Conservation on the Right Track

Giant Pandas: Biology and Conservation . D. Lindburg, and K. Baragona , editors . 2004 . The University of California Press , Berkeley , CA . 323 pp . $65.00 (hardcover) . ISBN 0-520-23867-2 . Yes, this is another book about giant pandas, but this volume is different. Not since the groundbreaking work of Schaller, Hu, Pan, and Zhu (Schaller et al. 1985) has the English-speaking world seen a comprehensive overview of the latest science and conservation programs for giant pandas. Editors Donald Lindburg and Karen Baragona have orchestrated a thorough tour of international science, policy, planning, and program development for giant pandas. It is a revealing case study in focal species conservation. This book stems from Pandas 2000, an international conference held in California in 2000. It includes a mixture of papers on focused studies, summary reports on whole fields of investigation, brief reports on new science or new programs, and panel or workshop reports on current or emerging issues. There are strengths and weaknesses in this diversity of presentation. We see the full spectrum of the conservation endeavor, from hypothesis testing with wild or captive animals, to policy making and management of protected areas. The summary reports give integrated meaning to whole suites of studies that were relatively inaccessible because they were in Chinese or in a wide variety of journals. Brief reports, however, sometimes contain insufficient information on data collection and analysis, or lack depth or references in the discussion. Panel and workshop reports vary widely in detail and scope, which made me feel that substance has been missed. The book consists of four sections (Evolutionary History, Biology, Habitat, and Conservation) sandwiched between the editors' introduction and conclusion. Also included are a Foreword by George Schaller, transcripts of the keynote addresses by high-ranking Chinese and U.S. officials, and an interesting “Memorandum of Consensus” as a conference outcome. The format works reasonably well, despite the fact that the four sections necessarily overlap in subject matter. One could argue for a different placement of some of the papers. In the first section, authors revisit the long-standing debate on panda phylogeny. New information, including a supertree analysis (Bininda-Emonds), mitochondrial DNA data (Waits), bile acid analysis (Hagey and MacDonald), and archaeological finds in Yunnan (Hunt), generally supports the conclusion that giant pandas represent the oldest extant bear lineage, having diverged from the short-faced bear (Ursavus) lineage up to 22 million years ago. Garshelis finds little evidence for considering giant pandas an outlier among ursid life histories. He concludes that enhancing survival of reproductive females is the most productive conservation strategy, a conclusion echoed by Gittleman and Webster in a review of extinction risk in other long-lived carnivores. The giant panda's general reliance on bamboo foods is well known. Pan Wenshi and his students provide two summary chapters from their 15-year field study in the Qinling Mountains. Spatial and temporal patterns in bamboo abundance and nutritional quality shine through as clear driving factors in so much of what a panda does. But how does the mainly solitary panda tell other pandas what he or she is doing or feeling? The answer lies largely in chemical communication. Chapters by Swaisgood et al., Snyder et al., and Hagey and MacDonald summarize elegant experiments with captive pandas. These illustrate the pervasive role of scent marking and urination in arousing sexual interest, discriminating sex and individual identity, and facilitating mother-cub recognition. We learn that providing captive pandas with correctly timed opportunities to employ their odoriferous communication has clearly increased reproductive success. In addition, captive pandas probably need exposure to each other's rich repertoire of smells for healthy social development. Conservation biologists frequently hold out the promise of reintroducing captives to bolster wild populations. Mainka et al. thoroughly review the necessary conditions for a reintroduction and correctly conclude that the information and resources to do so properly are still lacking. In a summary of panda ecology in each of the five mountain ranges they still occupy, Hu and Wei point out that any one panda has access to only one to four bamboo species. Throughout the entire 20,000 km2 panda distribution, however, at least 60 bamboo species are found. We can expect substantial differences in panda ecology in different mountain ranges, and various authors urge the Chinese government to lift the current ban on radiotelemetry so that the differences can be studied. Older telemetry data from the Qinling study, along with Landsat imagery, drive a habitat suitability model (Liu et al.). But telemetry cannot tell us everything and is not always required. Wei et al. use the distribution of abundant fecal matter to show that giant and red pandas avoid much competition by choosing different bamboo parts in different microhabitats. Zhang et al. present encouraging data on the ability to differentiate captive individuals using fecal DNA. Durnin et al. indicate that wild pandas visit baited hair snares and scent stations so infrequently that these techniques do not seem useful for monitoring behavior. In a bold but overly generalized model, Wei et al. conclude that bamboo can support both human and panda harvests of shoots for food. Conservation is largely the art of people management. In 1989 The National Conservation Management Plan for the Giant Panda and its Habitat (Chinese Ministry of Forests and the World Wildlife Fund) foresaw the need to deal with the poor socioeconomic status of people who eke a living from the same mountain slopes as pandas. Researchers are now pursuing a productive systems approach, with socioeconomic and ecological components, exploring policy and management tools to reduce conflicts and free up more space for pandas (Liu et al.). A persistent and valuable theme is the need to better involve local people in comprehensive conservation. Lu and Liu detail the necessary components of an updated National Conservation Management Plan. Dinerstein et al. advocate a multiscalar planning approach. Yu and Deng include comanagement with local communities as one recommendation for more effective reserves. The conservation education initiatives in Chinese schools (Bexell et al.) are exciting and welcome additions to the conservation agenda. Panda conservation has been an international effort since the early 1980s. Although the cross-cultural drama has been turbulent at times, this volume provides hope for a reasonably smooth path ahead. Of 32 articles, 14 are coauthored by Chinese and foreign nationals. Ellis et al. report a productive international collaboration assessing the biomedical status of captive pandas. The Memorandum of Consensus, recommending cooperation for revised strategic planning and enhanced capacity building, is signed by leaders of some of the key Chinese and foreign institutions. The book is generally well edited. If anything it lacks a more detailed discussion of the broader conservation value of focusing on pandas. Pandas inhabit a hotspot of global biodiversity and can serve as a partial umbrella for a wide range of montane ecosystems. Some species occupying the same reserves, however, such as Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) or dhole (Cuon alpinus), hang on very precariously at much lower densities than pandas. Planning should account for the other denizens of these wonderful forests. There are some questionable statements (e.g., panda's origin at 820 million years ago, p.155), a few errors (e.g., F. faberi should be B. faberi, on p.145; Table 11.1 needs “>” or “<” signs on the elevations), and a few spelling mistakes. Most importantly this book reveals the wide scope of science, planning, management, and cultural sensitivity necessary for a successful focal species conservation project. Lindburg and Baragona argue, correctly I believe, that panda conservation is on the right track, deserves continued investment, and can continue to serve as a flagship model for the conservation community. This is a necessary volume for all involved in panda conservation, and even conservation in China, and a valuable source to illustrate the scope of conservation work to high school and undergraduate classes.

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