Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, with an area of 9425 square km, is the living place for 30% of the world's highly endangered pandas. Including the eight natural reserves and nine scenic spots (such as Wolong reserves, Four Girls Mountains and Jiajin Mountains) covering 12 cities or counties, the Sanctuaries is the largest remaining contiguous habitat of giant pandas in the world.


The sanctuaries constitute a relict from the paleo-tropic forests of the Tertiary Era. It is also the most important site for captive breeding of the species. The sanctuaries are home to other globally endangered animals such as the red panda, snow leopard and clouded leopard. They are among the botanically richest sites of any region in the world, outside the tropical rain forests, with between 5,000 and 6,000 species of flora in over 1,000 genera. Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2006.