Witnessed by British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang, an agreement was signed at Lancaster House in London by Donald Emslie, chairman of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which owns Edinburgh Zoo, and the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA).

It is the culmination of several years of talks at high level and was among agreements totaling ￡2.6 billion signed during the visit.

The giant pandas, Tian Tian and Yangguang, a breeding pair born in 2003, will be under the custodianship of RZSS at Edinburgh Zoo, a world leader in animal conservation. The project represents the culmination of five years of political and diplomatic negotiation at the highest level and it is anticipated the giant pandas will arrive in their new home as soon as a date is agreed.

[Photo: Tianfu Morning Post]

Speaking about the gift, chief executive officer of RZSS David Windmill comments: "This is a landmark day for RZSS, Edinburgh Zoo, the UK and China. It represents the beginning of a program of research, education and partnership and the project has huge benefit for the UK and Scotland, both in supporting giant panda conservation and in enhancing our programs in education, science and conservation."

Liu Xiaoming, Ambassador of China to the UK, said: "Pandas are a Chinese national treasure. This historical agreement is a gift to the people of the UK from China. It will represent an important symbol of our friendship and will bring our two people closer together."

Speaking about the arrangements for the giant pandas, director of animals, conservation and education, Iain Valentine, comments: "This marks the start of a long relationship with CWCA in which we hope to bring the expertise that exists with RZSS and within the UK to the conservation efforts of the captive and wild populations of giant pandas. These wonderful animals will be housed in a specially refurbished enclosure which was formerly home to our gorillas. The enclosure will offer a good mix of comfort and visibility so the public can see the couple as they settle into their new home. We are looking forward to welcoming a delegation from the CWCA to Edinburgh later this week to view the Zoo and discuss our plans in detail."

Welcoming the announcement, Culture and External Affairs Minister Fiona Hyslop said: "Edinburgh Zoo has a world-leading reputation for animal conservation and I am delighted that Scotland has been chosen to take part in China's breeding program for giant pandas.

"The agreement gives Scotland an important role in securing the future of this endangered species. As well as supporting China's work to protect these animals, the arrival of the pandas is expected to bring significant economic benefits for Scotland in terms of tourism, attracting hundreds of thousands of additional visitors to the zoo.

"Edinburgh Zoo has demonstrated that it has world-class expertise to breed and care for these rare animals and this announcement reflects our continuing work to strengthen the cultural, educational and economic links between Scotland and China."

The RZSS worked in close partnership with the UK, Chinese and Scottish Governments, the CWCA and Wolong Panda Breeding Centre in Sichuan Province to facilitate this project and provide mutual support. The Giant Panda Project will be funded through sponsorship, offering unparalleled opportunities in terms of international corporate, commercial and diplomatic relationships between China and the UK.

Background

RZSS is one of the UK's foremost conservation and education charities. This project represents a major part of the development of Edinburgh Zoo, with an ambitious scale of investment over the next ten years.

Only nine zoos outside China hold Giant Pandas and within Europe they can only be seen in Madrid; Vienna and Berlin.

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is native to central-western and south western China and its diet is mainly bamboo. Within China the giant panda lives mainly in the Sichuan province, but also in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. Over the years, due to farming and deforestation, the giant panda has been driven out of its native habitat and it is estimated there are only 1500 remaining that live in the wild.

The Wolong Panda Breeding Centre in Sichuan Province is a nature reserve home to 250 breeding giant pandas and has been instrumental in research into the breed and its survival.

CWCA – CWCA was founded in December 1983, in Beijing. It is a nonprofit national organization under the framework of China Science Association and is the largest ecological conservation organization in China. The CWCA leads many international initiatives and organizes exhibitions and partnerships on giant pandas, golden monkeys and other threatened species in countries as diverse as the US, Japan, Austria and Thailand. Over last two decades, the CWCA has established fruitful partnerships with other non governmental conservation organizations.