Despite signs that numbers of giant pandas are rising, suitable habitat has shrunk, according to satellite data.

　　尽管有迹象表明，大熊猫数量正在增加，但是据卫星数据，合适的栖息地却在减少。

　　The forests where the panda lives are in worse shape than in 1988, when it was first listed as endangered, scientists say.

　　科学家称，熊猫居住的森林比它1988年第一次被列为濒危物种时的形状更差。

　　Last year, the giant panda was downgraded from endangered to vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

　　去年，大熊猫从世界自然保护红色名录上从濒危物种降级为脆弱群体。

　　Habitat loss is the most serious threat to the animal, which is seen as an icon of global extinction efforts.

　　栖息地减少是大熊猫最严重的威胁，大熊猫被视为全球濒危物种救援努力的标志。

　　"What’s new in this study is our ability to assess the status of the giant panda by using satellite imagery and then use that information to come up with recommendations of how better to manage this iconic threatened species," said Prof Stuart Pimm, of Duke University, North Carolina, US, who is a researcher on the study.

　　美国北卡莱罗纳州杜克大学斯图尔特皮姆是这项研究的研究员，他说：“这项研究的新进展是我们通过使用卫星成像来评估大熊猫状况的能力，然后使用这些信息来提出如何更好地管理这个标志性受威胁物种的建议。”

　　The news last year that the giant panda had been taken off the endangered list made headlines around the world.

　　去年大熊猫被从濒危物种名录上撤销的新闻成为世界各地的头条。

　　The decision was made because numbers of wild pandas had risen in surveys.

　　这一决定是因为研究表明野生大熊猫数量增加而做出的。

　　However, with only around 1,800 left in the wild, establishing new reserves and extending existing ones is crucial for the animal’s survival.

　　然而，只有约1800只大熊猫被留在野外，为了大熊猫的生存，建设新的保留地并且拓展现有的很重要。

　　"I think we now understand we’ve got to keep an eye on the habitats where pandas live," said Prof Pimm.

　　斯图尔特皮姆说：“我觉得，我们现在明白了我们需要盯紧大熊猫生活的栖息地。”

　　"But it also points to the need to try and re-connect isolated panda habitats by building what we call biological corridors."

　　“但是研究也指出，需要通过建立我们所谓的生物走廊来尝试重新连接隔离的熊猫栖息地。”