For most of the 20th century, the giant panda seemed like a conservation lost cause — slow to reproduce and dependent on a single food source. Then China launched its largest ever wildlife investment, creating 67 reserves and restoring millions of hectares of bamboo forest. In 2016, the IUCN upgraded the panda's status for the first time in history.
An Unlikely Symbol
For most of the 20th century, the giant panda was a symbol of everything wrong with conservation — cute enough to attract donations, but seemingly impossible to save.
The Turnaround
In 2016, the IUCN upgraded the giant panda's status from Endangered to Vulnerable. The turnaround was driven by China's massive investment in bamboo forest restoration, the creation of 67 panda nature reserves covering 2.6 million hectares, and strict anti-poaching laws.
>> "The wild population grew from around 1,100 in the 1970s to over 1,800 today — a result of China's largest ever wildlife investment."
Captive breeding programs have also successfully reintroduced pandas to the wild. Some scientists caution that climate change threatens bamboo habitats, and the work is far from over.