The global captive population of giant pandas now stands at 757, said Guan Zhi'ou, head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, at the ongoing Global Panda Partners 2024 conference in Chengdu on Tuesday.

Guan said that China has established 67 giant panda nature reserves and a Giant Panda National Park, covering a combined area of 2.58 million hectares and connecting the habitats of 85 percent of the country's wild panda population.

Currently, the population of giant pandas in the wild in China is around 1,900.

According to Guan, China has engaged in giant panda conservation research cooperation with 26 institutions in 20 countries, as a result of which 71 cubs have been born.

In the future, China will boost the development of the Giant Panda National Park, build a world-class giant panda research cooperation platform, and carry out extensive cooperation and exchanges on giant pandas, Guan said.

(Cover: A giant panda in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, southwest China, November 8, 2024. /CFP)