According to Chinese conservationists, giant pandas have been removed from the world’s endangered species list and will be reclassified as “vulnerable” due to ongoing conservation efforts.
About 1,800 pandas live in the wild today, and they are protected and supported to thrive thanks to a multitude of conservation projects.
The species was first designated as “rare” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1986, before being downgraded to “endangered” in 1990.
The IUCN declared giant pandas no longer endangered in 2016, but Chinese officials did not formally acknowledge it until now.
At the time, Chinese officials were afraid that elevating their status might devalue giant pandas, a prized animal in Chinese culture.
Cui Shuhong, director of the Ministry of Environment and the Environment’s Department of Natural Environment Conservation, announced the move at a press conference on Wednesday.
