CHENGDU, China, Nov. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Panda Partners 2026 Conference kicked off in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on November 3, under the theme "Protecting Panda Habitats, Building a Beautiful World, and Sharing Open Opportunities". Researchers and representatives of non-profit organizations from the global conservation community, together with government officials and industry practitioners, gathered for in-depth discussions on green transition, the development of the Giant Panda National Park, and cross-border cooperation in ecological protection. Through this international platform, Chengdu also showed the world how this megacity is balancing ecological protection with urban development.
As the world's only megacity that is home to both wild and captive giant panda populations, Chengdu has pursued a path of ecological governance that speaks directly to the theme of the conference. In recent years, the city has been exploring a model of sustainable development in which ecological conservation and urban growth reinforce each other - from the systematic restoration of wildlife habitats and the steady expansion of urban green space to city-wide biodiversity protection and sustained improvements in air quality.
Chengdu's conservation efforts started with protecting wild habitats. In recent years, the city has continuously improved conditions for wildlife through habitat restoration, ecological corridor development, and the use of monitoring tools such as satellite remote sensing, drone patrols, and infrared camera traps. Official figures show that the Chengdu section of the Giant Panda National Park covers about 1,459 square kilometers, with forest coverage exceeding 90%. These initiatives do more than protect the giant panda: they have also improved habitats for rare wildlife species, including the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey and the snow leopard. Surveys have recorded 3,185 species of higher vascular plants in the area, and the integrity and stability of the mountain ecosystem continue to strengthen.
Beyond the improvements in its mountain ecosystems, the ecological recovery of the plains' wetlands is just as clear and tangible. At Xinjin Baihetan National Wetland Park, the number of bird species on record has grown from less than 100 in 2017 to 209 in 2025. National Class I protected species such as the black stork and the oriental stork have been sighted there, and peak counts of migratory birds stopping over have neared 2,000. Researchers monitoring the park at the Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, attribute the change to the city's sustained, systematic wetland management.
Chengdu's ecological governance goes beyond mountain forests and wetlands. It extends into the built-up area, systematically linking the protection of mountain forests with the development of urban green space and treating the natural environment as the foundation of urban growth - a key part of Chengdu's push to become a "park city". By the end of 2025, the city's greenways had surpassed 10,000 kilometers in total length and more than 1,500 parks of various types had been built, with 563.8 hectares of urban green space added in 2025 alone. Air quality has continued to improve: Chengdu recorded 295 days of good or better air quality in 2025, and its average annual PM2.5 concentration has fallen by more than 60% since 2013. Snow-capped mountains were visible on 81 days of the year, the highest number since official records began.
For Chengdu, the giant panda is more than a globally recognized emblem of the city; it is living proof of harmony between humanity and nature. With the Global Panda Partners Conference under way, this city in western China looks forward to sharing its conservation experience through international exchange and rallying more partners around the world to protect biodiversity.
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