Gibbons revive in last remaining Vietnam stronghold
by Tim Knight, Fauna & Flora International Credit: Dr Fan Pengfei/Dali University/FFI
A crucial population of one of the rarest primates on the planet is holding its own in the face of multiple threats, according to the latest surveys conducted in northern Vietnam.
Survey teams recorded at least 20 groups of western black crested gibbon—totaling an estimated 64-79 individuals—in its only known Vietnamese haven, providing further confirmation that the population has stabilized in the 18 years since Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and our partners first intervened to reverse its steep decline.
The fact that the population appears to be stable may not sound like big news, but in the context of the severe and ongoing threats to the survival of this—and other—primate species in Vietnam, it constitutes a major victory. In a world where one million species are reported to be close to the brink as a result of human pressures, every example that bucks the trend is a cause for celebration.
All 18 of the world’s gibbon species are threatened with extinction, due primarily to hunting and habitat loss. Many of the forest landscapes where FFI works in Vietnam support important populations of these small apes. In fact, the country harbors all but one of the seven species known collectively as crested gibbons.
Continue reading “Gibbons hold on.. All 18 species near extinction, 135 Cao-Vit left”
