Relationship between giant panda populations and selected ecosystem services
Abstract
The Convention on Biological Diversity's Aichi Targets address both biodiversity and
ecosystem services. We explore the relationship between giant panda populations and
three ecosystem services: carbon sequestration, water retention, and soil retention.
Do pandas prefer areas with higher than average values of these services? Areas may
be good for pandas but not for these ecosystem services, and vice versa. Answering
these questions can focus panda conservation. We map their spatial distribution and
temporal changes from 2000 to 2015, by watershed, to target future protected areas
for both pandas and these ecosystem services. Pandas occupy watersheds with above-average
carbon sequestration and water retention. There is no tendency for pandas to be increasing
in watersheds that have higher than average values of these ecosystem services or
in watersheds where they are improving. Protected areas represented watersheds with
higher than average values of these ecosystem services but without pandas only poorly.
Watersheds with pandas do provide higher than average ecosystem services, but watersheds
above average for these ecosystem services often lack pandas. Those areas might be
potentially important for pandas, but obstacles block their way. We identified conservation
areas combining habitats, population, activity range, and higher than average values
of these ecosystem services and then proposed new protected areas.
Type
Journal articlePermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/23517Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101130Publication Info
Zhang, J; Pimm, SL; Xu, W; Shi, X; Xiao, Y; Kong, L; ... Ouyang, Z (2020). Relationship between giant panda populations and selected ecosystem services. Ecosystem Services, 44. pp. 101130-101130. 10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101130. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/23517.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
Collections
More Info
Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Stuart L. Pimm
Doris Duke Distinguished Professor of Conservation Ecology in the Nicholas School
of the Environment and Earth Sciences
Stuart Pimm is a world leader in the study of present-day extinctions and what can
be done to prevent them. His research covers the reasons why species become extinct,
how fast they do so, the global patterns of habitat loss and species extinction and,
importantly, the management consequences of this research. Pimm received his BSc degree
from Oxford University in 1971 and his Ph.D. from New Mexico State University in 1974.
Pimm is the author of over 350 scientific papers and five books. He i

Articles written by Duke faculty are made available through the campus open access policy. For more information see: Duke Open Access Policy
Rights for Collection: Scholarly Articles
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info