Conservation Works! IUCN Says Giant Panda is No Longer Endangered

The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) has been endangered so long, its endangerment could have graduated college, bummed around "finding itself" for awhile, and gotten a job by now. It is 26 years old. Prior to being listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List in 1990, it was listed as Rare.

In other words, most of us can't remember a time the Giant Panda was not a conservation symbol.

On September 4, thanks to a steadily increasing population, the iconic black-and-white bear was reduced from Endangered to Vulnerable. This is a huge victory for conservationists and animal-lovers everywhere, and proves that there is still hope. Reforestation and habitat protection work.

Protecting this species, and millions more around the world, means we have to take a hard stance against climate change. Toyota is doing that by adding more efficient hybrid models to its lineup and using sustainable manufacturing practices that have earned it the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for 12 consecutive years.

Toyota is also working with The IUCN to directly address biodiversity and has provided The IUCN with a generous grant to help fund additional assessments to cover 28,000 species. Toyota and The IUCN have also recently announced a 5-year partnership that will address the extinction risk of many animals around the world. This support comes as part of the Toyota brand’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its part in the automotive industry, and will amount to approximately $1.2 million in grants this year alone.

If you are eager to upgrade your transportation to a more environmentally-friendly model, be sure to check out our bold new Toyota cars for sale in Joplin, MO! We carry the RAV4 Hybrid and Camry Hybrid in our new car inventory, and the Frank Fletcher Toyota sales professionals are eager to put you in the driver’s seat of your new Toyota today!