Dear friend, By now you have read the headlines. You know that an earthquake of catastrophic proportion hit China’s southwestern Sichuan province on Monday, May 12. You are aware of the staggering and daily-rising statistics — nearly 100,000 people dead or missing, and millions more left homeless — and you have seen photos of the massive damage to infrastructure in and around the quake’s hardest hit region. What you may not know, however, is that some of China’s most cherished World Heritage sites were also affected by the 7.9-magnitude earthquake. Sichuan and Wenchuan provinces — those most impacted by the earthquake — are home to several World Heritage sites, including two severely affected by the quake: Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, home to 30% of the world’s remaining endangered giant pandas, and Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System (located only 50 km from the epicenter). The Wolong Nature Reserve, part of the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, was among the hardest hit. While it appears that most of the reserve’s 60 pandas are safe and accounted for — thanks in large part to heroic efforts by reserve staff — there are still three pandas missing and many were injured. Tragically six field staff at the reserve were killed. Reports from the local forestry commission state that all of the Wolong reserve’s 32 panda houses were destroyed or damaged. These houses are important for breeding and eventual reintroduction of pandas to the wild a critical conservation tool since it is estimated that there are fewer than 1600 giant pandas left in the wild. Also, access to the affected World Heritage sites is a primary concern. In order to provide humanitarian aid — including tents and basic supplies for the reserve staff — and to assess the full extent of damage to infrastructure, wildlife, and basic services like clean water, they need help restoring access, rebuilding infrastructure and replacing essential equipment around the sanctuary. We ask you to join the effort to restore these global treasures of World Heritage and provide urgent support for local reserve staff and communities through a donation to the Friends of World Heritage Fund. 100% of your donation will go directly to support sites and survivors in need. To learn more about the impact on these sites and more than 40 other nature reserves in the region, visit Friends of World Heritage. With thanks, The Friends of World Heritage Team (Kate, Amy, Shawn and Phoebe) Donate | Tell A Friend | Send an Ecard | View Email in Browser