Editing Red panda (section)

== Threats ==
The red panda is primarily threatened by the [[habitat destruction|destruction]] and [[Habitat fragmentation|fragmentation]] of its habitat, the causes of which include increasing human population, [[deforestation]], the unlawful taking of [[Non-timber forest product|non-wood forest material]] and disturbances by herders and [[livestock]].<ref name="iucn" /> Trampling by livestock inhibits bamboo growth,<ref name="Yonzon">{{cite journal |author1=Yonzon, P. B. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Hunter, M. L. Jr.|title=Conservation of the Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' |journal=Biological Conservation |year=1991 |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages=1–11 |doi=10.1016/0006-3207(91)90104-H|bibcode=1991BCons..57....1Y }}</ref> and [[clearcutting]] decreases the ability of some bamboo species to regenerate.<ref name="glatston_1994"/> The cut lumber stock in Sichuan alone reached {{cvt|2661000|m3}} in 1958–1960, and around {{cvt|3597.9|km2}} of red panda habitat were logged between the mid-1970s and late 1990s.<ref name="Wei"/> Throughout Nepal, the red panda habitat outside protected areas is negatively affected by solid waste, livestock trails and herding stations, and people collecting firewood and [[medicinal plants]].<ref name=Panthi_al2012/><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Acharya, K. P. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Shrestha, S. |author3=Paudel, P. K. |author4=Sherpa, A. P. |author5=Jnawali, S. R. |author6=Acharya, S. |author7=Bista, D. |year=2018 |title=Pervasive human disturbance on habitats of endangered Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' in the central Himalaya |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=15 |page=e00420 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00420|s2cid=92988737|doi-access=free |bibcode=2018GEcoC..1500420A }}</ref> Threats identified in Nepal's [[Lamjung District]] include grazing by livestock during seasonal [[transhumance]], human-made forest fires and the collection of bamboo as cattle [[fodder]] in winter.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Ghimire, G. |author2=Pearch, M. |author3=Baral, B. |author4=Thapa, B. |author5=Baral, R. |name-list-style=amp |year=2019 |title=The first photographic record of the Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' (Cuvier, 1825) from Lamjung District outside Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=11 |issue=12 |pages=14576–14581 |doi=10.11609/jott.4828.11.12.14576-14581 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Vehicular traffic is a significant barrier to red panda movement between habitat patches.<ref name=Bista_al2021/>

[[Poaching]] is also a major threat.<ref name="iucn" /> In Nepal, 121 red panda skins were [[Confiscation|confiscated]] between 2008 and 2018. [[trapping|Traps]] meant for other wildlife have been recorded killing red pandas.<ref name=Bista_al2020>{{cite journal |author1=Bista, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Baxter, G. S. |author3=Murray, P. J. |year=2020 |title=What is driving the increased demand for red panda pelts? |journal=Human Dimensions of Wildlife |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=324–338 |doi=10.1080/10871209.2020.1728788 |bibcode=2020HDW....25..324B |s2cid=213958948}}</ref> In Myanmar, the red panda is threatened by hunting using guns and traps; since roads to the border with China were built starting in the early 2000s, red panda skins and live animals have been traded and smuggled across the border.<ref name=Lin_al2021/> In southwestern China, the red panda is hunted for its fur, especially for the highly valued bushy tails, from which hats are produced. The red panda population in China has been reported to have decreased by 40 per cent over the last 50 years, and the population in western Himalayan areas are considered to be smaller.<ref name="Wei" /> Between 2005 and 2017, 35 live and seven dead red pandas were confiscated in Sichuan, and several traders were sentenced to 3–12 years of imprisonment. A month-long survey of 65 shops in nine Chinese counties in the spring of 2017 revealed only one in Yunnan offered hats made of red panda skins, and red panda tails were offered in an online forum.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Xu, L. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Guan, J. |year=2018 |title=Red Panda market research findings in China |location=Cambridge |publisher=Traffic |url=http://www.trafficchina.org/sites/default/files/en_red_panda_briefing.pdf |access-date=28 January 2022 |archive-date=28 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128151733/http://www.trafficchina.org/sites/default/files/en_red_panda_briefing.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>