Does bamboo flowering affect giant panda populations?
The cycle of bamboo growth can create problems for pandas since they are dependent on bamboo for food. After a bamboo species flowers and dies off it reduces bamboo availability in large areas. However, typically at least two species of bamboo are found in a panda habitat area. When one species is in short supply, pandas normally switch to other species, or expand their home range to areas where bamboo has not flowered. However, where a panda抯 habitat has been fragmented by human activity, migration to areas where bamboo is still plentiful can be obstructed. 6. Some have said the giant panda could become extinct within the next 50 years. Is this true? It not at all likely that the giant panda will become extinct so soon. Studies indicate that the giant panda has the potential to increase its numbers in the wild as long as its habitat is protected. The future of the giant panda was significantly improved by a 1998 ban on logging. Before 1998, over half of the panda抯 habitat had been cut