The giant panda is the icon of nature conservation. From September 5, a panda has been added to the Naturalis museum collection. The panda will be on display in the exhibition hall Leven until the start of January. The object is on loan from the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris. Nowhere else in the Netherlands is a stuffed giant panda on display.
Tough timesfor the panda
For many years, pandas in the wild were struggling. This was due to human activity: deforestation reduced and fragmented the giant panda's habitat, making it increasingly difficult for the bears to find food and mates. For fifty years, the giant panda was even critically endangered.
From endangeredto vulnerable
Fortunately, the alarming figures prompted action. Nature organisations such as WWF replanted bamboo forests and raised local and international awareness about the worrying state of this large mammal. And with success! The number of pandas in the wild has been growing for years and, according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), their protection status has risen from "endangered" to "vulnerable".
Nature conservationworks
The panda shows that nature conservation works. This has also been proven with the stork in the Netherlands. In 1980, only ten pairs of storks bred in the Netherlands, but thanks to appropriate nature conservation measures, there are now around 1.550. The recently published Status Report on Dutch Biodiversity shows that many more species in the Netherlands would benefit from appropriate measures, such as the house cricket, the crested newt and the bream. Although less well known and less cuddly than the panda bear, these species are of great importance to biodiversity in the Netherlands.
A hopefulimage
'Many people know the panda as an endangered species, but I think it is less well known that human efforts have ensured that this species is now doing better', says Lizzy Bakker, head of the Presentation department at Naturalis and responsible for the arrival of this unique specimen. 'It is therefore a wonderful and hopeful example: with good nature conservation, we can also make a positive difference to biodiversity. It's fantastic that this iconinc animal can now be seen at Naturalis!'
