Human population size and growth have been recognized as important factors affect
ing biodiversity, but the impacts of population structural changes on biodiversity are
not clear. In this paper, we made the first attempt to link human population structural
changes with implications for biodiveristy, using Wolong Nature Reserve (south
western China) for the endangered giant panda as a case study. From 1982 to 1996,
the labor force (20-59 years of age) in the reserve jumped by 59.76 percent,
although the total population size increased by only 14.65 percent. During the same
time period, the sex ratio (males?females) of small children (0-4 years of age) changed
from 0.98:1 to 1.20:1, and the percentage of children receiving education beyond
the elementary school level increased from 14.04 to 27.47. The increase in labor
force and the number of male-biased children could have more negative impacts
on the panda habitat, whereas improving school education could help more young
people move out of the reserve by going to college and finding jobs elsewhere and
thus reduce destruction to the panda habitat.