From the HuffPost:
The giant panda, long a symbol of the conservation movement, is no longer listed as endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The bamboo-loving bears have seen a 17 percent surge in population numbers in the decade ending in 2014, largely due to conservation efforts in their native China. The most recent panda census counted 1,864 of the animals, excluding those below a certain age threshold. If you include cubs, that number approaches 2,060.
The IUCN went on to warn that the decreasing availability of bamboo ― the prime source of nutrition for pandas ― due to climate change could further stress the animals. If the phenomenon continues unabated, nearly a third of the world’s bamboo habitat could disappear in the next 80 years.
“The giant panda will remain a conservation-dependent species for the foreseeable future,” the agency concluded.
“The recovery of the panda shows that when science, political will and engagement of local communities come together, we can save wildlife and also improve biodiversity,” WWF director general Marco Lambertini said in a statement.
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