Facilitating giant panda crossings of national highway in Wolong area of Giant Panda National Park amid human activities

Human activities significantly reduce habitat suitability and connectivity for giant pandas in the Wolong area of Giant Panda National Park, particularly along the National Highway G350 (NHG), which divides panda populations. Research shows that eliminating human presence could increase suitable habitat by 78.76 km² and improve habitat suitability index (HSI) and connectivity value (CV) in a 1000 m buffer zone around the NHG. The study used kernel density estimation (KDE) to identify optimal crossing areas for pandas, simulating scenarios with and without human activities to assess landscape changes. These findings are critical for conservation planning, offering actionable insights to mitigate road fragmentation and enhance panda movement amid high human activity.

Zhang, H., Shi, Z., Feng, B., Liu, Y., Tang, Z., Dong, X., Gu, X., Qi, D., Xu, W., Zhou, C., & Zhang, J. (2024). Facilitating giant panda crossings of national highway in Wolong area of Giant Panda National Park amid human activities. Ecology and Evolution, 14(7). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70067