Endangered species : Giant Panda

Common Name : Giant panda

Scientific Name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Location
Southwest China (Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan Provinces) to the east of the Tibetan plateau.

Population : Less than 2,500 mature in the wild


Why Giant Panda is endangered ?

Continuous uncertainty have clouded the future of Giant Panda. With China's economy are rapidly growing, this bamboo-eating member of the bear family faces a number of threats. The first being its forest habitat, in the mountainous areas of southwest China which are increasingly being taken over by roads and railroads. Giant Panda's habitat loss continues to occur outside of protected areas. The second threat which is poaching remains a continuous threat. In 1984, the giant panda was transferred from Appendix III to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) . Trade in the species or its products are subject to strict regulation by the ratifying parties, and trade for primarily commercial purposes is banned.

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Sources :
i. http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/giant_panda/
ii. www.pandasinternational.org/