Pandas Are Less Over

“THE GIANT PANDA IS NOW VULNERABLE WE CAN’T PICK ON PANDAS ANYMORE”
— franzanth

2008 IUCN assessment (”Endangered”)* 

  • estimated the population at 1000-2000 individuals, definitely <2500

  • protected habitat minimal, extremely fragmented populations

  • <250 mature adults in each isolated population

  • “Until recently there has been a general population decline, although there is hope that this has been reversed by general habitat improvements — nevertheless, this remains an uncertainty.”

2016 IUCN assessment (”Vulnerable”)

  • estimated total population at 2060 individuals, ~1040 mature adults

  • protected habitat much larger, populations less fragmented, but still several large, distinct, disconnected areas

  • <1000 mature adults in each isolated population (now that many of the 2008 subpopulations have merged)

  • “it is widely believed that the population has stabilized and has begun to increase in many parts of the range”

  • “Although the population is currently increasing, climate change is predicted to eliminate >35% of the Panda’s bamboo habitat in the next 80 years, and thus the Panda population is projected to decline”

  • “The Giant Panda will remain a conservation-dependent species for the foreseeable future.”

Summary: I’ll give up my panda-conservation-hate when you pry it from my COLD, DEAD HANDS.

Real talk: as I see it, this assessment will either a) result in a “WE DID IT, WE’RE DONE HERE” mentality that will ultimately lead to their extinction, or b) change nothing, and pandas will continue to be the face of a conservation standard that absorbs ludicrous amounts of money for painfully incremental progress like some kind of demonic portal to the charismatic megafaunal void realm

*2008 IUCN assessment can be downloaded from the 2016 assessment page