“Evidence from a series of range-wide national surveys indicate that the previous population decline has been arrested, and the population has started to increase”, stated the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List, though it added that there are issues with the data collected, stating that population estimates have “consistently increased”.
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The eastern gorilla population, made up of two subspecies, is estimated to be fewer than 5,000, bumping it from endangered to critically endangered.
Of the six great ape species, the Eastern Gorilla, the Western Gorilla, the Bornean Orangutan and the Sumatran Orangutan are now all on the brink of extinction. “Knowing that the panda is now a step further from extinction is an exciting moment for everyone committed to conserving the world’s wildlife and their habitats”, said Marco Lambertini, WWF Director General.
The other two species of great apes, chimpanzees and bonobos, are rated endangered.
Forest protection and reforestation efforts in China have sparked a population growth for the Giant Panda, which was previously listed as Endangered.
Meanwhile, the panda seems to be showing some hopeful signs and has been removed from the “endangered” list to the “vulnerable” one.
“We live in a time of tremendous change and each IUCN Red List update makes us realise just how quickly the global extinction crisis is escalating”.
Carlo Rondinini, a biologist at Rome’s La Sapienza University working for the IUCN Red List, warned that the trend for mammals was still downward.
China banned trading panda skins in 1981, and the enactment of the 1988 Wildlife Protection Law banned poaching and conferred the highest protected status to the animal.
The second subspecies of Eastern gorilla – the Mountain gorilla (G. b. beringei) – has seen a small rebound in its numbers, and totals around 880 individuals.
CNN reported that the Grauer’s gorilla subspecies, since 1994, has “lost 77% of its population”.
As well as the gorillas, the Plains Zebra has moved to “near threatened|” and three species of African antelope – Bay Duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis), White-bellied Duiker (Cephalophus leucogaster) and Yellow-backed Duiker – have also been made “near threatened”. Giant pandas are now described as a “vulnerable” species.
Invasive species such as pigs, goats, rats, slugs, and non-native plants are destroying the native flora in Hawai’i.
The IUCN congress has the theme Planet at the Crossroads, with many scientists at the gathering expressing alarm that a pernicious mix of climate change, habitat loss and hunting is driving what’s been termed the “sixth great extinction” of the Earth’s flora and fauna.
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The Tibetan antelope, an endangered species slaughtered in past decades for its fine fur, is also recovering. The Bridled Nailtail Wallaby also moved down a category, from Endangered to Vulnerable, after a successful but expensive translocation conservation programme.
