By spending countless hours monitoring and researching, they have been able to develop an accurate picture of the panda's population status and current threats, and formulate effective measures that have reversed the panda's decline.
Ongoing research and monitoring of pandas and their fragile habitat will be vital to ensuring that the conservation successes of the past few decades are not undermined. And that giant panda numbers continue to recover.
Camera traps are a critical research tool because of the difficulty of locating pandas in their remote, mountain habitat.
The cameras are triggered by movement and, along with GPS technology, are helping to create a more accurate picture of the number of pandas in the wild.