China to Link Major Habitats of Giant Pandas

Giant Panda Treated in Hospital

China's planning to link the major habitats of giant pandas in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in the country's west to encourage the breeding of the world's most endangered animal.

"Science Times" magazine says 17 "belt zones for panda propagation" will be built, connecting several mountains in the three provinces.

It is estimated that about seven hundred giant pandas, or eighty percent of the total population in the wild, are living in these regions.

Vegetation in the regions will be restored, and farmers will be moved away to minimize the influence of human activity on the giant pandas.

Recent research results show that genetic diversity of the panda has decreased by forty percent, compared to two decades ago.