The number of wild giant pandas increased by nearly 17% (up to nearly 1,860) between 2003-2013, according to Chinese government survey figures released in 2015.
The giant panda is a global conservation icon and the symbol of WWF. Thanks to decades of successful conservation work, we've seen wild panda numbers beginning to recover, but they remain at risk.
Human activities continue to be the greatest threat to their survival. An extensive giant panda nature reserve network exists, but one-third of all wild pandas live outside of protected areas in small, isolated numbers.
We’ve worked with the Chinese government to protect giant pandas since 1980 (the first international organisation to be invited to work in China), and those years of conservation work are paying off.
67 nature reserves cover over half of the pandas’ range and help protect two-thirds of the wild panda population. Protected areas need to expand and connect more forests so that pandas can safely roam even further.
IUCN has now reduced the official threat level for giant pandas from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’. Proof that conservation works.