Panda habitat is shrinking and tourists are adding to the problem, study says
Overall habitat in southwest China decreased in size by 4.9 per cent from 1976 to 2001, researchers found
Growing numbers of tourists visiting southwest China to see the iconic panda are contributing to its habitat loss, environmental scientists warn.
A study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution on Monday found that the habitat of giant pandas has become smaller and more fragmented over the past four decades.
The overall habitat shrank by 4.9 per cent from 1976 to 2001, according to the researchers, while the average size of each area where pandas lived decreased by 24 per cent in that period.
Although the numbers improved slightly from 2001 to 2013 thanks to conservation work, the recovery failed to offset habitat loss in the past.
The research, conducted by scientists in China and the United States, was based on satellite and remote sensing data from 1976 to 2013.