong, director of Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
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