Conservation success as wild giant panda numbers soar in China
THE number of giant pandas living wild in China’s bamboo forests has soared nearly 17 per cent over the past 12 years thanks to massive conservation efforts.
A giant panda with her two cubs in China’s bamboo bush
A survey by the Chinese authorities shows there are now 1,864 of the endangered animals, adopted as the World Wildlife Fund emblem.
John Barker, of WWF-UK, said: “Much of this success is due to banning commercial logging and better management of forest protected areas.
“But large-scale infrastructure development, like roads, railways and mass tourism, still need ecologically?compatible planning.”