When you think about every adult panda on Earth needing 12.5 kg of bamboo every single day, you realise just how important their habitat is for them. Twenty years later, WWF became the first international organisation to work in China. In a welcome piece of good news for the world’s threatened wildlife, the giant panda has just 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. And that's where the bad news comes in. The giant panda is now officially no longer an endangered species, with officials announcing over the weekend that it’s been downgraded from "Endangered" to "Vulnerable", following a 17 percent increase in population over the past 10 years. One of the biggest challenges in getting panda numbers back up is the fact that they are poor breeders in captivity, and often lose interest in pairing with other pandas in zoos. The biological diversity of the panda’s habitat is unparalleled in the temperate world and rivals that of tropical ecosystems, making the giant panda an excellent example of an umbrella species conferring protection on many other species where pandas live. "The threat of declining bamboo availability due to climate change could, in the near future, reverse the gains made during the last two decades.". Unlike cows, which have a four-chambered stomach and a long colon to absorb nutrients from hard-to-digest grass, panda stomachs have only one chamber and a short colon. Les pandas géants appartiennent à l’ordre des carnivores du fait d’un système digestif capable de digérer de la viande mais paradoxalement ils mangent des végétaux à 99%. 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. The estimated number of cubs brings the total to around 2,060. These efforts have seen the number of panda reserves jump to 67, which now protect nearly two-thirds of all wild pandas. "When push comes to shove, the Chinese have done a really good job with pandas," John Robinson, a primatologist and chief conservation officer at the Wildlife Conservation Society, told the AFP. And remember: there are still only 1,864 left in the wild.". 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, due primarily to poaching. 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 minimise their impact on the forests. While the ICUN says the increase in panda populations is definitely something to celebrate, we need to prepare for the fact that it's probably not going to last. View our inclusive approach to conservation. The giant panda is now officially no longer an endangered species, with officials announcing over the weekend that it’s been downgraded from "Endangered" to "Vulnerable", following a 17 percent increase in population over the past 10 years. This means they have to keep eating for close to 14 hours a day, and end up consuming up to 12.5 kilograms (27.5 pounds) of bamboo daily, while only digesting around 17 percent of it. "So few species are actually downlisted, it really is a reflection of the success of conservation.". O panda-gigante (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), pertencente à família dos ursídeos, é um dos mamíferos mais raros e curiosos da fauna. 1250 24th Street, N.W. "Although the population is currently increasing, climate change is predicted to eliminate more than 35 percent of the Panda's bamboo habitat in the next 80 years, and thus the Panda population is projected to decline," the report reads. "Therefore, we're not being alarmist by continuing to emphasize the panda species' endangered status." “For over 50 years, the giant panda has been the globe’s most beloved conservation icon as well as the symbol of WWF. World Wildlife Fund Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax ID number 52-1693387) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. This means they have to keep eating, at least one expert said we should give up. Get email about important conservation news and how you can help WWF protect the diversity of life on Earth. That study found an estimated 1,864 giant pandas in the wild, not counting cubs under the age of 18 months. Originário das montanhas do Sudeste Asiático, há cerca de 100.000 anos, este animal dividia seu território com os gigantescos mamutes que também viviam naquela região. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. The IUCN reports that in the decade up to 2014, the global giant panda population has increased by 17 percent, and it’s now estimated that there are some 1,864 adults in the wild in China. 5 SEPTEMBER 2016. Let’s just bask in the awesomeness of all of this for a second, because downgrading the endangered status of any species like the giant panda is an incredible feat. 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. Poachers kill only a few pandas each year, but hunters of other animals in the area accidentally kill pandas on a more regular … "The improved status confirms that the Chinese government's efforts to conserve this species are effective.". “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,” added Lambertini. BEC CREW. Giant pandas are becoming extinct due to extensive habitat loss and destruction by hunters. A BIG win for #conservation ! © ScienceAlert Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. "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," Marco Lambertini, WWF Director General, said in a press statement. At the ripe age of 31, Pan Pan passed away from cancer late last year, but not before he fathered over 130 pandas – about 25% of all pandas currently in captivity. As Lo Sze Ping, CEO of WWF China points out: "Everyone should celebrate this achievement, but pandas remain scattered and vulnerable, and much of their habitat is threatened by poorly-planned infrastructure projects. Washington, DC 20037. Habitat loss destroys bamboo, which is the giant panda's sole food source. It remains to be seen if simply ramping up current conservation efforts will be enough to mitigate the habitat decline that's to come, but researchers are urging everyone not to get complacent now that the population has seen an increase. The IUCN cites forest protection and reforestation measures in China as having significantly increased forest cover and the amount of available habitat for the species, allowing them to establish new, more viable populations throughout the countries’ unique bamboo forests. It’s an incredible change of fate for a species that was in such dire straits in 2009 that experts were predicting it could become extinct within three generations. But despite decades of effort from conservationists (the panda is the symbol of the World Wildlife Fund), the animal remains endangered. It also isolates pandas causing a reduction in the rate that mating and reproduction occurs. "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," the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) updated Red List report states. The Giant Panda Is No Longer an Endangered Species. Make a symbolic panda adoption to help save some of the world's most endangered animals from extinction and support WWF's conservation efforts. While the struggle to preserve the much-loved bear has been an uphill battle for nearly 30 years, there has finally been empirical evidence documenting the progress of its remarkable recovery. have a four-chambered stomach and a long colon to absorb nutrients from hard-to-digest grass, panda stomachs have only one chamber and a short colon. How did a species that at least one expert said we should give up on just seven years ago make such a promising rebound? Giant #pandas are … 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. L’espèce représente le symbole de la protection de l’environnement et des espèces animales menacées d’extinction. In a welcome piece of good news for the world’s threatened wildlife, the giant panda has just 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 one remaining source of concern, however, is a … Now there are 67 fiercely guarded panda reserves in China, which protect nearly two-thirds of the global population. WWF’s panda logo was designed by the organisation’s founding chairman, the naturalist and painter Sir Peter Scott in 1961.