Chinese wildlife expert to talk pandas, bears, leopards

“Wildlife Research in West China: Threats and Conservation” is the topic for Peking University wildlife biology professor Dajun Wang at the first NAS Seminar of the fall semester scheduled for this Friday (Sept. 13). Wang is a visiting researcher this fall at the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at UW-Madison. He’ll describe a region rich in ecological biodiversity but under threat by human population pressure and rapid economic development. He’ll talk about research involving the giant panda and prospects for reforestation, the snow leopard and how religion and culture can aid conservation, the recovery of the nearly extinct Przewalski’s gazelle, and China’s bear species and the impact of human-wildlife conflict and commercial wildlife trade. The social gathering is at 3 p.m. in ES 317, with the presentation in 3:30 p.m. in ES 301.