Panda Habitat in Sichuan

The giant panda's habitat in Sichuan is mostly located in a region between Dadu River and Min River, stretching 180 kilometers from north to south and about 40 to 70 kilometers from east to west and covering four municipalities and 12 counties of Sichuan Province . The applied habitat for the World Heritage List is within Qionglai Mountain Range, covering an area of 9510 square meters with a core zone of 5370 square kilometers and a buffering zone of 4140 square kilometers. Involved with nine scenic resorts and eight nature reserves, the habitat is the world's largest and most comprehensive sanctuary for the giant panda and boasts the most diverse flora among all temperate zones from across the world. The habitat is thus proclaimed by Conservation International as one of the 25 most popular biodiversity areas in the world and by World Wildlife Foundation as one of the 200 major ecosystem areas across the globe.

The giant panda is a valuable wild animal unique to China and the earliest written record of this species dates back to more than 3000 years. Sichuan is the major province for the habitation of the giant panda. In 1869, French biologist and missionary Armand Pere David (1826-1900) found the giant panda for the first time in Dengchigou, Baoxing, Ya'an. He produced it into the world's first specimen and sent it to Paris, which stirred up great sensations in the international biology circle. In commemoration of David's discovery of this new species, Melne Edwards, director of Paris Museum of Natural History, named the giant panda Ailuropoda Melanoleuca David which is still used today. The first specimen of the giant panda is still collected in Paris Museum of Natural History.