By Helen BriggsBBC News
25 September 2017
Despite signs that numbers of
giant pandas are rising, suitable habitat has shrunk, according to satellite
data.
The forests where the panda lives
are in worse shape than in 1988, when it was first listed as endangered,
scientists say.
Last year, the giant panda was
downgraded from endangered to vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Habitat loss is the most serious
threat to the animal, which is seen as an icon of global extinction efforts.
"What's new in this study is
our ability to assess the status of the giant panda by using satellite imagery
and then use that information to come up with recommendations of how better to
manage this iconic threatened species," said Prof Stuart Pimm, of Duke
University, North Carolina, US, who is a researcher on the study.
The news last year that the giant
panda had been taken off the endangered list made headlines around the world.
The decision was made because
numbers of wild pandas had risen in surveys. However, with only around 1,800
left in the wild, establishing new reserves and extending existing ones is
crucial for the animal's survival.
"I think we now understand
we've got to keep an eye on the habitats where pandas live," said Prof
Pimm.
"But it also points to the
need to try and re-connect isolated panda habitats by building what we call
biological corridors."
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