XI'AN, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Forestry authorities in China's northwestern Shaanxi Province have recently launched an ecological corridor program that is designed to connect fragmented habitats of giant pandas to promote the gene flow between the wild population.

By means of bridge construction and road culvert clearance, six ecological corridors will be built in the Qinling mountain areas by 2027 to facilitate easy passage of the animals, according to the Shaanxi forestry department.

Bamboo trees will also be planted and vegetation restored along the corridors to increase food sources for pandas.

Due to long-term human activities, road traffic, and hydropower station construction, the habitat for pandas in Qinling area was divided into six parts, causing insufficient connectivity and restricted population development, according to Tang Zhouhuai, the department's deputy head.

A latest nationwide research on giant pandas showed that there were 345 wild pandas living in Shaanxi in the Qinling areas.