IUCN: Giant panda no longer endangered

Previously listed as Endangered, The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is now listed as Vulnerable, according to?the latest?update of The IUCN Red List released on September 4 at the IUCN World Conservation Congress taking place in Hawai?i.

The population?of the animal?has grown due to effective forest protection and reforestation and the improved status confirms that the Chinese government's efforts to conserve this species are effective, said IUCN.

However, the organization warned, that climate change is predicted to eliminate more than 35% of the Panda's bamboo habitat in the next 80 years and thus Panda population is projected to decline, reversing the gains made during the last two decades.

To protect this iconic species, IUCN suggests, it is critical that the effective forest protection measures are continued and that emerging threats are addressed.

The Chinese government's plan to expand existing conservation policy for the species is a positive step and must be strongly supported to ensure its effective implementation, IUCN said.

The giant panda's population grew by 17 percent in the decade leading up to 2014, announced IUCN. A census found 1,864 pandas in the wild in China in 2014.

The number of panda reserves in China has jumped to 67 from 13 in 1992. Nearly two-thirds of all wild pandas live in these reserves, according to the WWF.