Giant pandas are no longer endangered, thanks to conservation efforts, China says

[superadmin]

(CNN)Giant pandas are no longer endangered, Chinese officials have said, after decades of work to save the creatures helped drive their population in the wild up to 1,800.

The species will be re-classified as vulnerable, Cui Shuhong, director of the Department of Natural Ecological Protection of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

China has spent half a century attempting to boost the population of its famous animals, creating sprawling panda reserves across several mountain ranges in an effort to save them from extinction.

They were taken off the endangered list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2016, but that decision was not initially mirrored by Chinese officials.

"China has established a relatively complete nature reserves system," Cui said on Wednesday as he announced the move. "Large areas of natural ecosystems have been systematically and completely protected, and wildlife habitats have been effectively improved."


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