Almost two years after Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts planted 15,840 bamboo seedlings on a 1.6-hectare plot, a lush bamboo plantation is complete and should be a boon to pandas in a nearby sanctuary. The plantation is in China’s Sichuan province and adjoins the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Rescue and Disease Control Centre – a base for rescued, ill or elderly wild giant pandas.
The plantation will ensure food security for the centre’s 29 giant pandas and four red pandas. Located at the foot of Mount Qing Cheng and a 90-minute drive from Chengdu, the plantation is enhanced with 144 cherry and magnolia trees to create a natural habitat for the pandas and to aid in their recovery and survival. Shangri-La is also planning a bamboo garden with different bamboo species that will benefit research and provide an information area for visiting students, guests and tourists.