WWF first worked in China, more than 30 years ago, to prevent the threatened extinction of the giant panda
It became WWF’s charismatic symbol, recognized as a conservation icon worldwide. The forecast for the giant panda was gloomy - many isolated populations, each dwindling as habitat shrank, and the population totalled 1,000. Dozens of isolated panda populations in the main panda habitats are now reconnected and the most recent survey counted 1600 pandas. To date 62 nature reserves cover 81 percent of the panda population and 60 percent of current and potential habitat. By 2015, a total of 3 million ha of forest – an area the size of Belgium – will be protected for the panda with huge benefit for species sharing this habitat, and for local communities reliant on forest resources.
Read our WWF story
Read our WWF story