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Introduction
Of all animals affected by human activities, pandas draw the most attention to themselves. Be it for their looks or the extent of the damage done to them, this species symbolizes the danger humans pose to the safe existence of animal life on Earth. Although the human impact has long ceased to be direct, it continues to passively affect animals. Understanding the effect of climate change due to greenhouse gases and other human-driven processes on Giant pandas is essential in ascertaining the ways of mitigating the damage.
Destruction of Habitats
The most evident expression of pandas endangered status is the gradual destruction of their natural areas of living. Li et al. (2020) write that habitat degradation driven by climate change has been identified as a major reason for the decline or extinction of many endangered species (p. 1). The reason for this is pandas choice of areas with higher humidity. The abundance of trees creates oxygen and makes the surroundings favorable for pandas.
However, the primary factor that determines how well pandas live in the region is the temperature. Due to their habitats being located in mountainous areas, pandas like cool temperatures. Climate change forces pandas to move to higher altitudes, where there is a lack of nutrients that they need for survival (Li et al., 2020). Pandas eat primarily bamboos, which grow slowly and are also dependent upon cool temperatures. In prospect, deforestation can leave pandas without anything to eat.
It should be noted that climate change alone is not going to drive pandas to extinction. Li et al. (2020) argue that long-term protected mature natural forests in overall habitat were resistant to climate change if there were no human disturbance, fire, or insect outbreaks (p. 6). The subsequent implication is that human activities have an adversarial effect on natural habitats, thus propelling the necessity to limit human access to natural habitats.
Expansion of Human Population
Another reason for the endangered status of Giant pandas is the rapid human population growth and its expansion. The higher the economic growth is in the region, the more likely local nature reserves to be affected. Tollefson (2020) believes that uncontrolled population growth destroys biodiversity, causing a deficit of food supplies to animals. Not only does it pose a threat to local species, but it also affects humans by the easier transmission of disease.
The phenomenon of human expansion directly relates to pandas, as the area of their habitation is Chinese mountain ranges. Yang et al. (2019) write about the problem of landscape fragmentation in natural reserves in China. In particular, over the course of ten years, expansion of human settlements encroaching on the territories of natural reserves increased by ten times. As a result, more than 540 nature reserves are immediately threatened by human activities.
As has already been mentioned, the destruction of habitats poses a threat to humans as well. Tollefson (2020) argues that preserving biodiversity is key to saving animals, environment and improving human health. While it is not viable to stop the growth of the human population, it might be sensible to consider preventing changes to the landscape and limit the destruction of forests. Ultimately, it will help both pandas by preserving the species and humans by minimizing the risk of the transmission of viruses.
Decrease of Predators Numbers
One more argument for the negative impact of human activities on the existence of pandas is the decreasing numbers of predators. It should be noted that pandas themselves are not in reality, vulnerable to predators. Their sheer physical size scares many animals away. Moreover, within their ecosystems, pandas would have been the most dominant predators themselves, had they not restricted their food to bamboos. Nevertheless, by observing the current state of predators, it is possible to make conclusions about pandas.
The number of predators has been considerably reduced during recent decades. One of the reasons lies not in climate change but in another form of human involvement hunt. Until the sixties of the previous centuries, poaching was widespread in China, which significantly undercut the populations of predators. Great pandas were also affected as they were among the targets of hunters (Leung, 2019). The situation changed with the implementation of laws, which prohibit hunting predators and pandas.
Predators have also been affected by climate change, as well as pandas. Species like leopards, Bengal tigers, Asiatic black bears have all suffered from the damage to their habitats. Greenhouse emissions have warmed up the temperature, thus forcing the predators to leave their natural areas. The absence of trees caused by artificial deforestation makes air dryer and inhospitable for animals used to regions with higher humidity.
Conclusion
Altogether, it is evident that human activity has adversely impacted animal life in both a direct and indirect way. Hunting animals and deforestation destroy animals and their natural habitats. Furthermore, natural reserves are affected by climate change, which is also precipitated by human involvement. The emissions of exhaustive fumes and greenhouse gases lower humidity, thus preventing plant and animal species from thriving. Great pandas are particularly endangered as they rely on cooler temperatures and eating bamboo, which have less and less favorable conditions to grow. Limiting human activities and isolating natural reserves is key in saving endangered species.
References
Leung, H. (2019). Reconsideration of giant pandas endangered threat level [PDF document]. Web.
Li, T., Luo, P., Luo, C., Yang, H., Li, Y., Zuo, D.,& & Zhou, S. (2020). Long-term empirical monitoring indicates the tolerance of the giant panda habitat to climate change under contemporary conservation policies. Ecological Indicators, 110, 1-8. Web.
Tollefson, J. (2020). Why deforestation and extinctions make pandemics more likely. Nature, 584 (7820), 175-176.
Yang, J., Yang, J., Luo, X., & Huang, C. (2019). Impacts by expansion of human settlements on nature reserves in China. Journal of Environmental Management, 248, 109233. Web.
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