Is it timely to think about Removing Giant Pandas From the species List?

Due to a breeding boom over the past few years, giant pandas are making a robust recovery. Some experts argue that the species should be faraway from the critically endangered list—but is it too soon? 

This comes because the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) undertakes a politician reassessment of the panda’s status. The Swiss-based organization uses a seven-point scale to measure the danger facing animal populations. 

Due to a breeding boom over the past few years, giant pandas are making a robust recovery. Photo credit: Thinkstock

Sources have reportedly told Chinese authorities that ICUN experts are considering downgrading the enormous panda from “endangered” within the wild to the still concerning but slightly lower category: “high risk of endangerment.” 

In the mid-90s, the population of untamed pandas dropped as low as 1,000 individuals. Despite evolutionary adaptations for a carnivorous diet, giant pandas eat around 26 to 84 pounds of bamboo each day . But forest fragmentation and encroaching human populations threaten this critical food source. 

Giant pandas even have a coffee birth rate, meaning that it can take an extended time for the population to recover. And even with severe penalties in situ , pressures from illegal poaching still pose a big barrier to recovery. 

Despite this, earnest conservation efforts may have paid off. 

Since 1974 the Chinese government has surveyed giant pandas within the wild. As of 2003, it estimated that there have been about 1,596 individuals. the newest survey data, which was released in 2013, showed that big pandas had increased in number to 1,864. 

It’s important to notice that the 2003 data was slightly skewed because researchers used different survey methods. Therefore, the rise doesn’t necessarily reflect conservation efforts, as a number of those pandas may have just been overlooked in previous counts. 

Nevertheless, a debate has raged on whether the quantity of cash and energy that has gone into saving the enormous panda is basically worthwhile . 

Some critics have argued that we've , in part, been so invested within the panda’s survival just because it's become an iconic symbol of China. they say that efforts could are channeled elsewhere to save lots of less photogenic animals from extinction who have a far better chance of longterm survival. 

However, others insist that the cash invested in panda conservation is worth it . Pandas spread seeds throughout their forest territories, meaning they serve a crucial function in their habitats. 

Organizations just like the WWF argue that because many livelihoods depend upon those self same forests, the pandas are integral to their ecosystem. They also means that pandas are considered an umbrella species, meaning that their protection also aids animals just like the snub-nosed monkey and certain forest antelope species, to call just a couple of . 

Evidently, there’s significant pressure to prove that panda numbers are rebounding which conservation efforts are succeeding. 

Even so, reports of the enormous panda being downgraded from “endangered” status could also be premature. While the Chinese government seems keen to simply accept a downgrade of the panda, the IUCN has reportedly said its assessment of the enormous panda has not been completed. As of now, there's no firm date for when an announcement could be made. 

Panda advocates could also be somewhat relieved to listen to this. While the Chinese government wants to seem supportive of panda conservation, it's undeniable that the govt could do more. for instance , not all giant pandas sleep in forests that are currently protected. meaning that their habitats are in danger of further fragmentation. For a species that's already notoriously skittish when it involves breeding, this might impact increase . 

Conservationists may worry that any premature downgrading of the panda’s status are going to be a greenlight for the Chinese government to relax its efforts to save lots of pandas. 

The IUCN’s decision will little question play a neighborhood in determining what future approach is taken to save lots of this undeniably enigmatic and delightful animal.