国宝不再“濒危”，东部大猩猩开始“极危”

The giant panda is no longer an endangered species, following decades of work by conservationists to save it.

经过动物保护工作者几十年的努力，大熊猫不再是濒危物种了。

The official status of the much-loved animal has been changed from "endangered" to "vulnerable" because of a population rebound in China.

备受喜爱的大熊猫已正式从“濒危物种”变为“易危物种”了，因为在中国大熊猫的数量有所回升。

The change was announced as part of an update to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

国际自然保护联盟更新的红名单宣布了此项变化。

But the update also brought bad news. The eastern gorilla, the world's largest primate, is now endangered.

但是此次更新也带来了坏消息。世界上最大的灵长类动物，东部低地大猩猩(eastern gorilla)现在濒临灭绝。

Efforts by China, which claims the giant panda as its national animal, have brought its numbers back from the brink. The latest estimates show a population of 1,864 adults.

大熊猫在中国享有“国宝”之称，而中国做出的努力成功使大熊猫的数量从濒危边缘回升了。最新的数据显示现在成年大熊猫数量已经达到1864只。

There are no exact figures for the numbers of cubs, but estimates bring the total number of giant pandas to 2,060.

关于大熊猫幼崽数量并没有明确的数字，但是据估计大熊猫总数达到了2060只。

"Evidence from a series of range-wide national surveys indicate that the previous population decline has been arrested, and the population has started to increase," said the IUCN's updated report.

国际自然保护联盟更新后的报告称：“一系列全国范围内的广泛调查显示，之前数量减少的现象已经被遏制住，现在数量正在上升。”

"The improved status confirms that the Chinese government's efforts to conserve this species are effective," it added.

报告另外补充道：“更新后的状态肯定了中国政府为保护大熊猫而做出的努力是有效的。”

But the rebound could be short-lived, the IUCN warned. Climate change is predicted to wipe out more than one-third of the panda's bamboo habitat in the next 80 years.

但是国际自然保护联盟提醒：数量的回升可能是短期的。在接下来的80年中，气候的变化预计会摧毁超过三分之一的竹林。

"And thus panda population is projected to decline, reversing the gains made during the last two decades," the report said.

报告称：“因此，大熊猫的数量预计会回落，过去二十年取得的进展又将被逆转。”

It added: "To protect this iconic species, it is critical that the effective forest protection measures are continued and that emerging threats are addressed."

“要保护这种标志性的物种，重要的是要继续采取有效的森林保护措施并且处理好不断出现的威胁。”

John Robinson, a primatologist and chief conservation officer at the Wildlife Conservation Society, told the AFP news agency: "When push comes to shove, the Chinese have done a really good job with pandas.

约翰·罗宾逊是一名灵长类动物学家，也是国际野生生物保护学会的主任。他告诉法新社：“到了紧要关头，中国人在保护熊猫方面做得确实很棒。”

"So few species are actually downlisted, it really is a reflection of the success of conservation," he told the AFP news agency."

“很少有物种被移出这个名单，这确实反映了保护工作的成功。”

A surge of illegal hunting has taken the eastern gorilla in the other direction, reducing its numbers to just 5,000 across the globe.

对东部低地大猩猩的大量非法捕猎使这个物种的数量往另一个方向发展了，现在全球仅存5000只东部低地大猩猩。

Four out of six of the Earth's great apes are now critically endangered - the eastern gorilla, western gorilla, Bornean orangutan and Sumatran orangutan.

现在地球上仅存的六种类人猿中有四种处于高度濒危状态，分别是东部低地大猩猩、西部大猩猩(western gorilla)、婆罗洲猩猩(Bornean orangutan)和苏门答腊猩猩(Sumatran orangutan)。

"Today is a sad day because the IUCN Red List shows we are wiping out some of our closest relatives," Inger Andersen, IUCN director general, told reporters.

国际自然保护联盟主任英格·安德森告诉记者说：“今天是个悲伤的日子，因为国际自然保护联盟红名单显示，我们正在毁灭与我们亲缘关系最近的动物。”

The number of eastern gorillas has declined more than 70% in the past two decades.

东部大猩猩的数量在过去二十年里减少了超70%。

The IUCN Red List includes 82,954 species, both plants and animals. Almost one third, 23,928, are listed as being threatened with extinction.

国际自然保护联盟红名单中包括了82954种不同物种的动植物。其中将近三分之一，也就是23928个物种濒于灭绝。

Vocabulary

when push comes to shove: 到了紧要关头