The San Diego Zoo is preparing for the potential return of giant pandas after an agreement was signed with a wildlife association in China.

“We are humbled by the potential opportunity of continuing our collaborative conservation efforts to secure the future for giant pandas,” Dr. Megan Owen said in a news release Thursday from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The collaboration between SDZWA and Chinese research partners plays a role in efforts to bring the giant panda back from the brink of extinction, contributing directly to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List downgrading the giant panda from endangered to vulnerable in 2021, the news release stated.

“Our partnership over the decades has served as a powerful example of how—when we work together—we can achieve what was once thought to be impossible,” Owen said.

SDZWA also filed a permit application with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and shared conservation plans to “ensure alignment for the greater benefit of giant pandas,” Owen said.

Zoo officials say that if all permits and other requirements are approved, they could receive male and female pandas as early as the end of summer.