Three provinces, all known for their wild giant panda residents, are considering the idea of a joint giant panda national park, which would help to protect the animal's natural habitat.

The potential park would stretch across the three provinces, from southwestern China’s Sichuan province to northwestern China’s Gansu province, into neighboring Shaanxi province, covering over a dozen cities and prefectures along the way, Xinhua News Agency reported. In addition to pandas, the national park would also contain natural heritage sites, nature reserves, scenic spots and geology and forestry parks, the report added.

According to 2015 census data, the total population of wild giant pandas in the three provinces is 1,864. Natural and man-made isolation has divided the species into 33 separate populations, some 22 of which are at risk of extinction. Eighteen populations currently have fewer than 10 pandas, which puts them at an especially high risk, according to Xinhua.

While scientists are trying to rescue more pandas and encourage them to reproduce in laboratories, many are also calling to protect the animal's natural habitat, which is essential to protecting populations in the wild. Currently, given that the habitat spreads across several different administrative regions, the management and protection of giant pandas' natural habitat has suffered thanks to chaotic supervision and overlapping responsibilities.