A percentage of your purchase benefits WWF Natural History Found only in China, one of the world's fastest growing and most populated regions, the giant panda clings to survival. Compounding these unrelenting pressures are a host of other impediments to giant panda conservation in China, such as inadequate scientific data, chronic funding shortages, low capacity to produce a well-trained conservation workforce, and a clash between nature conservation and economic development. These are formidable hurdles, but promising developments in the last few years are grounds for guarded optimism. Although more improvements are needed, China has made encouraging progress in its conservation policies and actions. Innovative strategies are emerging for safeguarding giant pandas and their habitat while maintaining the livelihoods of local people.
China is a crowded country developing at a blinding pace.
This is the unalterable backdrop against which pragmatic conservation approaches must be developed. Striking a lasting balance between nature conservation and economic development is the key to the giant panda's future. Jenny Jonak Physical Characteristics Pandas are robust, bear-like animals with a distinctive black and white coat. They have a head and body length of 120 to 150 cm, and weigh between 85 and 110 kg. Specialized physical features include broad, flat molars, modified for crushing, and an enlarged wrist bone functioning as an opposable thumb - both adaptations for eating bamboo stems.