Success: China Plans for National Panda Park

Target: Yao Sidan, Head of Sichuan’s Provincial Forestry Department

Goal: Applaud authorities’ plans for a national panda park in China to protect the endangered species.

Efforts to create a national park that will preserve and protect the nation’s endangered species of giant pandas have been drafted by the forestry authorities of three Chinese provinces, Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi. The plans have been completed and have been submitted to Beijing where they are awaiting official approval. Various petitions on ForceChange, including this one, have long advocated for the protection of the giant panda species in China.

While the specific facts surrounding the park are still vague, including the exact location of the park, authorities say that it will stretch across the three Chinese provinces in charge of the proposal, where there are large populations of the endangered animal. Sichuan has the largest population of the animal in the country.

Although the giant panda population has seen an increase in recent years, there is still much that can be done to protect it. This national park is one of the first steps that may lead to the giant panda’s comeback in its natural habitat.

The national panda park is one of four national parks Chinese state media has announced will be built to protect the nation’s rare and diverse wildlife. National parks are also being planned for the preservation and protection of Asian elephants, Tibetan antelopes, and the nation’s tigers and leopards.

It appears that authorities have been listening. Sign our petition to applaud one of the authorities behind the plan, Yao Sidan, who is head of Sichuan’s Provincial Forestry Department. Thank him for taking action to protect this marvelous species.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Sidan,

Thank you for your involvement in a proposed plan for a national panda park that will stretch across three of China’s provinces. The national park will do so much to protect this endangered species, while also teaching those who visit the park the importance of this spectacular animal.

In recent years, the giant panda has seen an increase in its population, including in your province, which has the largest giant panda population in China. However, the species is still officially listed as endangered. Hopefully the national park will change that. I applaud your efforts at protecting this animal and I look forward to the implementation of the national park.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo credit: Fernando Revilla