FINLAND AND CHINA HAVE SIGNED AGREEMENT FOR RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION OF GIANT PANDA
Finland and China have today signed an Agreement for research and conservation of Giant Panda. The agreement was signed between Ähtäri Zoo and the China national Giant Panda administration. The agreement is valid for 15 years.
As part of the agreement, China will place a couple of Giant Panda at Ähtäri Zoo Park. Experts of China Forestry Administration have assessed the conditions in Finland, and have found that the climatic and ecological conditions of the Ähtäri Zoo Park bear close similarity to the coniferous mountain forests of Sichuan, Gansu and Sha’anxi which are the natural habitats of Giant Panda. The Chinese experts find the seasonal climate of Finland with snowy mid-winter ideal for Giant Panda breeding.
Ähtäri Zoo Park has a long track in wildlife conservation and breeding of endangered species, like Snow Leopard, European Mink and the Finnish Forest Reindeer. Ähtäri Zoo Park is among the largest zoos in the world by area, with large tracts of natural forests, springs and lakes and can provide exceptionally large natural enclosures for the animals. These were the key factors why Ähtäri Zoo Park was chosen as the new home for Giant Pandas. The pandas coming to Finland are part of the ex-situ conservation program of the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Panda (CCRCGP).
The Ähtäri Panda building and enclosures are under construction and they have been designed with help of leading Giant Panda experts.
Since 1990’s, Finland and Finnish experts have been involved in forest and bamboo ecology studies and conservation in China's Sichuan Giant Panda mountains. The long partnership between the two countries in the fields of forest and forestry research and forest conservation were the key to formulate the new collaborative research and conservation program.
