Improving the quality of bamboo can help pandas return to nature

Since last December, Chinese researchers have been working on a project to manage bamboo forests that used to grow naturally in Sichuan province in order to increase the number of plants and help giant pandas return to nature.

The project is a collaboration among the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ministry of Finance and the Global Environment Fund, with a total investment of 400,000 yuan ($58,300).

An experimental base of about 14 hectares on Huaying Mountain in Guang'an, Sichuan province, has improved its annual yield of stalks and fresh shoots by about 33 metric tons, according to the Giant Panda Rewilding Training Centre.