A step in the right direction, but a stronger sense of environmental governance is needed
On Sept. 4, 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), an organization that works toward the conservation of nature and the sustainable use of natural resources, released a report detailing the latest update to their comprehensive list of threatened plant and animal species. Among the latest developments on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, the change that made headlines was the downgrade of extinction risk of the giant panda from endangered to vulnerable.
Thanks to unflagging preservation efforts of flagship organizations like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in cooperation with the Chinese government, the population of the iconic bicoloured bear native to South-central China saw a 17 per cent rise over the past decade.
In a statement released on the official WWF website, director general Marco Lambertini expressed his enthusiasm over the IUCN’s updated report: “For over 50 years, the giant panda has been the globe’s most beloved conservation icon as well as the symbol of WWF. Knowing that the panda is now a step further from extinction is an exciting moment for everyone committed to conserving the world’s wildlife and their habitats.”
Lambertini also included that, “The recovery of the panda shows that when science, political will, and engagement of local communities come together, we can save wildlife and also improve biodiversity.”
“Evidence from a series of range-wide national surveys indicate that the previous population decline has been arrested, and [that] the population has started to increase,” the IUCN’s report concerning the updated Red List of Threatened Species explained. The IUCN noted that it is through the rebound in the panda population that the dedicated efforts made by the Chinese government to protect the once endangered species and safeguard it’s natural habitat can be viewed as being highly effectual.
However, the IUCN also disclosed that although the giant panda’s comeback is a current symbol of success for wildlife conservationists, environmental activists estimate that the projected change of climate over the next 80 years could potentially unravel the valiant preservation efforts of the Chinese government and its affiliated wildlife preservation organizations.
According to the IUCN report, the predicted climate change could result in over 35 per cent of the panda’s natural bamboo forest habitat to be eliminated. If this occurs, it should follow that the growth in the panda population made over the past 20 years, alongside many of the endangered species (such as snow leopards, takins, and Siberian musk deer) cohabiting China’s forest ecosystems would be lost. In addition, since this estimated change in climate is obviously not limited to the Asian continent alone, but the rest of the planet as well, the current level of biodiversity in countries around the world would be put further at risk.
The IUCN’s recently updated Red List is now comprised of 82,954 endangered species, with 23,928 species threatened with extinction. Other than the panda population progress, it featured an elevation of threat level for several species which were generally left out of the social media spotlight. Among these, four endemic Hawaiian plant species have been assessed as extinct in the wild, and four out of six great apes are critically endangered. These species are of great importance as well, and it does not seem entirely fair that only one out of thousands plant and animal species receives all of the media attention. This is understandable, seeing as how the giant panda is the face of one of the most well known wildlife conservation organizations, but there is more to environmental stewardship than sharing a video on your Facebook timeline.
The world should look at the newly improved status of the giant panda as not only a symbol of success in wildlife conservation efforts, but as further reasoning to protect Earth’s various ecological habitats and natural resources. The negative impact that human activities have had on the planet’s environment is painfully obvious to anyone who bothers to pay attention.
At this point in time, an increased sense of global environmental stewardship is vital. Only through the persistent advocacy of sustainable human development can we ensure the continued longevity of natural resources and the survival of species’ around the world, regardless of whether they are currently at risk or non-vulnerable.
Photo by Gabriele Gherardi (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).