Wild pandas increase in China

The number of wild giant pandas in southwest China's Sichuan has risen in the past decade, taking their total numbers to 1,387 -- an increase of 15 per cent, official figures said today.
There are 1,387 wild pandas in Sichuan, up 15 per cent compared to ten years ago. They account for 74.4 per cent of the country's total wild panda population, figures released by the provincial forestry department said.
The pandas are scattered across 37 counties, over an area of more than two million hectares, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The number of captive pandas in Sichuan stands at 364, accounting for 86.3 per cent of all captive pandas nationwide.

By the end of 2015, the province had set up 46 nature reserves for giant pandas.
More reserves and parks for giant pandas will be set up in the next five years, Luo Jianguo, chief engineer with the department said.