People Resources and Conservation Foundation (PRCF)

Adult female hoolock gibbon Photo: Thomas Geissmann

Hoolock Gibbons were once found in thick evergreen, mixed evergreen, and scrub forest from eastern India and Bangladesh to Myanmar and southern China. Deforestation and hunting have now exterminated Hoolocks from many sites, and the original habitat has been greatly reduced. Until 2007, the global population of Hoolock gibbons was estimated at fewer than 5,000 individuals.

Myanmar retains a relatively large area of intact habitat with the Hoolock’s range, and holds populations of the distinct Eastern and Western Hoolock gibbon. The need to protect the largest remaining population of the species in the world has been clear, but knowledge of its status in Myanmar was minimal thus frustrating efforts at its conservation.

This need, and our interest in working with endangered species calling for conservation interventions, has led us to establish a Gibbon Conservation Program in Myanmar, which has started with a conservation status review of the species.

Hoolock Gibbon Conservation Status Review

The three-year Myanmar Hoolock Gibbon Conservation Status Review began in 2007. Its aim is to provide the information needed to identify, prioritize, and plan conservation interventions for the long-term survival of the species. The project has four objectives:

• Increase knowledge on distribution and relative abundance of Hoolock Gibbon in Myanmar
• Identify major threats to gibbon populations in Myanmar
• Raise awareness among relevant stakeholder about gibbon conservation
• Develop a model for participatory action planning for Hoolock Gibbon conservation.

By March 2010, the project had prioritized 15 broadly defined “forest blocks” throughout the known range of the species where significant populations are believed to persist. In partnership with BANCA and Fauna & Flora International (FFI), surveys were conducted in over 30 field sites in seven of these forest blocks. The completed review is due for publication in September 2010. As a direct result of this extensive survey work, PRCF, FFI, and BANCA have now identified a number of priority gibbon conservation actions.

Conservation of Western Hoolock Gibbon in Rakhine State

Preliminary results indicate that Western Hoolock persist in undisturbed protected forest in southern Rakhine State, making this the largest remaining population in the world. The site is subject to pressure from local communities for land and wood, as well as the hunting of gibbons for consumption and trade. Immediate steps, thus, are necessary to protect this gibbon population, and we also see the opportunity to involve local communities in conservation efforts.

The second phase of the program will extend surveys into gibbon sub-populations in this area.

This phase will also involve engaging managers and local communities in conservation-support activities in two protected areas, likely Natmataung National Park and Kyauk Pan Taung protected forests. By 2011, we will have established site-based community conservation groups for the protection of the species, and we will have developed an action plan for gibbon conservation at each of the sites.

Conservation of Eastern Hoolock Gibbon in Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary

The Gibbon Conservation Status Review indicated that Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary is an optimal site for the conservation of the Eastern Hoolock Gibbon. Ample rice land and fisheries at the site mean that hunting is only a minimal threat to the species at this location. In support of protecting the species habitat, we will concentrate on addressing the unsustainable removal of firewood and construction timber by establishing community woodlots, forest use zonation, and wood substitution and reduction programs in local communities.

In addition, long-term research and monitoring will assist management and greatly improve our knowledge of the species’ ecology. Moreover, to complement this initiative, we will be identifying local non-government and community-based organizations interested in and possessing the potential to further gibbon conservation objectives in Myanmar. This will add a clear level of sustainability to our interventions on this theme in the country.

Conservation status review of Hoolock gibbons

Globally, Hoolock gibbon populations are dwindling due to forest clearance, disturbance, and hunting and are now recognised as being Endangered by the World Conservation Union. Myanmar still holds significantly large and intact areas of prime habitat for Hoolock gibbon, but there are no significant data on the conservation status of the species. Not only are these gibbons of high conservation importance in their own right, but they can also act as important flagship species for conservation of biodiversity in the forests that they inhabit; they are highly charismatic and being apes are easy for people to relate to and by protecting them in their habitats a suite of other biodiversity values are also protected.

This comprehensive review of the conservation status of the species will help identify, prioritize, and plan conservation interventions to boost options for the long-term conservation of Hoolock gibbons in Myanmar. The project is being funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service with the endorsement of the US Office of Foreign Assets Control. To implement the project, PRCF is working with a local conservation NGO, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Associates (BANCA) and is training staff of the Department of Zoology of Yangon University to carry out field surveys and conduct conservation management measures.

To assess the distribution and abundance of the Hoolock gibbons, surveys are being carried out over three years in three different priority areas: Kachin and Naga Land; the Chin Hills and Rhakine (Arakan); and the forests between the Ayeyarwaddy and Salween Rivers. At the same time, the main threats to the gibbons are being identified by conducting interviews and surveys among local people to assess hunting pressure and the dependency of local communities upon the forest habitats of the gibbons.

These activities are mainly being conducted by staff of Yangoon University and the Forestry Department who are receiving training on the appropriate biological and socio-economic survey methodologies to be used. In this way skills related to conservation management and particularly working with local communities are being strengthened among national institutions. Conservation awareness raising is also planned to be carried out both locally and nationally. At the local level awareness raising will be targeted at forestry staff and communities living close to gibbon habitats.

Reports

Hoolock gibbon and biodiversity survey and training in southern Rakhine Yoma, Myanmar: Preliminary report
November 2008
English (1.8 MB)