CHENGDU, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- China has launched a new giant panda base in southwest China's Sichuan Province to bolster panda breeding, as well as research and international communication on its famed native species, expanding the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) to five sites nationwide.
As part of China's broader push for ecosystem and biodiversity protection, the new facility began trial operations after 13 pandas were relocated on Tuesday. The base covers an area of about 120 hectares in Sichuan's Mianyang City. It is expected to open to visitors next year, once the animals have settled into their new environment.
