We'll start with the bad news: In the last 20 years, the red panda population has declined by 50%! It is estimated that fewer than 10,000 remain in the wild, and their population might be low as 2,500.

Extreme poverty and human population growth are driving locals to heavily depend on the forest?s finite resources for their survival. The resulting deforestation and habitat degradation ? compounded by rising red panda poaching and illegal trade, is putting this endangered species at risk for extinction.  

We can't afford to lose red pandas. They are unique, important and the only living member of their taxonomic family. Their extinction would be ?like losing the whole cat family, from lions to domestic cats.? (says red panda expert and RPN board member, Dr. Glatston). 

And believe it or not, the red panda is the first panda! 

Red pandas are an indicator of ecological health of the Eastern Himalayan forests: one of our planet's biodiversity hotspots. Red pandas are also a flagship species. Their conservation has landscape-level impacts, and like an umbrella, the entire ecoregion; its forests and wildlife are protected ? livelihoods of local people are improved ? when red pandas are conserved. 

Now, the good news: Red Panda Network (RPN) is making a difference. Since 2007, RPN has been at the forefront of protecting red panda, its forest habitats, and working with local communities to create sustainable solutions.

We are establishing the world?s first protected area for these animals, the PIT Red Panda Protected Forest in Eastern Nepal. Here we have developed a community-based model; it prioritizes the economic needs of local families and supports them in achieving sustainable lives. Our Forest Guardian, organic farming, sustainable herding, ecotourism, and micro-enterprise initiatives ? along with our new Center for Conservation and Sustainable Living ? are reducing poverty while increasing harmony between people and the forests they depend on.

It's going to take a global effort to save the red panda. But together, we can do this!