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By far, the greatest threat facing wild pandas, and the biggest reason they are critically endangered today, is deforestation on the part of humans, which has led to permanent habitat loss in some areas. Wild pandas once roamed bamboo forests in China, Vietnam, Laos and Burma.
After decades of effort, wild panda numbers are rising, but there are still only 1,864 spread across 20 pockets of bamboo forest. And the remaining pandas still face a number of threats, particularly habitat loss and fragmentation.
If these bears are being closely watched, why are pandas endangered? Like most species, the answer is human activity. But before we can answer that question more completely, let’s first learn more about who panda bears are and how they live.
In 2016, the bamboo-eating giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) native to southern central China was reclassified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), after spending nearly 30 years on the "endangered species" list.
Wild panda numbers are finally rebounding after years of decline. In September, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced that pandas have been upgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable.”
We should do everything we can to save the giant panda because we are the ones that have driven it to the edge of extinction. And because we can. But pandas also play a crucial role in China's bamboo forests by spreading seeds and helping the vegetation to grow.
By collaborating with Chinese colleagues at state forestry agencies, giant panda reserves, non-governmental organizations, universities and breeding centers, Smithsonian scientists have transformed giant panda care and conservation not just in Washington D.C. and China, but around the world.
Pandas are endangered primarily because of habitat destruction and fragmentation. They are limited to areas with bamboo trees because bamboo is their primary source of nutrients. However, several human activities are destroying the panda’s habitat.
There are approximately 1,900 Giant Pandas in the wild and more or less 600 in zoos or breeding centers. They were classified as endangered due to their limited habitat range and low reproduction rate. In 2016, their status was changed from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable.”
The biggest reason why pandas are facing endangerment is deforestation activities by humans, leading to permanent habitat loss and destruction. Pandas used to roam through various forests of Laos, Burma, Vietnam, and China.