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As the population of giant pandas in the wild increases, China’s national icon has been downgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable” on the Red List maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The encouraging result, made public on Sept. 4, was brought about by China’s determined efforts on animal protection in the past few decades, an expert said.
Photo taken on March 22 shows the daily life of the panda babies in Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, southwest China's Sichuan province. Photo:CNTV
“IUCN has released an update of its Red List on Sept. 4, in which the official status of the giant panda has been changed from ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable,’” IUCN posted on its Weibo account on Sept. 5.
“Personally, I think the change is a good sign. It shows that the Chinese government has made great efforts to protect endangered species, which can serve as a good example for the protection of endangered species worldwide,” said Wei Fuwen, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in an interview with People’s Daily Online. Wei participated in the official evaluation of the panda’s Red List status.
Photo taken on March 22 shows the daily life of the panda babies in Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, southwest China's Sichuan province. Photo: CNTV
“This decision is not a reckless move, but one based on a great deal of scientific research about giant pandas’ living environment, population and conservation status. Scientifically, the wild population is increasing, and the natural habitat is expanding. Though there are still some problems waiting to be tackled, the situation of pandas is generally good,” Wei added.
According to the State Administration of Forestry, 1,864 pandas remained in the wild, with another 375 in captivity, at the end of 2013.
Photo taken on March 22 shows the daily life of the panda babies in Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, southwest China's Sichuan province. Photo: CNTV
This is not the only recent instance of giant pandas being removed from an endangered species list. In May 2015, the Red List of China’s Biodiversity was released jointly by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and CAS. On the updated list, the status of giant pandas was changed from “endangered” to “vulnerable.”
Photo: File photo
“The change of the panda’s status on the Red List will help to alter the pessimistic view of the public when it comes to panda protection, as many still hold the outdated opinion that pandas are in grave danger,” Wei said.
(PEOPLE'S DAILY ONLINE)
