Abstract: Monitoring plays a crucial role in managing natural resources to ensure sustainable use,and has become essential to conserve threatened species or local biodiversity. In China, long-term monitoring of large mammal species has not often been conducted. Foping Nature Reserve, encompassing the highest population density of giant pandas in China, began indexing giant panda population size in the 1990s. We analyzed population trends and ecological traits of giant pandas in the reserve through indirect indices (e. g. ,feces)based on monitoring data collected during 2000 - 2006. The year - round total of traces found on transects was treated as an index of population size,and trace per km as an index of relative abundance. We found a marginal evidence that the population size increased slowly as indexed by feces (t = 1.98, P =0.082). The highest relative abundance within Foping occurred in Sanguanmiao and Xihe districts,and the lowest in Caoping. Indices of panda abundance in Daguping, Longtan and Yueba were intermediate. Elevation of traces found on all transects in summer and autumn was significantly higher than in spring and winter, suggesting seasonal vertical migration along elevational gradient. Feces found disproportionately on gentle slopes with deciduous or mixed deciduous and coniferous forest stands these ecological traits of giant pandas derived from monitoring data were consistent with previous biological reports. Foping Nature Reserve's monitoring technique has the potential to be adopted in other giant panda reserves.