The status of wild giant pandas in China has been downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable" amid the country's active efforts on biodiversity protection and ecological restoration, an official said Wednesday.
Rare and endangered species such as the wild giant panda, Tibetan antelope and milu deer are living in better environments. The giant panda has been removed from the list of endangered animals, with 1,800 of them now living in the wildness, he said.
By the end of 2019, China had 11,800 nature reserves, accounting for 18 percent of the country's land area and meeting the Aichi Biodiversity Targets goal of protecting 17 percent of terrestrial areas ahead of schedule, he said, adding that the country also set up botanical gardens and wildlife breeding bases and successfully bred a large number of rare and endangered species.
