Giant panda conservation is about more than saving a single species; it is also about safeguarding entire ecosystems, senior officials and experts said on Tuesday, calling for deeper international cooperation to extend the successful conservation model to more endangered species and address challenges such as climate change, habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss.
They made the remarks at the ongoing Global Panda Partners 2026 conference in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province.
Yang Yulin, deputy director of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, said China has built an international panda research network over the past 30 years, bringing together 26 institutions in 20 countries to jointly tackle challenges ranging from breeding and cub-rearing to chronic disease control.
However, habitat protection remains a weak link, with climate change and habitat fragmentation posing the biggest threats to the long-term survival of wild pandas, Yang said.
"Future international cooperation must move beyond zoos, expanding the focus from captive breeding to protecting wild habitats," he said.
The next phase of cooperation will involve joint studies on habitat restoration, ecological corridor connectivity, human-wildlife conflict management and bamboo forest monitoring, Yang added.
He said the goal is to use the giant panda as a flagship species to drive the protection of other plants and animals sharing the same habitats, while expanding panda conservation cooperation into a global effort to safeguard mountain ecosystems.
Li Linhai, deputy secretary-general of the China Wildlife Conservation Association, said the giant panda serves not only as an envoy of friendship linking China with the rest of the world, but also as a model for global endangered species conservation and ecological civilization development.
He called on international partners to extend the successful experience of panda conservation to more endangered species, upgrade bilateral cooperation into multilateral mechanisms and jointly build a future in which humans and nature coexist in harmony.
Bennett Neo, CEO and executive director of Mandai Wildlife Group, said the giant panda is a global icon of wildlife conservation, and China's success in protecting the species demonstrates what sustained commitment, scientific research and collaboration can achieve.
"Protecting giant pandas is more than protecting a single species," he said. "When we protect and restore panda habitats, we are also protecting many other plants and animals that share the same ecosystem."
Neo said this umbrella species effect has benefited other wildlife, including the crested ibis, dove tree, takin and Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey.
He added that the public's affection for pandas has also inspired greater interest in and support for nature conservation, offering hope for the protection of other species worldwide.
Data from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration shows that China's captive giant panda population has reached 830. The country has continued to strengthen habitat protection and restoration, with 13 ecological corridors established to connect isolated panda populations.
Under conservation cooperation programs with international partners, a total of 69 pandas have lived overseas and produced 73 cubs. More than 1 billion visits to see giant pandas have been recorded worldwide.
Contact the writers at pengchao@chinadaily.com.cn
