In a welcome piece of good news for the world’s threatened wildlife, the
giant panda has been downgraded from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’ on the global
list of species at risk of extinction, demonstrating how an integrated approach
can help save our planet’s vanishing biodiversity.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced the
positive change to the giant panda’s official status in the Red List of
Threatened Species, pointing to the 17% rise in the population in the decade up
to 2014, when a nationwide census found 1,864 giant pandas in the wild in
China.
“For over 50 years, the giant panda has been the globe’s most beloved conservation icon as well as the symbol of WWF. 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 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.”
While the panda’s status has improved, other species are under increasing
threat, including the Eastern gorilla that is now listed as critically
endangered, just one step away from extinction, and due primarily to poaching. WWF’s
panda logo was designed by the organization’s founding chairman, the naturalist
and painter Sir Peter Scott in 1961. Twenty years later, WWF became the first
international organization to work in China.
Ever since, WWF has been working with the government on initiatives to
save giant pandas and their habitat, including helping to establish an
integrated network of giant panda reserves and wildlife corridors to connect
isolated panda populations as well as working with local communities to develop
sustainable livelihoods and minimize their impact on the forests.
These efforts have seen the number of panda reserves jump to 67, which
now protect nearly two-thirds of all wild pandas. They have also helped to safeguard
large swathes of mountainous bamboo forests, which shelter countless other
species and provide natural services to vast numbers of people, including tens
of millions who live alongside rivers downstream of panda habitat.
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