About the Project: Why pandas in China matter

Research in Jack Liu’s lab spans beyond pandas, examining issues of biodiversity, global warming, zoonic diseases and policy.

The underpinning of all research: When it comes to the environment, nothing exists in a vacuum. Everything is linked together like a huge game of dominoes. You can’t care about pandas and not care about the people who live among them.

"We need to address the bottom line when we're talking about conservation: How to help people," Liu said. "If people's basic necessities aren't being met, they'll do what they have to do to survive."

Human health considerations
Many of the new diseases to make headlines – AIDS, SARS, bird flu, for example – come with indications that they cross over to humans from animals. Liu says that’s an indication that it’s critical to understand how humans and nature interact, and the jeopardy that can be presented if ecosystems aren’t healthy.

Biodiversity
Protecting biodiversity – both in China, and in the rest of the world – not only is about protecting animals and plants. It’s also about protecting economic and social health. For example, China holds a wealth of known and as-yet-to-be-discovered plants and animals with medicinal benefits.

“Once a species is lost, it cannot be restored," Liu said. "This isn't like air or water pollution, which can be fixed. We need to better understand the complex linkages between biodiversity, human health and economic development. We're not just talking about the environment here. We're also working to obtain long-term economic and health benefits to the world."

It’s a small world, after all
China’s rapid growth and environmental challenges may seem like a world away, but they all have impact on the Western world. Air pollution drifts, freshwater fisheries are being degraded by pollution and overfishing, and resources are being gobbled up with explosion of the number of households.

Liu, along with other ecology experts like Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond, have called for good, integrated science to be the foundation for policy.