This weekend, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced that Giant Pandas are moving from the endangered species animal category to the vulnerable animal category. The IUCN monitors threatened species around the world and just announced this years "Red List".
The Chinese government made great efforts protecting the giant pandas by working to preserve the forests where the reside. With help from The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), China was able to build 67 nature reserves. From 2004 to 2014, there has been a 17% rise in the number of pandas in the wild. Pandas are currently counting in at 1,864!
Pandas have been the symbol for the WWF for more than 50 years. WWF Director General Marco Lamertini said in a statement, "Knowing that the panda is now a step further from extinction is an exciting moment for everyone committed to conserving the worlds wildlife and their habitats."
The success of the panda's turning over from endangered to vulnerable is a huge milestone. It shows that with the right efforts, we as a society and culture can make a difference. Although the Giant Panda has had an endangered status since the 1980's and it's 40 years later, progress has been made. Progress does not happen over night. These pandas will continue to need our help and support over the years considering there are still less than 2,000 left in the wild.
Here are a three ways you can continue to help the Giant Panda's:
1. Donate
If you can invest a few bucks, do it. The WWF website says that their donations go to nature reserve protection, community development (to limit impacts on panda's forests), and research and monitoring work. These are all important aspects of continuing the growth of panda population.
2. Travel Smart
Panda tourism is becoming more and more popular as pandas are growing in size. Promote eco tourism and make sure the places you are traveling are safe for the species.
3. Spread the word
Talk about the issue at hand. Continue to bring up your furry friends on the other side of the world and let people know how they still need our help.
