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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/...nservationists/
"Giant Panda no longer endangered species, say conservationists

Giant Pandas have been taken off the endangered list and are now only vulnerable Credit: Getty

Sarah Knapton, Science Editor

4 September 2016 • 8:00pm

The Giant Panda is no longer an endangered species following decades of rescue efforts, conservationists have confirmed.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which keeps track of threatened species across the world, said it was reclassifying the animal as only ‘vulnerable.’

Panda populations have grown as a result of Chinese government efforts to protect their habitat and re-establish forests.

Over the past decade numbers have risen by nearly 17 per cent in the wild and there are now around 2,000 outside of captivity.

Their geographic range has also increased by nearly 12 per cent since 2003, according to the most recent Giant Panda Survey conducted with the help of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

The WWF, whose symbol is the giant panda, described the results for the animals as "hugely encouraging".

"It is a significant conservation success following years of enormous efforts on the part of the Chinese Government, communities and non-governmental organisations,” said Glyn Davies, executive director of global programmes at WWF-UK, said:

"This is a cause for celebration and proves that a united approach can bring a substantial difference to threatened species, even at a time of great economic growth in China."

However the IUCN said climate change was predicted to wipe out more than a third (35 per cent) of the panda's bamboo habitat, which could reverse the gains.

The conservation body also warned that four out of the world’s six great apes are now close to extinction and have moved from ‘endangered’ to ‘critically endangered.’

Populations of eastern gorillas, found in Rwanda, Uganda, and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have nosedived in the past 20 years by more than 70 per cent

The western gorilla, Bornean orangutan and Sumatran orangutan are also listed as critically endangered, while the chimpanzee and bonobo are both endangered.
The Eastern Gorilla could soon be extinct

Inger Andersen, IUCN director general, said: "To see the eastern gorilla - one of our closest cousins - slide towards extinction is truly distressing.

"We live in a time of tremendous change and each IUCN Red List update makes us realise just how quickly the global extinction crisis is escalating.

"Conservation action does work and we have increasing evidence of it. It is our responsibility to enhance our efforts to turn the tide and protect the future of our planet."

Plains zebras have also declined by almost a quarter in the past 14 years as a result of illegal hunting and are now "near threatened" on the latest Red List update.

Elsewhere on the Red List Vietnam's psychedelic rock gecko has been listed as endangered.

There has also been a 52 per cent average decline in populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish around the globe between 1970 and 2010.

"We ignore the decline of species at our peril - as they are the barometer that reveals the impact we are having on the planet that sustains us,” added Mr Andersen.

The announcement was made at the World Conservation Congress currently meeting in Hawaii.
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Edited by lancaster (11/09/16 02:58 PM)

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