Sustainable Green Living Where does a giant panda live and what is its habitat like?

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Question by Madison: Where does a giant panda live and what is its habitat like?
I know they live in the mountains in CHina but beyond that I’m pretty clueless!

Best answer:

Answer by Eric
Wild Habitat:
Habitat:
Giant pandas live in broadleaf and coniferous forests with a dense understory of bamboo, at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet. Torrential rains or dense mist throughout the year characterizes these forests, often shrouded in heavy clouds.

Geographic distribution:
Giant pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. They once lived in lowland areas, but farming, forest clearing, and other development now restrict giant pandas to the mountains.

Zoo Habitats: (http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giantpandas/pandafacts/default.cfm)
At the new Giant Panda Habitat, two new yards feature several enriching features for both animal and visitor enjoyment and add more than 12,000 square feet to the pandas’ outdoor exhibit. Additions to the indoor exhibit include a new room with a rocky outcrop and waterfall, another den, and more visitor viewing space and informational exhibits.

Many sustainable design strategies, such as planted green roofs to reduce stormwater runoff, were incorporated into the new habitat. Other elements include a solar hot water system; natural tree-resin bound paving material, instead of petroleum-based asphalt, on the visitor paths; recycled rubber; sustainably harvested ipe wood, which is naturally resistant to pests and rot; and dried bamboo, because it is rapidly renewable resource and does not deplete the environment when harvested.

Outdoor Exhibit:
The pandas’ state-of-the-art Giant Panda Habitat is designed to mimic the pandas’ natural habitat of rocky, lush terrain in China. Each element has a purpose—from helping the pandas stay cool in hot weather to giving them a place to hide when they need privacy. There are rock and tree structures perfect for climbing; grottoes, pools, and streams for keeping cool; and shrubs and trees, including weeping willows, corktrees, and maples, and several species of bamboo.

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Tags:Giant, Green, Habitat, like, Live, Living, Panda, Sustainable