The good news is that the population of giant panda has increased up to 17%, from 1,596 individuals in 2004 to 1,864 in 2014. But overall, the latest IUCN data paints a bleak picture of the future of many animal species.
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The post Giant panda off endangered species list, but Eastern gorilla declining appeared first on PBS NewsHour. The IUCN estimates that adding giant panda cubs to that number brings the total population to about 2,060. A survey reported 1,864 giant pandas in the wild in China, showing just how effective an integrated approach is in conserving the planet’s diminishing biodiversity.
The warning over climate change was echoed by the IUCN, who warned that as much as 35 percent of the panda’s bamboo habitat could be damaged in the next 80 years.
Thanks to awesome conservation efforts and the commitment of the Chinese government, this iconic species has dropped down a level on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable” following a remarkable growth of their population. The eastern gorilla is now listed as critically endangered, just one step away from extinction, due primarily to poaching. The WCS also noted that there are few Grauer’s Gorillas in captivity so if it were to become extinct in the wild it would be near impossible to save. In that year, a nationwide census found 1,864 giant pandas in the wild in China.
The success is due to Chinese efforts to restore the panda’s habitat, Craig Hilton-Taylor, manager of the IUCN Red List, was quoted by the BBC as saying.
“And thus panda population is projected to decline, reversing the gains made during the last two decades”, the report said.
The species lives in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, northwest Rwanda and southwest Uganda.
The Eastern Gorilla has two subspecies which have fared differently. The listing has put the gorilla species (eastern and western) as well as the other four subspecies as critically endangered, and near extinction.
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Andrew Plumptre of the Wildlife Conservation Society, the lead author of the revised listing, said that acknowledging its threatened status may help us to turn the population around.
