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.