The International Union for Conservation of Nature said in a report released Sunday that the panda is now classified as a “vulnerable” instead of “endangered” species, reflecting its growing numbers in the wild in southern China.
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The status of the beloved bear was changed from “endangered” to “vulnerable” on the “red list” for endangered species maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because the panda population has rebounded, the nonprofit said on September 4. And 422 giant pandas were living in captivity at the end of 2015. China’s State Forestry Administration said the animal still faces disappearing risk.
“If we downgrade their conservation status, or neglect or relax our conservation work, the populations and habitats of giant pandas could still suffer irreversible loss and our achievements would be quickly lost”, the forestry administration said.
In 1965 they listed the Giant Panda as “Very rare but believed to be stable or increasing”.
For decades, the black-and-white bear has been a symbol of China and the global conservation movement.
Though the outlook is bleak, researchers hope placing the gorilla and its subspecies on the critically endangered list will help raise awareness of the decline and foster efforts to help the apes.
So-called panda diplomacy, however, has not been without controversy, as the Christian Science Monitor’s Molly Jackson reported a year ago.
Unfortunately, the new report also brought bad news for the Eastern Gorilla: the world’s largest living primate has experienced a 70% decline in its population over the past two decades because of hunting and civil wars in the region of Africa that it calls home, media reports indicate.
“The Chinese have done a great job in investing in panda habitats, expanding and setting up new reserves”, said Ginette Hemley, senior vice president at the World Wildlife Fund. They are considered polygamous, but only the leader has access to the females of a group for breeding. “The recovery of the Panda shows that when science, political will and engagement of local communities come together, we can save wildlife and also improve biodiversity”.
Giant pandas are no longer threatened with extinction after years of conservation efforts, an global environmental group said, but the Chinese government says it is “too early” to make such a call.
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“They are a wonderful example of what can happen when a government is committed to conservation”, she said.
