Important Facts and Statistics

This project will focus on communicating the importance of pandas to the world today- particularly, making sure that they don’t become endangered again and how we can prevent that. This will be shown through a range of different applications, which I think will be mainly production/design for print as having something physical has more impact on people.

In September 2016 the international Union Conservation of nature announced that pandas have been upgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable”- how can we keep it this way?. In 2017 only 1864 were left in the world.

Panda facts, statistics and info that may be useful towards this projects aim:

• The panda has lived in bamboo forests for millions of years- they've been around for millions of years meaning that we have a role to protect them, they are history.
• The average giant panda eats as much as 9 to 14 kg (20 to 30 lb) of bamboo shoots a day to compensate for the limited energy content of its diet.
• Pandas eat any of 25 bamboo species in the wild, such as Fargesia dracocephala and Fargesia rufa.
• Because of the synchronous flowering, death, and regeneration of all bamboo within a species, the giant panda must have at least two different species available in its range to avoid starvation.
• Giant pandas reach sexual maturity between the ages of four and eight, and can be reproductive till they're 20. The mating season is between March and May, when a female goes into estrus, which lasts for 2-3 days, this only occurs once a year.
• Target of poaching by locals since ancient times and by foreigners since it was introduced to the West.
• In 2006, scientists reported that the number of pandas living in the wild may have been underestimated at about 1,000- since then, the numbers have gone up
• A 2015 paper found that the giant panda can serve as an umbrella species as the preservation of their habitat also helps other endemic species in China, including 70% of the country's forest birds, 70% of mammals and 31% of amphibians. Another reason why they must be protected and how they impact the world.

Other names for Panda given by the Chinese language:

• Bamboo bear
• Giant bear cat
• Spotted bear
• Bear cat
• Giant cat bear (Taiwan)

Useful websites:

https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Panda.aspx?sc=AWY2005OQ18318A03785RX&_ga=2.15672499.424290287.1577104892-286321328.1577104892

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_panda

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/g/giant-panda/

https://www.pandasinternational.org/

Panda Instagram accounts that I follow which may be useful towards my research in terms of imagery that I use and consider within the design process, research into the pandas daily routine and particular Pandas in China research centres that I can focus on:

• @panda_world_official (best imagery and content)
• @ilovepandabears (videos)
• @panda.store.usa 
• @ipandachannel (gives names of specific pandas in Chinese research centres, documenting their daily routines and activities)