It would be unwise to assume that in less than 10 years under the new habitat improvement policies in China that panda populations could have dramatically increased. “Even though some people have claimed that panda populations are on the rise, we still consider them Endangered because too much uncertainty exists to justify changing their status to Vulnerable. However, these estimates are imprecise and prone to significant error. That status remains unchanged despite enormous efforts in China directed towards its conservation, including the establishment of nearly 60 panda reserves, a ban on logging, and widespread reforestation programmes.ĭave Garshelis, co-chair of the IUCN Bear Specialist Group, said: “Quite a bit is now known about the ecology of giant pandas and substantial work and expense has been aimed at trying to estimate total numbers of these animals. The only bear presently considered Endangered is the giant panda.
We are working with governments, protected area managers, conservation groups and local people to prevent extinctions of the many small, isolated sun bear populations that remain in many parts of Southeast Asia. Where habitat is now protected, commercial poaching remains a significant threat. “Deforestation has reduced both the area and quality of their habitat. We estimate that sun bears have declined by at least 30% over the past 30 years (three bear generations), and continue to decline at this rate. Rob Steinmetz, co-chair of the IUCN Bear Specialist Group’s sun bear expert team, said: “Although we still have lot to learn about the biology and ecology of this species, we are quite certain that it is in trouble.
The sun bear lives in mainland Southeast Asia, Sumatra and Borneo and was previously listed as Data Deficient, meaning that not enough was known about the species to give it a status on the IUCN Red List. The sun bear’s new status has been accepted for inclusion in the 2007 IUCN Red List. The world’s smallest species of bear, the sun bear ( Helarctos malayanus), has been classed as Vulnerable, while the giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca) remains in the Endangered category on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.