大熊貓被移出瀕危名單 東部大猩猩成“極危”
The giant panda is no longer an endangered species, following decades of work by conservationists to save it.
經過動物保護工作者幾十年的努力，大熊貓不再是瀕危物種了。
The official status of the much-loved animal has been changed from "endangered" to "vulnerable" because of a population rebound in China.
備受喜愛的大熊貓已正式從“瀕危物種”變爲“易危物種”了，因爲在中國大熊貓的數量有所回升。
The change was announced as part of an update to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
國際自然保護聯盟更新的紅名單宣佈了此項變化。
But the update also brought bad news. The eastern gorilla, the world's largest primate, is now endangered.
但是此次更新也帶來了壞消息。世界上最大的靈長類動物，東部低地大猩猩（eastern gorilla）現在瀕臨滅絕。
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.
大熊貓在中國享有“國寶”之稱，而中國做出的努力成功使大熊貓的數量從瀕危邊緣回升了。最新的數據顯示現在成年大熊貓數量已經達到1864只。
There are no exact figures for the numbers of cubs, but estimates bring the total number of giant pandas to 2,060.
關於大熊貓幼崽數量並沒有明確的數字，但是據估計大熊貓總數達到了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.
國際自然保護聯盟更新後的報告稱：“一系列全國範圍內的廣泛調查顯示，之前數量減少的現象已經被遏制住，現在數量正在上升。”
"The improved status confirms that the Chinese government's efforts to conserve this species are effective," it added.
報告另外補充道：“更新後的狀態肯定了中國政府爲保護大熊貓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.
但是國際自然保護聯盟提醒：數量的回升可能是短期的。在接下來的80年中，氣候的變化預計會摧毀超過三分之一的竹林。
"And thus panda population is projected to decline, reversing the gains made during the last two decades," the report said.
報告稱：“因此，大熊貓的數量預計會回落，過去二十年取得的進展又將被逆轉。”
It added: "To protect this iconic species, it is critical that the effective forest protection measures are continued and that emerging threats are addressed."
“要保護這種標誌性的物種，重要的是要繼續採取有效的森林保護措施並且處理好不斷出現的威脅。”
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.
約翰·羅賓遜是一名靈長類動物學家，也是國際野生生物保護學會的主任。他告訴法新社：“到了緊要關頭，中國人在保護熊貓方面做得確實很棒。”
"So few species are actually downlisted, it really is a reflection of the success of conservation," he told the AFP news agency."
“很少有物種被移出這個名單，這確實反映了保護工作的成功。”
A surge of illegal hunting has taken the eastern gorilla in the other direction, reducing its numbers to just 5,000 across the globe.
對東部低地大猩猩的大量非法捕獵使這個物種的數量往另一個方向發展了，現在全球僅存5000只東部低地大猩猩。
Four out of six of the Earth's great apes are now critically endangered - the eastern gorilla, western gorilla, Bornean orangutan and Sumatran orangutan.
現在地球上僅存的六種類人猿中有四種處於高度瀕危狀態，分別是東部低地大猩猩、西部大猩猩（western gorilla）、婆羅洲猩猩（Bornean orangutan）和蘇門答臘猩猩（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.
國際自然保護聯盟主任英格·安德森告訴記者說：“今天是個悲傷的日子，因爲國際自然保護聯盟紅名單顯示，我們正在毀滅與我們親緣關係最近的動物。”
The number of eastern gorillas has declined more than 70% in the past two decades.
東部大猩猩的數量在過去二十年裏減少了超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.
國際自然保護聯盟紅名單中包括了82954種不同物種的動植物。其中將近三分之一，也就是23928個物種瀕於滅絕。
Vocabulary
when push comes to shove: 到了緊要關頭
******************
新華社電 國家林業局有關負責人5日表示，大熊貓仍是瀕危物種，將大熊貓保護等級降低還爲時過早。
這位負責人表示，大熊貓是瀕危物種主要有四方面原因：
一是棲息地破碎化仍是威脅其生存的主要因素，部分局域種羣仍面臨生存風險。大熊貓僅分佈於川、陝、甘三省的狹窄地區，由於自然隔離和人爲干擾等因素影響，大熊貓野外種羣被分割成33個局域種羣。個體數量小於30只、具有滅絕風險的種羣有22個，個體數量小於10只、具有高度滅絕風險的局域種羣有18個。
二是種羣交流狀況有待改善。受棲息地破碎化影響，大熊貓局域種羣基因交流受阻。加之地域和管理體制的影響，各大熊貓圈養單位圈養個體間的基因交流不足。需進一步加強大熊貓基因交流，以保持整個種羣的遺傳多樣性，維持種羣生存活力。
三是受氣候變化的影響，未來大熊貓賴以生存的竹林中有三分之一可能會消失，將對大熊貓的生存產生不可估量的影響。
四是部分大熊貓分佈區存在保護經費投入不足、一線工作人員專業技能普遍偏低等情況，嚴重影響了大熊貓保護成效，保護管理能力亟待提高。
這位負責人說，從目前來看，大熊貓所受的威脅以及瀕危狀況仍然不可忽視。如果降低其保護等級，保護工作出現怠慢和鬆懈，大熊貓種羣和棲息地都將遭到不可逆的損失和破壞，已取得的保護成果會很快喪失，特別是部分局域小種羣隨時可能滅絕。
