🐼 Giant pandas in the wild have almost doubled

🐼 Giant pandas in the wild have almost doubled

There are now about 1,900 giant pandas in the wild, compared to about 1,100 in the 1980s. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has changed the giant panda's status from "endangered" to "vulnerable".

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  • Efforts to protect giant pandas have led to the population in the wild nearly doubling since the 1980s.
  • There are now about 1,900 giant pandas in the wild, compared to about 1,100 in the 1980s.
  • The International Union for Conservation of Nature has changed the giant panda's status from "endangered" to "vulnerable".

Efforts yield results

China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced on January 25 that the population of wild giant pandas now stands at about 1,900 individuals, a significant increase from about 1,100 in the 1980s.

A key part of the efforts to protect the panda has been the establishment of the Giant Panda National Park in October 2021, which covers an area of over 22,000 square kilometers and is home to about 72 percent of the wild giant panda population.

Since 2012, the protected areas for giant pandas have expanded from 1.39 million hectares to 2.58 million hectares.

This has led to the International Union for Conservation of Nature adjusting the status of giant pandas from "endangered" to "vulnerable," which is an improved status.

Captive pandas also increasing

The global population of captive giant pandas has now reached 728, with 46 pandas successfully born in 2023. The genetic diversity of captive pandas has also improved, with a population that can maintain 90 percent genetic diversity for up to 200 years.

No sixth mass extinction

There is no ongoing sixth mass extinction of animals and other species, Warp News concluded in a review last year:

Populations of many species have decreased significantly, and this is a serious issue that must be addressed. However, for many species, the trend has reversed, and the numbers are now moving in the right direction. The panda appears to be one such example.

🐯 Investigation: There is no sixth mass extinction going on
“We are entering a sixth mass extinction,” says Paul Ehrlich in an interview with Warp News. He is not alone in believing this. But our investigation shows that is wrong. However, there is no shortage of problems with species extinction. But, by and large, we have now learned to manage them.
Warp NewsAnders Bolling

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Source: Straits Times