The population of giant pandas living in the wild in southwest China's Sichuan Province has risen by 33 percent in the last three decades to 1,206, the local government said.

"Altogether 1,206 giant pandas are living in the mountains of Sichuan, making up at least 76 percent of China's total," the provincial forestry department said in a press release on August 2.

The endangered bears are found in 10 city and prefecture areas, it said. Another 246 pandas are living in captivity at the giant panda protection and research center in Wolong and the Chengdu research base, the world's two largest centers for artificial breeding of the bears.

Sichuan has 41 nature reserves for giant pandas covering 2.34 million hectares in total.