At the moment, red pandas are distributed across the Eastern Himalayas in places like China, Nepal, Bhutan, and more where they spend their lives in forest trees. Their population has been reduced to about 10,000. Over the past three generations, (about 18 years), they’ve declined by 50% which is projected to continue, and probably get worse.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the (IUCN), is “the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.” According to the IUCN, the red panda species is currently listed as an endangered species with a decreasing population trend. The IUCN has prioritized four major categories of action for conserving red pandas. Protect against habitat loss, reduce habitat degradation, reduce deaths of red pandas by humans, and improve awareness.

Like numerous other species in the world, the red panda is endangered because of human interference with nature. The specific primary threats are habitat loss and degradation by deforestation, and human poaching. With global warming also on the rise, red pandas are going to have major issues if a strong, global change isn't made.

I strongly believe there are many things that can be done in our daily lives to help the red pandas. Although the individual impact is small, a greater deal of change can be seen if more of us come together to participate in these practices. Raising awareness amongst communities and families can get more people on board. In order to save forest resources, we can use day-to-day objects that don’t encourage deforestation to obtain the materials. For climate change, we can definitely reduce our carbon emissions by doing simple things such as turning off lights when not in use, carpooling, and recycling. Positive differences can be seen by zoos who partner with organizations like the Red Panda Network (RPN), which is committed to the conservation of red pandas and their habitat through the education and empowerment of local communities. The Seneca Park Zoo, for example, supports the world’s first protected area dedicated to red pandas through the creation of the Panchthar-ilam-Taplejung (PIT) National Forest. The PIT Red Panda Protected Forest has the densest population of red pandas in Nepal. Once completed, the PIT forest will create 4500 acres of uninterrupted forest for red pandas, and other wildlife. This place contains about 25% of Nepal’s red panda population.