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Census to be Launched for PandaBy the end of March, China will have a census of the country's Pandas for the third time. It will cover fifty-four counties in the southern part of the country. Meanwhile, seventeen nature reserves will be set up exclusively for the purpose of protecting pandas.The panda census planned for the end of the month will set a record in terms of scale. The Forestry Administration census is expected to determine the exact number of living pandas in China, and genetic information, to better protect them. In the last half century, the pandas have seen their homes in the wild being reduced in number. The amount of land for their use has shrunk from 50,000 square kilometers to less than ten thousand. Smaller groups of pandas gather, and, unfortunately, inbreeding is taking place. About 700 pandas have been found living in the wild. Pan Wenshi (Beijing University, Life Science Center)Said: " Because of inbreeding, the pandas are losing the amount of variety in their genetic make-up. In the long run, the method of reproducing will be affected. And, this will lead to a decrease in numbers." A study has shown that the possibility of greater hereditary variety is reducing, compared with twenty years ago, endangering the pandas and increasing the possibility of extinction. So, the seventeen nature reserves will be linked in one integrated whole, from the Min Mountains of Sichuan to the southwestern part of Gansu. Local governments have promised to take action to restore the ecological balance of the area. They have made plans to move local people so that the animals can enjoy a quiet life without the noise of human neighbors.
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