The global population of giant panda bears continues to rise, breaking from the shift from an " endangered " species to a " vulnerable " species six years ago, according to figures from the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center.
The number of wild pandas in Chinese territory reached 1,864 this year, a significant advance compared to the 1,114 individuals in the 1980s, according to the annual census carried out by this agency.
In 2016, as the panda population surpassed 1,800 members, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) updated its Red List of Threatened Species and changed its status from “endangered” to “vulnerable”.
At the same time, the center declared that captive panda bears around the world have reached 673 individuals, a number almost double that of a decade earlier.
The director of the Center, Duan Zhaogang, quoted by the state agency Xinhua , attributed this increase to the rapid development of artificial reproduction technologies for the giant panda.
The giant panda bear is considered a national symbol in China and its presence is also essential to facilitate the growth of forests in the Yangtze River basin.
Furthermore, this species has become in the last half century a representative symbol of Chinese diplomacy through the loans of panda bears that the country makes to other countries depending on the degree and status of the bilateral relationship.
