Survey finds giant pandas have been upgraded to a “vulnerable” species thanks to conservation efforts.
Advertisement
“IUCN has released an update of its Red List on September 4, in which the official status of the giant panda has been changed from “endangered” to ‘vulnerable, ‘” IUCN posted on its Weibo account on September 5. Meanwhile, the giant panda, which has always been the emblem for endangered species has had its position upgraded to “vulnerable”.
Other animals on the list fared better than the apes, including the giant panda, which was previously on the endangered list.
WWF director general Marco Lambertini says the change in status is an “exciting moment” for those who’ve worked tirelessly to save the species.
Because of these efforts, the number of panda reserves now numbers 67 – they protect nearly two-thirds of all wild pandas.
The IUCN went on to warn that the decreasing availability of bamboo ― the prime source of nutrition for pandas ― due to climate change could further stress the animals.
But the update also brought bad news.
Wildlife organisations hailed the recovery of the Giant Panda, whose estimated numbers fell to below 1,000 in the 1980s.
The WWF also said that while everyone should celebrate this achievement, pandas remain scattered and vulnerable, and much of their habitat is threatened by poorly-planned infrastructure projects.
Four of six species of great apes are now rated “critically endangered”, or one step away from extinction, by threats such as hunting and a loss of forests to farmland from West Africa to Indonesia, according to the annual list by wildlife experts.
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. “This iconic species, which is the poster child of endangered species globally, no longer qualifies as endangered”, Ron Swaisgood said.
The IUCN’s scale runs in the following order: least concern, near threatened, vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, extinct in the wild, and, finally, extinct.
“A takeaway point we would like to emphasise is we are not journeying in the right direction with respect to species conservation”, Andersen said.
The Chinese government’s push to save the cuddly species has been praised, including ending poaching, protecting the animals’ habitat, building reserves and partnerships with global organisations such as zoos.
Advertisement
The Eastern Gorilla (Gorilla beringei) – which is made up of two subspecies – has moved from Endangered to Critically Endangered due to a devastating population decline of more than 70 per cent in 20 years.
