Research on the Changes in Distribution and Habitat Suitability of the Chinese Red Panda Population

Simple Summary The study emphasizes the importance of species-habitat dynamic research in shaping effective habitat protection and management strategies. Current, research on Chinese red panda habitats is limited to single-period analysis, thereby hindering the formulation of comprehensive conservation strategies. The study employs habitat suitability simulations across different time scales, quantifying trends in habitat quality changes, and analyzing the reasons for suitability changes. The results show an overall increase in habitat suitability for the Chinese red panda, but a decline in habitat suitability in the central part of Liangshan is observed. The decline in habitat suitability is attributed to climate change and human interference. Additionally, the local extinction of the isolated populations in the Minshan Mountains is identified as the primary cause of the distribution retreat rather than a decrease in habitat quality being identified as such. These findings provide a scientific basis for developing conservation and management strategies for Chinese red pandas at different scales.Abstract The study of the dynamics of species habitat is of great significance for maintaining or adjusting the current habitat protection management strategy. However, the current research on the Chinese red panda's habitat is limited to the analysis of a single period, which makes it difficult to quantify the changes in its habitat on a temporal scale and greatly hinders the formulation of the overall protection and management strategies that are to be used for the Chinese red panda. This study simulated habitat suitability at different temporal scales to quantify the trend of changes in habitat quality and analyzed the reasons for the changes in habitat suitability in certain regions. The results showed that the overall suitability of the Chinese red panda's habitat increased and that the area of suitable habitats expanded. Suitable Chinese red panda habitats in the mountains of Qionglai (1662.73 km2), Daxiangling (230.30 km2), Xiaoxiangling (549.47 km2), and Liangshan (50.39 km2) increased by a total of 2452.89 km2. The suitability of habitats in the central part of the Liangshan Mountains has declined significantly, which is positively correlated with changes in temperature seasonality (BIO4, R = 0.18) and negatively correlated with changes in annual average temperature (BIO1, R = -0.03) as well as changes in the proportion of farmland (FARMLAND, R = -0.14). The local extinction of isolated populations of Chinese red pandas in the Minshan Mountains is the main factor leading to their distribution retreat rather than a decrease in habitat quality. The research results help us to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of conservation and management strategies for Chinese red pandas at different scales.