A Message From The SSP Coordinator, Don Lindburg
Matt Durnin, U.C. Berkeley
PRELIMINARY FIELD STUDY
So far I have been able to spend approximately two and a half months at the Wuyipeng research camp in Wolong Nature Reserve. In order to acquaint myself with the area, I spent the first few weeks walking the 30 plus kilometers of trail with two of the Wolong staff observing their technique for monitoring the panda population in that area. There has been a monitoring program within Wuyipeng for the past 15 years. Each month crews of two to four staff from the Reserve spend four days walking the trails collecting giant panda feces, identifying bamboo species and measuring the bite length of the poorly digested fragments of bamboo in each feces. This data is cataloged and later analyzed with feces assigned to one of three age categories: infant, sub-adult, and adult. This information can then be put into a geographic information system (GIS) database and used to estimate distribution and number of pandas within Wuyipeng area. I do not know to what extent these data have actually been analyzed or if this data has been used to track seasonal feeding habits.
Following the initial familiarization period, work began on walking transects through different areas of the Reserve in order to identify scent stations and den sites. I was successful in identifying both. However, it was considerably more difficult to identify scent stations with a high level of confidence. Once a scent station was identified I set up the remote camera systems to monitor the individual stations for visits by giant pandas. Unfortunately, probably due to the small sample size and limited number of camera days, we observed no visits by giant pandas at any of the stations. We did get visits by lesser pandas at two of the stations. Potential den sites were considerably easier to identify and we were able to identify and characterize the habitat around more than 70 dens. The goals of this part of the work are, 1) to identify dens that were used by giant pandas in order to determine what characteristics are preferred, and 2) to identify any competition for den sites that may occur between giant pandas and Asiatic black bears. Therefore, our definition of potential den sites encompasses those sites that might be used by both species. We concluded that a site was a potential den if one or more of the following criteria were met:
- Feces present in or near the den
- Claw marks present in the den or on the tree trunk
- Hair fitting the characteristics of either a giant panda or black bear present and collected
- None of the above identified but den cavity present and size and condition of the den sufficient for giant panda or black bear to enter and rest within.
During all fieldwork any evidence of the presence of giant panda or black bear was identified and recorded in detailed field notes. Such evidence includes: feces, feeding sites, tracks, claw marks on trees, and rest sites. When possible, feces and hair samples were collected with the objective of future DNA analysis in mind. Future collection techniques will be modified due to initially crude techniques having likely led to contamination and degradation of samples. In this initial work we did not collect detailed data from feeding or rest sites. In the future we will collect data regarding size of feeding area, species fed upon, number of feces present, amount of bamboo or other food consumed, etc. All of this data will be used to achieve my larger objective of estimating a carrying capacity for Wuyipeng, a second study area, and the Wolong Reserve as a whole.
FUTURE WORK AND OBJECTIVES
Future work will focus on four projects as follows:
Project: Den sites census, characterization and monitoring.
Objective: Estimate the total number of potential den sites available to female giant pandas. Identify what, if any, type of den site is preferred by female giant pandas. Identify possible competition between giant pandas and Asiatic black bear for den sites. Draw conclusions from the previous objectives as to whether or not den sites are a limited resource and subsequently limiting giant panda population growth in Wolong Nature Reserve.
Project: Mapping the coverage of bamboo species preferred by giant pandas, monitoring the use of various bamboo species by giant pandas and other bamboo predators, and data collection on life history characteristics of bamboo species present within the study sites.
Objective: To identify current conditions and abundance of bamboo to see if those species previously preferred by pandas in Wolong are still preferred, and determine if seasonal feeding patterns and use have returned to the conditions observed prior to the mass flowering in 1983. Identify and quantify the impact of giant panda and other predators on bamboo population dynamics to estimate bamboo biomass available to giant pandas. This data will then be combined with the den site data to achieve the larger objective of estimating a carrying capacity for the two study sites and the greater Wolong area.
Project: Mark-Recapture study (hair and photo traps).
Objective: To estimate the current population of pandas in Wuyipeng and surrounding areas. Identify, through the use of DNA, how much movement is taking place between the different population of pandas in Wolong. Determine if inbreeding is presently a problem for the wild population or perhaps will be in the future.
Project: Identification of and monitoring of scent stations.
Objective: Learn how interspecific and intraspecific interactions influence giant panda behavior in terms of their utilization of habitat. In particular, does interspecific olfactory communication result in alterations in use of habitat and dispersion of wild populations? Does olfactory communication function effectively to control spacing to improve potential for mating and social interactions of wild giant pandas? If so how?
