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Science 6 April 2001:
Vol. 292. no. 5514, pp. 98 - 101
DOI: 10.1126/science.1058104
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Reports

Ecological Degradation in Protected Areas: The Case of Wolong Nature Reserve for Giant Pandas

Jianguo Liu,1* Marc Linderman,1 Zhiyun Ouyang,2 Li An,1 Jian Yang,3 Hemin Zhang3

It is generally perceived that biodiversity is better protected from human activities after an area is designated as a protected area. However, we found that this common perception was not true in Wolong Nature Reserve (southwestern China), which was established in 1975 as a "flagship" protected area for the world-renowned endangered giant pandas. Analyses of remote sensing data from pre- and post-establishment periods indicate that the reserve has become more fragmented and less suitable for giant panda habitation. The rate of loss of high-quality habitat after the reserve's establishment was much higher than before the reserve was created, and the fragmentation of high-quality habitat became far more severe. After the creation of the reserve, rates of habitat loss and fragmentation inside the reserve unexpectedly increased to levels that were similar to or higher than those outside the reserve, in contrast to the situation before the reserve was created.

1 Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 13 Natural Resources Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
2 Department of Systems Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
3 China's Center for Giant Panda Research and Conservation, Wolong Nature Reserve, Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jliu{at}panda.msu.edu

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