Impact of Wenchuan earthquake on the giant panda habitat in Wolong National Nature Reserve, China

The Wenchuan earthquake (M=8.0) in 2008 caused significant damage to the Wolong National Nature Reserve, China, a critical habitat for giant pandas, reducing forest area by approximately 10% and decreasing weighted usable area (WUA). The study used Landsat images classified with support vector machines to assess land cover changes, revealing that forests east of Wolong town, home to numerous pandas, were most severely affected. Habitat suitability between 1200 and 1300 meters above sea level showed vulnerability and slow recovery by 2013, though it had not fully rebounded to pre-earthquake levels. These findings underscore the urgent need for effective management strategies to restore and protect panda habitats in earthquake-affected regions.

Kou, C., Xu, Y.-Y., Ke, C.-Q., & He, Y.-T. (2014). Impact of Wenchuan earthquake on the giant panda habitat in Wolong National Nature Reserve, China. Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, 8(01), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.jrs.8.083507