The 10th anniversary of a day for celebrating and raising global awareness of thefirst panda.

In this issue of Red Panda Network eNews, the 10th annual IRPD, aconservation action plan in Bhutan, and gifts matched for Plant ARed Panda Home.

International Red Panda Day 2019

On International Red Panda Day's 10-year anniversary,record numbers of participants raise funds and awareness

for red pandas worldwide.

September 21st is the 10-year anniversary of International Red Panda Day(IRPD) and we couldn't have reached this major milestone without yoursupport! Thank you for making this day of red panda awareness,educational outreach, and fundraising such as success!

In the past decade, this annual event has grown from 16 registeredschools and zoos in 2010, to 115 (and counting!) schools, zoos,businesses, and organizations participating in IRPD events worldwidein 2019!

"We knew we could gain momentum for awareness and fundraising for ourconservation efforts by picking a day when zoos [and other organizations]could celebrate red pandas." Boyd said.

"Raising awareness about this amazing species" is a primary goal of IRPD,Red Panda Network (RPN) board member Nicki Boyd told me. Boyd,Associate Curator of Behavioral Husbandry for the San Diego Zoo, helpedfound the first IRPD with board members of the RPN in 2010.

Translated by Kuniko Kai, Daniele and Yuri.

Anyone who wants to register an IRPD event with RPN can do so, and tomake your event a success, there are fact sheets, posters, images forsocial media, activity guides, and more for you to download and use on ourwebsite. Also, for the first time, IRPD educational and outreach materials cannow be downloaded from our website in English, Japanese, Polish andCzech.

This year, funds raised during registered IRPD events will go directlytowards the Plant A Red Panda Home campaign, which began in2019. This RPN conservation campaign aims to alleviate the effectsof deforestation in 32 hectares of core red panda habitat in Nepal byplanting native trees, installing fencing to protect newly plantedsaplings, and purchasing land in eastern Nepal for reforestation.

"Western Nepal has considerable areas of forest that are potential habitatfor red panda. However, the forests are degraded and fragmented, whichlimits movement and food availability for local wildlife," RPN Program OfficerDinesh Ghale said in a recent field update to RPN Communications OfficerPragati Shahi.

Since 2016, the RPN has reforested about 32.7 hectares of degraded redpanda habitat with a total of approximately 20,000 saplings, local trees, andbamboo species.

Restoration in Jaubari, Ilam, Eastern Nepal. The Plant A Red Panda Home campaign expands on these efforts, which arealready aiding local wildlife. According to monitoring by RPN Forest Guardiansand camera trap surveys, red pandas and other endangered wildlife are nowflourishing in the regions of forest restored by RPN.

Replanting degraded forest in high priority areas, such as the Nepal's ShreeGairemela Community Forest, "will improve the connectivity of forestpatches and red panda population viability," Shahi explained.

IRPD helps red pandas in captivity and in the wild, "both by bringingawareness to their threats, and by fundraising efforts that help support ourconservation goals," Boyd told me.

IRPD coloring activiting for kids atParco Natura Viva.

Rosamond Gifford Zoo will beraffling off this painting by red

panda "Basil" for IRPD!

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Your Gift Matched 2X

Thanks to our generous First Panda Challengers, all donations receivedon International Red Panda Day (IRPD) will go twice as far!

This opportunity applies to all time zones. If it's IRPD where you are at,your tax deductible contribution will be matched towards our Plant ARed Panda Home initiatives which will reforest core habitat in Nepal!

Double your impact!

A Plan Of Action To Conserve Bhutan's RedPanda

First in Nepal, and most recently Bhutan, governments arecommitting to red panda conservation in range countries. On July 31, 2019, people and charities all over the world celebrated WorldRanger Day. This day honors the critical work of rangers to protect ourplanet's wildlife and natural resources. For many endangered species-including the red panda-the enforcement of national laws by local authoritiesis critical for survival. It's no coincidence that July 31st was the same dayBhutan launched a five-year action plan to conserve red pandas.

Red Pandas are endangered. While their numbers seem to beimproving in Red Panda Network's (RPN) project areas in EasternNepal, the species continues to face imminent threats to theirsurvival in red panda range countries. The primary threats are habitatloss and fragmentation, which are being driven by poverty, growing humanpopulation and a paucity of adequate conservation programs.

Red panda conservation workshop. Photo from Bhutan's action plan.

Fortunately, governments in range countries are beginning torecognize the need for national red panda conservation strategies.This change has been gradual, but a movement is growing.

The commitment to protect red pandas originated in Nepal: In September of2018, Nepal launched a five-year red panda conservation action (2019-2023). This was the first of such guidelines that provide a thoroughframework for engaging local communities and strengthening coordinationamong conservation actors at national and international levels.

"This is an exciting achievement," says RPN's Country Director, Ang PhuriSherpa. "To have clear objectives and methodologies at a country-level-that

can be replicated by other range countries-is a big step towards preservingpandas for future generations."

RPN played a key role in advocating for and developing the plan. We are alsohelping to ensure its effective implementation under the leadership of theDepartment of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Department ofForest and Soil Conservation of the government of Nepal.

Cover of Bhutan's red panda conservation action plan.

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Red Panda Network is committed to the conservation of wild red pandas and theirhabitat through the education and empowerment of local communities.

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