The International Union for Conservation of Nature has taken giant pandas off the endangered species list, declaring them officially no longer endangered.

“The giant panda has just been downgraded from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’ on the global list of species at risk of extinction,” stated worldwildlife.org.

An increase in habitat for giant pandas has occurred in China which led to a 17% rise in the giant panda population from 2004 to 2014, and a 2014 census showed 1,864 giant pandas in the wild in China, according to mnn.com.

“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,” stated Marco Lambertini, a WWF Director General, according to worldwildlife.com.
Unfortunately, climate change may wipe out more than 35% of the bamboo habitats in the next 80 years, but the Chinese government’s conservation policy is doing what they can now to help preserve the species, as stated in mnn.com.