Daniel Johnson
POSTMEDIA
JUL 9,2021
After decades of conservation work, Chinese officials said that giant pandas are no longer endangered after their population in the wild climbed to 1,800.
After decades of conservation work, Chinese officials said that giant pandas are no longer endangered after their population in the wild climbed to 1,800.
© Provided by National Post CP-Web. Da Mao, an adult male panda bear, looks on at the Calgary Zoo during the opening of its giant panda habitat, Panda Passage, in Calgary, Alta., Monday, May 7, 2018.
Giant pandas will now be re-classified as vulnerable, Cui Shuhong, the director of the Department of Natural Ecological Protection of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said at a press conference on Wednesday, according to CNN .
“China has established a relatively complete nature reserves system,” Cui added. “Large areas of natural ecosystems have been systematically and completely protected, and wildlife habitats have been effectively improved.”
Conservation efforts in China have been ongoing for about five decades to increase the population of the giant pandas, which included creating sprawling reserves around several mountain ranges.
Chinese officials have been working since the 1970s on a high-profile campaign to boost the population of the bears. Officials created special nature reserves in bamboo-rich areas, providing access to food sources to offset habitat loss.
The conservation efforts were successful in spite of breeding challenges, as females are only able to become pregnant between 24-72 hours during the year.
Estimates from the 1980s determined the giant panda population in China to be around 1,114, more recently in 2014 the wild panda population was estimated to be 1,864 according to the WWF .
The species was initially taken off the endangered list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2016; however Chinese experts disputed this decision, arguing it was misleading and would cause complacency in China the Guardian reported.
Conservation efforts in China are helping the giant panda population bounce back, but Cui said populations of other rare and endangered species are also recovering.
“The number of species such as Siberian tigers, Amur leopards, Asian elephants, and crested ibis has increased significantly,” Cui said.
In China, pandas are thought of as an umbrella species, meaning experts believe protection efforts also benefit other species and the larger ecosystem.
However, a joint China-United States study released last year suggests some of the panda-focused conservation efforts may have had a negative effect on some carnivore species that have seen their numbers drop in recent decades.
Giant pandas will now be re-classified as vulnerable, Cui Shuhong, the director of the Department of Natural Ecological Protection of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said at a press conference on Wednesday, according to CNN .
“China has established a relatively complete nature reserves system,” Cui added. “Large areas of natural ecosystems have been systematically and completely protected, and wildlife habitats have been effectively improved.”
Conservation efforts in China have been ongoing for about five decades to increase the population of the giant pandas, which included creating sprawling reserves around several mountain ranges.
Chinese officials have been working since the 1970s on a high-profile campaign to boost the population of the bears. Officials created special nature reserves in bamboo-rich areas, providing access to food sources to offset habitat loss.
The conservation efforts were successful in spite of breeding challenges, as females are only able to become pregnant between 24-72 hours during the year.
Estimates from the 1980s determined the giant panda population in China to be around 1,114, more recently in 2014 the wild panda population was estimated to be 1,864 according to the WWF .
The species was initially taken off the endangered list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2016; however Chinese experts disputed this decision, arguing it was misleading and would cause complacency in China the Guardian reported.
Conservation efforts in China are helping the giant panda population bounce back, but Cui said populations of other rare and endangered species are also recovering.
“The number of species such as Siberian tigers, Amur leopards, Asian elephants, and crested ibis has increased significantly,” Cui said.
In China, pandas are thought of as an umbrella species, meaning experts believe protection efforts also benefit other species and the larger ecosystem.
However, a joint China-United States study released last year suggests some of the panda-focused conservation efforts may have had a negative effect on some carnivore species that have seen their numbers drop in recent decades.
No comments:
Post a Comment