The government of Ya’an City has closed down more than 10
polluting enterprises and asked 180 others to upgrade their
facilities to help protect the habitat of China's giant pandas.
Wild pandas in Ya'an, in southwest China's Sichuan Province,
account for about a quarter of Sichuan's panda population and
around 20 percent of the national total.
"The goal is to improve the environment to protect the giant
panda's habitat," said Yun Kang, an information officer with the
municipal government.
Ya'an, which sits in the western part of the Sichuan Basin, came
to the world's attention when French naturalist and missionary
Armand David became the first foreigner to spot a panda in Baoxing
County in 1869.
With an area of 5,000 square kilometers, Sichuan's giant panda
habitat is located between the Dadu and Minjiang rivers and covers
the cities of Ya'an and Chengdu as well as the Aba Tibetan and
Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous
Prefecture. Fifty-two percent of the habitat is in Ya'an.
Ya'an has intensified its efforts to protect its section of
Sichuan's giant panda habitat ever since the habitat was included
on the List of the World Natural Heritage last July, Yun told
China Daily.
Baoxing's economy is driven by the building materials industry.
Although its factories are separate from the giant panda habitat,
the county has closed down three polluting factories.
"Since Sichuan prepared for the inclusion of the giant panda's
habitat on the World Natural Heritage List in 2000, Baoxing has
closed down some 30 polluting enterprises and enterprises that
could cause pollution," said Li Lu, an official at the Ya'an
Municipal Urban Construction Bureau.
He said Ya'an had also banned hunting in the giant panda's
habitat and relocated people who were living in it.
"Thanks to these efforts, it is not unusual for wild pandas to
approach farmhouses and forest farms. Instead of hurting them,
people observe whether they are ill or hungry and see if they can
help," said Li Guilin, a farmer in Baoxing's Yanjing Township.
One night in January, a wild panda entered a farmer's pigsty in
Baoxing and slept with the pigs for a night. It did not leave until
10 am the next day.
"The farmer did not disturb it and placed porridge near it," Li
said.
(China Daily March 27, 2007)
