Habitat assessment for giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) on the northern slope of the Daxiangling Mountains

We investigated giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)habitats on the northern slopes of the Daxiangling Mountains during March-November 2005.Habitat suitability was assessed using a Geographic Information System(GIS).The study area covers 2 267 km2,of which bamboos cover about 842.3 km2.Suitable,less suitable and marginally suitable habitats respectively covered 56.8 km2,96.3 km2 and 177.4 km2,and constituted 39.3% of the bamboos area.Suitable habitats were mainly distributed on flat slopes at elevations of 2 200-2 800 m.More than 60% of the study area was unsuitable for pandas.Human activities greatly influenced habitats inhabited by giant pandas,including reduction of suitable habitats and decreasing landscape connectivity among subpopulations.We propose management measures for giant panda habitat.