Chapter 14 The GreatApe World Heritage SpeciesProject

RichardW Wrangham,Gali Hagel.Mark Leighton. Andrew.l. Mar-shall,Paul Waldau. antl Tosl.risadaNishida

l. lntroduction

Thc nission (;fcal 01'rhc Apc Wor.ltlHcrilage Spcciesprojcct is to oflcr a nc\,vway to help aver.tthe cxtilctior.rcrisis that curn.cntlyfuces chirrrpanzees, bonobos.gor-illas. and oralgutans. ald in so doing to assistthe pltght of tllcseapcs ln captivity also. Wc belicvethiit a highcl intcrltatioral pr.olilefbr the gr.elitapes is neccs_ sary if thev (rli tre to sLtrvivein the rvilcl.Our goal is tlrercforelo 1au,,.,,a cor_ liiboration that ivill icad to dcsiguatilg the gr.satapes as Wor-ld Heritage Spccies. This desiglatiol ol World Hcr.ira-ucSpccie.s woulcl denore a tew ;ii internntiol'tally protecteclcategory ol specics.The esscDtiall.}o1ion ol World ,=:ri Heritage SpecicsstalLrs is that any specicsso nanecl woLrldbc recogtrizedto be o1'outstandiug rilivcrsal I'erlue.iLr.rcl 1o lccd spccialhclp il.they are to be colserved t,ul in thc wilcl. Outslandilg rilivcrsai valuc is thc oper.atiorralcitc_ rioD lbr lton]iuatiotlsto thc World I{critagc Conventiou. so ciesignatiolof Wolld Ileritagc tr; Speciesnright bc thr.ougha prctocol to this conveitron. l.he ,*{:: grciLlapcs \\'ould bc thc llrst sct of spcciest. be so'antccl. Others wo.kl be cxpecleclto follow. We considcr.thatthe dcsignationol great apesas Worltl Hcr.itageSpccies would advancethcir colscrvatiorrbi,'. accelcrating intcrt.tatioual co-opcration in thtee tlain ivlirs. siglifiecl by o ct.ttiot.t.tt,,rr.,irrn,.it ancl ntt,t.ltttni,ynt_ ,l clttion titeallseleliLting a$,at.clless of thl] value and plight ol.gteaLapes. parlicularly anrongpolilical lcacler.s. RcsoutLcs nreansincleasilg the rcsollfccsncccled ro hclp thc grcartapcs. espccially by tapping into thc u,orldwidc inlcr.esril grext apc *,!lfur-" o, o lesult of theif uniqLrerclatiolship rvith hunrans. flaclttutistnnteans creatiltg a ltew ittertationill ntechanismfor olg,Lnizing gfent apc co'servatio' ir tlrc wikl. gi'cn thal lo such mecl]anismcu'.ctrtlv

The Gteat Wor-ld prqcct , Her.itageSpecics (GAWHSp) was iniriatcdir Janrary 2001 with the appointnent by the Ilter.national pfinarological Societv of an Atl-hoc Conrrittee lbr thc Wor.ldl{critagc Statuslbr the Gr.eat

132 14.The GreatApe World Heitage SpeciesPrqect

was .t' (Anon, 2001). ToshisadaNishida proposed the project' and aipointed as the first chair of GAWHSP,a position that he contlnuesto t hoid.nichard Wranghamhas acted as co-chair since August 2002' international ld Heritase j Since August 2002, GAWHSP has been an independent meetingsin I initiative.with activistsunited through email and occasional JaDan.the United States,Europe, and Africa. Key participantsand supporters have been the InternationalPrimatological Society, the Chimpanzee the Mark Leighton, Collaboratory(initiated and fundedby the GlaserProgress Foundation)' SAGA' Japan ndToshisada Nishrda PrimateSociety of Japan,rhe Wild ChimpanzeeFoundation, (Supportfor African/AsianGreat Apes),the Great Ape Action Group and ihe dreat Ape World HeritageSpecies Project, Inc This chaptersummartzes its the rationalefor GAWHSB its developmentover its first two years'and prospectsfor promotinggreat ape conservation [Note that threeyears have elapsedsince ihis chapiet was acceptedfor publicationin this volume' and significantdevelopments have occurred to further efforts for collaborative the evolutionof leritageSpecies Project is to offer a iniernationalgreat ape consewation. These chiefly concern underajoint iisthat cunently faceschimpanzeeg GRASB the GreatApe SurvivalProject Partnership established We provide an in so doing to assistthe plight of UNEP and UNESCO Secretariat(www unep'org/grasp) addendumat theend of thischapter to updatereaders of relevantdevelopments I profilefor the great apesis neces- whilepreserving the historicaltime frameof this chapter'] ur goalis thereforeto launch a col- I the greatapes as World Heritage ritageSpecies would denote a new 2. The Severityof the Problem rcies.The essentialnotion of Wodd Sumatranand :sso named would be recognizedto Curently, six speciesof nonhumangreat ape are recognized: and bonobos' o needspecial help if they are to be Bornearrorangutans,eastern and westerngorillas, chimpanzees, as 1867(Daruin' ,ersalvalue is the operationalcrite- Predictionsoigreat apeextinctions began at leastas early becauseof the tageConvention, so designationof 1871).PessimiJc forecasts have subsequently been common competitionwith h a protocolto this convention.The greatapes' slow reproductive rates, need for largeareas, and crisis are elusive' esto be so named.Others would be ilr,rnu* ou", habiiat. Reliabledata on the severityof the however,because great ape population densitiesare diffrcult to measure' predictedrates of lbrest reatapes as World HeritageSpecies Estimatestherefore come from indirectdata such as the countingof leleratinginternational cooperation loss,calculations of lossesfrom hunting,and occasionaldetailed arethat without t, resources,and mechanism. nestsin a few key arcas.Frequent conclusions from suchmethods of great f thevalue and plightof greatapes. dramaticchanges to currentconservation strategy, global extinctions apespecies wil'i stafi during the presentcentury (e g', Rijksenand Meijaard' orangutan rcesneeded Lo help the greatapes, t-qSS;Nithiaa et ul., 2001 van Schaiket al',2001) The Sumatran that thereare currently only b interestin great ape welfare as a will probablygo first. Rec€ntsurvey work suggests 7,50boraltgut-arls remaining on Sumatra,and that by 2010they will becomethe lumans. first ape s!""ies to be functionallyextinct in the wild (Wich.e/ al'' 2003" fnationalmechanism for organizing suggestthat chimpanzeesin centraland I thatno suchmechanism currently Singleioner a/., 2004).Some estimates easiernAfrica arethe only greatape that is likelyto survivein the wild to 2100' 2001)' Project(CAWHSPl was initiated in and eventhen in muchdiminished numbers (Nishida el a/', reed large the International Primatological The problemis acutebecause almost all greatape populations throughout brldHeritase Status for the Great e"panse,of fruit-rich forest.These habitats are in steepdecline 284 RichardW \&ranghametal.

the tropicsas a resultboth of conversionto agricultureand of logging.The effectsof loggingon apepopulations vary with the intensityof timber extrac- tion. Light to moderateselective logging need not completelytlestroy ape habitat,and most evidencesuggests that apepopulations can be maintained at somewhatreduced densitiesin degraded habitats (e.g., Rijksen and Meijaard, 1999;Felton et a1.,2003).However, as apeshave long lifespans and slow reproductiverates, the long-termeflects of habitat degradationon individual fitness,and thereforeultimately population viability, are diflicult to assess.Nevertheless, it is reasonableto assumethat habitat degradation will lower lemale fecundity and lead to additional time-delayedbut deter- ministic population declines("extinction debt', sezsaTilman. 1994). Furthermore, many logging operations are accompaniedbv collateral damagethat endangersape populations even more graveJythan doesthe timber extraction itself. For example,unsustainable levels of hunting and elevatedtransmission rates of epidemicdiseases associated with logging operationswill likely resultin the local extinctionof severalape populations in Africa (Rose,1998; Wilkie and Carpenter,1999; peterson,2003). If the crisis itself is not surprising,it has neverthelessemerged into the consciousnessof the primatologicalcommunity with surprisingsuddenness during the 1990s.Until that timg particularpopulations such as the Virunga gorillaswere famously under threat and were the subject of majorconservation efforts.The changeduring the last decadeis that overmost of their ranges,it hasnow becomeclear that themajority (ratherthan a selectminority) of great apepopulations are rapidly losing numbers and habitat(Beck et a1.,2001). In spiteof the newlyappreciated scale of the problem,attempts to solveit havefollowed traditional paths. Thus, they havebeen directed largely Lowaro particularpopulations or areasthat happento be of interestto specificsup- portersor donors (e.g.,the Virunga gorillas,Tanjung puting orangutans,or National Parksand Reservessuch as Tai, Mahale,Korup, and others).Th€se local effortshmle had important successes.For examplg the Virunga gorilla populationhas risen in numbersteadily since the 1970sand continues to flourish despiteoccasional episodes of diseaseand poaching(Robbins et a\.,2001). More often,however, they havefailed. Even some of the best-knowngrear apepopulations have suflered heavily. Logging has advancedrapidly in the key orangutanhabitats of TanjungPuting and Gunung palung in , despitestrong protests (C. Knott, personalcommunication). There has been severepopulation loss of gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega,Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (J. Yamagiwa,personal communication).In Gombe, Tanzanta,only one community of chimpanzees(the researchand tounsm communityof Kasekela)appears viable (A. pusey,personal communication). Poachinghas begun in the longest-studiedbonobo community, at Wambain DRC (T. Kano, personalcommunication). It might be arguedthat somesuch reversalsare bound to happen,given that thereare many populations of greatapes. But the emergingpicture does not supportsuch a comlortingview _____.|

14.The Great Ape World Heritage Species proiect 2g5 to agricultureand of logging.The Instead,we must reluctantlyconclude that the currentstrategy is a failure. wrrnthe lntenstty of timberextrac_ Throughouttheir rangc in the wild, greatape populationsare plummeting neednot completelydestroy ape (Nishidael a1.,2001).Unless something drastic reverses the trend,they are rpepopulatrons can be maintained doomedto ficquentnational extinctions, which lor somesLrbspecies will aded habitats (e.g., Rijksen and likelybecome worldwide during the 21st century. vever.as apeshave long lilespans Ietfectsof habitatdegradation on ' population viability, are diflicult 3. The High Valueof Apes assumethat habitatdegradation ddrtronaltime-delayed but deter_ The fbul speciesof greatape are uniquc among animalsin their human-like rn debt" sezsaTilman, 1994). characteristics,including their emotional lives,mental abilities,and gcnetio are accompaniedby collateral make-up. This phenomenon is readily recognized by untrained people who )venmore gravelythan does the spend time with great apes in the wild or in captivity. At a scientific level, ustarnablelevels of hunting and advancesin genetics,comparative psychology, and ethology mean that with orseases wjth logging _associated every decade this close proximity of humans to great nctrono[ severalape populations the apes has become more vivid. As a rcsult, the grcat apes r. 1999;Pe1s15sn. 2993). are widely thought of as a kiDd of bridge between humans and the rest of the animal world. as neverthelessemerged into the The specialconcem that peopleleel for the greatapes is particularly promirent [nity with surprisingsuddenness among people who have had the opportunity fbr contact with individual Populationssuch as the Virunqa apes. Such contact comes about not only through thesubject of major conservatiJn sanctualries. nature tourism. and zoos but also through films, books, and magarzines.Education thatover most of their ranges,it through such means has created large numbers of people interested in sceing erthan.aselect minor.ity) of great great apcs treated in humanitarian ways. ndhabltat (Beck et al.- 20011. The great apesthus have particularly high value lor a wide range of people. theproblem, attempts to solveit But, so laq conservationists have done little to harness this widespread Lavebeen directed largely toward populiu interest. As a result, the strong empathy that exists in m;rny parts of to be of interestto specificsuo_ the world for great apeshas done little to reduce TanjungPuting orangutans, the threats to their continued or survivalin the wild. fialg Korup, and others).These ,or This meansthat in an ellort to ensuregreat ape survival, example.the Virunga gorilla there are important opportunrties to tap the energies and commitment of large numbers te1970s and conriuues to flourish of passionate,educated people ranging from zoo administrators to academics. raching(Robbins a at., 2001). acrossthe professions,to individualsinvolved in Iocalanimal n someof the best-knowngreat shcltersand the zoo-gorngpub]ic, and more. Many potential ng hasadvanced rapidly of these supportershave important in the political and economic power. rndUunung Pllung in Borneo. To harness these sourcesof support, the grcat apes need to be given both ommunlcatton).There has been a substantiallyhigher international profile and 'Biega,Democratic Republic a mechanism for taking of advantage of it. pommunication).In Gombe, (the researchand tourism personalcommunication). 4. The Benefitsof a Higher Profile for the Great Apes communlty, at Wamba in

The first major benefit of dcsiglating the great apes as World Heritage s arebound to happen. given Speciesis that it would allow the passionsof thosewho careabout the great Butthe emergiflg picture does apes to be representedforcefuliy to key political and cultural ieaders. Such leadersinclude powerful opinion-makers ir both the non-rangestates and the 286 RichardVl Wranghamer at. such ili!#'li;liii,ffij#,r#:of readersiscriticar if conseruation if a

5. The Benefitsof an InternationalTreaty ;'.';ft :',i;" rp€cres.il: because :ii"1ir is from # [:i:",f iifi ".'r*:, rhardesienarion :,,t'J"?:'m",.rri."rllri?l,tlcarions l ,:l: ,":;:: 'liJ;ff:;::*io;#.'lil'td' whvvet another treatv?A rreatv ;;iffi,ffifi#*l.';i,":ffi $H*:.",_'r.Hl"rjxi,3,f ;;'il3:'.':"H::::.,l:x',,ft1.f#iljff""ffi*:T*#ii,lib::l,l: 14.The Great Ape World Heritage Species Project 287 uch leadersis critical if conservatron: very eft'ectiveat implementingchange. A treaty so that the rangestates that be obtainedif advocatespresent theii chooseto participatecan take the lead in the conservationof their own rq untty. natural resources,in a unified cross-boundaryeffort. A treaty to createa e importanceof the greatapes has not vehiclefor the financial,technical, and scientificsupport of the rangestates (ers. by non-rangestates as neededand requested.Finally, a treatybecause that is asNew Zealand and the United Starcs, an effectivemechanism by which the rangestates that chooseto do so can I apes.The United States and the evaluatetheir internal laws and ensuretheir consistencywith a voluntary aportantfunds in supportof greatape intemationalstandard. not becomean object of widespread But we already have the Convention on International Trade in Lre 160+non-range states, and they EndangeredSpecies (CITES), and the Conventionon Biodiversity,and half 3lmportance of bringing the plight of a dozenother treaties,so why anotherone? The short answeris that none of f. the existingtreaties we haveidentified accomplish the samepurpose as this stantialefforts of conservationistson one: to createa global protection strategyspecifically for the great apes. support from political leaders.The CITES, for example,addresses cross-border trade in endangeredspecies, of illegalactivities, tacit support for and the BiodiversityConvention addresses across-the-board conseryation of resolvein planningconservation. measureslor all species. the greatapes is easily understood. We envisionthat the treaty will consistof two documents:a Declaration .h massiveproblems of war. poverty, for the Protectionof the GreatApes, and a Convention.The Declarationwill I corruptron.And alrhoughthere are set forth the philosophical,moral, and scientihcb;rsis for the Convention, rishedby traditional cultural values whichwill contain the substantiveprovisions of the treaty. le of Wamba(Kano, 1992)),there are In the Declaration,signatory countries will acknowledgethe closegenetic lreatthe apesas unimportant. These relationshipof great apesto humans;their exceptionalintelligence, social lhegreat apes are in sucha precarious interaction,and capacityfor symbolicthought and cultural sophistication; to savethe apesare hopeless. Instead, their inherentdignity and worth; and that all thesefactors together entitle the iativeon apeconservation is required greatapes to the new specialstatus of World HeritageSpecies, which in turn will entitlethem to the protectionof all signatoryrange states and indeedof aisinglegal mechanism that publicizes the entireparticipating international community. apesby manypeople throughout the In essence,parties to the treatywill commit to protectthe greatapes from exlrnctionsholds vital promisefor injury, imprisonment,destruction, and removal from their habitat (other Instrategies. The worldt leadersneed than to protectthem from further destruction).Specific measures will include ' apesa priority. a prohibition againstactivities likely to causephysical injury or deathto great apes.Each signatory range state will agreeto closelymonitor the population, health,and well-beingof the greatapes, and to createeducational programs ionalTreaty designedto increaseawareness of the valueof and threatsto the greatapes. And, the internal laws and enforcementpractices in each signatorynation on behalf of the great apescan will implementthe obligationsassumed in the treaty. great apesas World Heritase Non-rangestates, in turn, will commit among other things to providing that critical legal ramificatiois scientificsupport as well as financial assistancewhen appropriate,and to ensuringthat their own activitieswill not injure greatapes or their habitats whyyet anothertreaty? A treaty locatedin other nations. boththe sovereigntyof the rangl At this time, we are eagerfor the Declarationto be signedby 2005.The mngestates by the international Conventionwill follow, with a targetdate for signingof 2010.Though effortamong nations, completely the datemay seemremote, the processof achievinga treatymay be almostas tationallaw and the availability important as the treaty itself if it promotes sufficient awarenessof the decldeto participate, can be nroblemand therebvcontributes to initiatives. Richtrd W Wranghanrct al.

6. The Needlbr an lnternationallnstitution OverseeingGreat Ape Corrservarron p,.,rr..The increased attcnliot and I n'..u"r*or. ;;;'i; fi:;T:,j',:,'J:';1,,1:."j1,,,-J:l,,"].fi,l.ji::;:'W.'i.,,"u" tor conserving :Tl,l:::l andprotecting ttr. g,.ut ,4,,.r. l'r'litJofprobrcm with the ,nn,. cufrentsysrem is that tl,"rci.',.,o ru.tr,r.,."t.,o,rir.n. As noted above. no existinstr.elt1, 31n,. ,p*ifl.,j fy apes.Eclualiy importantjv. ,fr" gr.o, therehas been no internatiorroi"ip,_,rt".iingi,rJiui,on siblcfbr lhc great ,"rpon_ lrpcs(tut sceAcldnndul.,). ft"r" Irnu" conscrviltion not t.,".n organizarionsdedicated t., t1.,".n,.,r"*ntlo; "u"n "ny taxoD(as ;;'*,.;, uo"ii o opposedto advocarirgon bchalf ", as i,rJi"i.:r ip..i.r. ,u.tr chimpaLnzecs.or of animarsis a whole)."r "i,fr". "ii N;;;il. il,ti.i.. r.,".nnny neetius ar which governmen,,. ::l']::1"..1,]"" .;;;;ij;,;"iGOs. and sclenllstshavc met to gcitcl.atea scries oi.."gi,r,],,Ipi,rnr. i.L oton. a gtoUrl phr. {r .o lL.rcttr.r. rher.. b"., ,.;, ,,",;i; :]''l:l-':'_"'"' signilicaut":,','attenpt ro organizcan irtcrnationarcorscrv^tion ,,.";::..'iil_ .(!li crrbrtshavc,."J;J,; l;'i;,":fl,.j::jl'":':.j;ifi :,,T$":.i::":JJlil; (I: p)acecr.rhey areollen timitecli,, ,;p;:;; |1:'1,:::llt c5 gt.rrcnil principle.. o.,,r,r"i,ir.,r,.o r:lu €[) Fbr example. . .,gsJ;;',h,;basic;,;;;itcnets ;";',:,'il'':,:i',?:j::r"il]sJ,.#fHi:::;,?f;:of c ",,,Lyr\tectrol Trl of r netrork of rndr.oenclcnt,viable populations *:i Witson.ter-7: SoLLjc. tqrT; prrrnack. ifri J,rfrur nnO 1993:Ijim"l,,ir]ii""ir]ffi ,, rrr",,to *'rrity ro idenrilyrhose 1:],:1U"T-T:: ralgepopuiations of eachspecies that llil mrgursurvrvc over.the iong terrn. Rcsources slr.rfOrr" levoredto tw prorccrrngthesc populatior.rs and "rf".*iiu thchabitats tfrot , uppo,-iifr",lrl i,.,u*_,.r,, fi survivalof speciesancj thcir geographrc 4" variabilitywoujd bc bestinsured if .E: jll:":'1\_1,t,'?:",cxlinctior, fronr rvharever .,,"...'ir r;;;j;;;I,,g tnesepopulations. n.,onyor ln practice. howcver.lew if ;rnv grcat ape co'scfvation eflorts achieveclthe ;r;; have ;,";;;;;""'11 thcsc.nritjorchallengcs lwhirten cr a/..zo0'.j. ,,fi;;;. "9d'::' popLrrarionsthar!,rc so,,,",,",.,i,?illtll,tfllif .."::li:ll1,t botha l.w probability ,T:?il.Hi.XTilT,,l::;:: ard a lowglobal ,ig,rin.un... S.,t,ri,,i*i aiso becndiverted irrr,", n., into projectstliot illteginteconse.*.,, ln ways lhat neglcct tlte llttaitm ""0'0.".,.01n*, :il:gn,."loaLcs. reve: r.,b;;;;:"i;;, ",;:$:'TT,:i #:.iilil::,:l1l: 2001.).Meanw hrlc. ro're or rhr.tlmtreci nunrberot ;;;il,i:il ot *.n ,"1,..1ro captnre thc "i;bb :T":l:,11-": auenlionof conscrvatiorisrs.Asa r.csulr.we nrvc mlssedoppor-tunitics to reducc the rate of apc pop,,t"tio,t J..fir,"r. we flnd it har-d to imaginc rhar rhe grcat apes wir systematic.doption survive without the of a iarger_scalci,., t[.ot",l'p.rr1r".,ir,. i'lrn.,"i"* ,n.* pfobten,s.A major missingcomponent r.cquircdio, ,lr" .una.ruurin'n'of. gr"or 14.The Grcat Apc World HeritageSpecies ProJect 289

Institution apespecies is their managementas mcta-poplllations,without regard to nationalboundaries or affiliation with particular researchtcams or conser- )n vationorga[izations. Conservtrtion cllorts must take into aocountthe rlccdto protectscvcral laqe habitatblocks that contlrinpopulations with the greatest risedby a higher international chancesof long-lcrm viability. There is thereforethe nccd fol a fbrmally 'lemented with an appropriate recogrizedand scientificallyfcspccted inter natio[al body to makc dcctstons great e apes.We believethat a aboutthe allocationof resourcel This body would also hclp in many other t thereis no suchmechanism. ways,such as developingmonitoring systcmsof ape populations.assessing )ciflcallyat protecting the great theefficacy of variousconservation efforts, coordinating the managementof rIternational institution respon_ systemsof proteotedareas that span severalcountries. and addrcssingthe Therehave not even been any politicalprobiems of tr ans-natioralcollaboration. )onseNationof great apes 'either as a Accordingly, we view the first practioal benefit of World Heritage Species individual species,such statusas the establishmenlof an internationalinstitutior dedicalcdto the Ior,indeed, has there beenany protection of the great apes.We conceiveof somc ltrrm of "lnternational Creat ts, conservationNGOs, and Ape Commissior," which would bring goverrmerts, scientists.and NGOs Jronalplans, let alone a global together into a com[lon fbrum lor recognizing thc global colrcerl] aboLLtthe rcantattempt to organize an greatapes, and lor planning,implementing. and monitoring lrn approFridte ;reatapes. Thus, conservation conscNation strategy.A recelt collaborative eflbrt to addressthe conscrvalion a result,have not necessarily crisis rclated to thc spread of the Ebola virus through many separategorilla copeand poorly inlormed by populations il Central Wcst Africa is encoutaging ir this respect.Rcscarchers, policy-makers,and conservationprofcssionals have stepped back ftom thc con- Lologyand population ecology cens of their specificalrcas to seeka broad solution.Thc crcirlionof a tormal eclesextrnction is through the intcrnational institution would providc thc mechanisn and havethe truthority populations (MacArthur and to addresssuch crisesquickly ald efficientl1,. m andRaven, 2000). It should Sucha comnissioncould in theorydevelop out of existirg illstitLllions.For rpulationsof eachspecies that examplc,it is possiblethat it might evolvcorLt of the recentlyinstituted Grcal rouldbc especiallydevoted to Apes Survivirl Pro1ect(GRASP) of the United Nations Ervironmental hat supportthem. Long-term Programme(UNEP) and the United Natiors Educalional. Scientillc and ri|ty would be best insured if Cultural Organization(UNESCO), or thc Pfimate SpecialistGroups ol' the tse,is spreadamong many of International Union for the ConseNation o[ Naturc (IUCN). We would welcomcsucl] a developneDt.A key aim of the Great npe World Hcrjtage )e conservationefforts have SpeciesProject, thetcfbre,is to promote the cstablishmentof some such ldressthese major challenges mcchanism fbl uniting and trccclcratingcttrrent el'lorts. Eeflor t hasbeen put into ape As this chaplcr goesto press.GAWHSP is wolking with UNESCO and t theirlong-tcrm survival has UNEP to plan a "summit meeting" on the great lrpcs.We ltope that ole mce.Substantial funding has outcomeof this n.reetingwill bc such a commission. lnservatronand development nent of actual conservation et (11.,1999; Whrtten et al., 7. The ValueProblem in Conservation rf viablepopulations of each rservationists.As a result,we The GAWHSP proposal is that the grcat apes be formally recognizcd at the apepopulation declines. global levelas havingoutstanding universal valuc ibr all mar.rkind. les will survivc without the But lbr at leasttwo rcasonslhis proposalis problcmaticlor many colser- perspectivethat solvesthese vationists.F-irst, it challergesthe oonvcntionalrvisdom that all nonhuman fbr theconservation of great speciessl.rould be treatcdcqually. As Hargrovc( 1989)wrote, the predomrnant 290 RichardW Wranghamet al.

questrn envrronmentalethics has beenfor a nonanthropocentricphilosophy of conseruation.This tendsto leadto the view that all life hasequ;l inherent value(e.g., Naess, 1986). Accordingly,the priorities for conservationistsare to saveas many forms of life as possiblgwhich they do by directingresources to thosespecles that are most endangered(Hargrove, 1989; Harcourt, 2000), and to areas containing particularly high biodiversity(Myers, lggg; Mittermeier et ql., 1998;Olson and Dinerstein,2000). (Depending on how theseguidelines were nterpreted,some species of greatapes would not be givenspecial attention. For examplg thereare many speciesmore immediatelythreatened than the greatapes; and the first 24 "biodiversityhotspots,' identified by Mittermeier et al. (1998)did not includegorilla or bonobo habitat.) The GAWHSP argumentthat the great apesshould be given a special conservatlonstatus has thereforesometimes been seenas a threat to this conventionalconservationist philosophy. For example,the concernhas been expressedby some people that efforts to savemore threatenedspecies of ,such as somegibbons and monkeys,would be underminedif the greatapes become "World HeritageSpecies.', However,although endangermentand biodiversity are key criteria for settlngconservation priorities, they neednot be the only ones.In pracnce, differentspecies are valuedfor many differentreasons, including economlc, spiritual,scientific, educational, and strategic reasons, as well as theii umqueness particular (Hunter, 1996;Kellert, 1997). speciesor taxa often tend to be singledout lor specialattention, including those that aremore closely related to humans.For example,the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(l9gl_19g3) assumedthat greaterphylogenetic proximity to humansrepresented great€r value to humans (e.g., mammals outranked birds) (Norton, l9g7). The generalpublic clearlyfeels the sameway. A fbcus on the great apesbecause of the empathythat humansfeel for them, therefore,fits public sentimentand can be usedto the advantaseol other species,including the small apes(gibbons and siamang)and other primates.We suggestthat new waysof raising public awarenesswill bring new economic,political, and activistresources to the problem.Furthermorg becausethe greatapes can act as umbrellaspecies (having large home ranges that encompassmany other species),flagship species(having broad and rntenselypersonal appeal), and indicator species(being particularly sensitive to threatsto their habitats),they havestrong strategic value. In fact, thereis much overlapin conservationpriorities of greatapes versus other tropical plant and animal life. Becauseall greatapes live at relatively low populationdensities, large areas need to be protectedfor eachpopulation. Theselarge areas of habitatare the optimal umbrellafor the conservationof all habitatand speciesdiversity. As noted, we also proposethat the great apesbe merelythe first World Herilrge Species.We would expectother speciesto follow, if they would benefitfrom a globalsupport system with a newinternational mechanism for integratingtheir conservation. 14.The Great Ape World lJeritageSpccics Project 291 a nonanthropocentricphilosophy The second(and closclyrelated) difficulty that CAWHSP intfoduccsfbr newthat all lifc hasequal inherent traditional conservationistphilosophy is that it aims to unite cnvironmental ethicswith support for individual intcrestsof nonhuman species.Advocatcs ronrstsare to sltve as many lorms of the latter are in conflict with the "sustlrinablcusc" paradigmof conserva- lng resourcesto thosc species that tion. However.no great ape conservationgroup advocatcsharvest or killing Harcourt, 2000), and to areas of great apes, ard this is illcgal in every great ape raDge state. Thus. (Myen, 1988;Mittermcier er a/., GAWHSP ajms 10enlist the passionsof advocatesfor the individual interests dlngon how lhcseguideiines were of great apesin the mission of conservingthcsc speciesin the wild. But, rld not be givenspecial attention. unlike those inlcrestcdin individual welfare.conservationists tend to play immediatelythreatened than the down the importancerbfildividuals, personalilics.and emotional livesin the rtspots"idcrtified by Mittermeier speciesthat thcy try/to save.Indeed. they oftelr regard trnimal wcllarc as tn rbohabitat.) conflict with ervironmentalism.particularly bccausean interest in welfare . apes should be given a special tendsto be associatedwith an animal rights philosophymorc concernedwitl'r es been seen as a thrcat to this humal-like speoiesthan with biodivcrsity(Hargrove, 191.i9). )r example,the concern has been Thc GAWHSP philosophy,by contrast.is that biodiversityis an important savemore threatened species of criterion of value, but it is not the oDly one. For stratcgic reasons,we think it :ys,would be undermined if the unwise to advocate1br animal rights sincethe rights question involveslegal trnd philosophical issuesthat are unlikely to be viewod in similar ways worldwide. biodiversity are key criteria for Ncvcrtheless.we view the relationship betweel conservationistsand advocates ot be the only ones. In practice, of great ape wellirre as a coalition witb potcntially mlrch greater power than )nt reasons,including economic, has to date been achieved.We expect this ilcreased power to comc parlly by easons,as well as thcir uniqueness galvanizilgwidespread support liom animal-wcllaregloups. a sectorthat has )ecresor taxa oltcn tend to be to datebeen co-opted relatively little in the conservatiolmovemcnt. rosethat are more closely related lrr sum, we suggestthat the singlingout of great apesfbr specialattentron td Wildlife Service ( l98l 1983) is justified by popular interest, aDd that, rather than jeopardizing the / to numals representedgreater coDservationof other specics.it will signiflcantlyhelp other species. ed birds) (Norton, 1987). The

) empathy that humans leel lor 8. The Developmentof GAWHSP,January 2001 ar be used to the advautage of to January2003 )bonsand siamang)and other mg public awerrcnesswill bring Thc projcct's fifst task has bee:rto make the scientific casethat the great apes :s to theproblcm. Furthermore, needstrolger protection,in order to hrd out whetherintcrnational ager]cies ncies(having large home ranges would support cflorts to obtain a higher profile fbr the great apes.This phase, species(having broad and organizedby the Ad-hoc Committee for the World Hcdtagc Status fbr the ies(being particularly selsitive Great Apes. culminated at a meeting in Paris in October 2001. Various ic vaiue. UNESCO olTicers(concerned with the Convcntionon Wolld HeritageSites) priorities()1' grcat apesversus agrccd that improvcd intcrnational legislation to protect great apes is all great apeslive at relatively desirableand practicable,and ercouraged the Ad-Hoc Committeeto cxplorc protectedfor each population. ways of achieving World Heritage Speciesstatus. We were also advised not to lor lhe corrservation of seekmodifioation to the 1972Convention on World Hcritagc Sites,because, in practice, UN Convcntions are very larely modified. bemercly the first Wor.ld F-romOctober 2001 to August 2002,thc Ad-Hoc Committeeworked with to follow.if they would the Intemational Committee of the ChimpanzeeCollaboratory to begin the rnternationalmechanism lor drafting of potential legislativeiDstruments. It also approachedv ioLrs organizations,individuals. and governmentsin an attempt to gaugeinterest 292 RichardW Wranghamet al. and support for the conccpt of Wolld Heritage Speciesstatus lor the grcat tr apes.This lcd to public and privateexpressions of suppolt lor GAWHSP by c( representativesfrom Uganda, the DemoorerticRepublic of the Congo, and G lndoncsia. Key lumiraries have written letters directly in support of al GAWHSfl including .TaneGoodall ald Edward O. Wilson. br In August 2002, GAWHSP was discussed at the International PrimatologicalCongress in Beijing.The achievementsand goals of the IPS Ad-hoc Committee for World Helitage Species for the Greal Apes were al reviewed first in a two-hour workshop and subsequer.rtlyby the lnternational S Primatologigal Society (IPS) General Assembly.The Gencral Assembly voted s( to approvfhe eflort to seek World Heritage Species status for the Great c Apes. The Assemblyalso proposedthat the Ad-hoc Committee evolveinto an independent body which would continue its work by attempting to develop a Convention on World Heritagc Species,with the great apes as the A first such species.This proposal was accepted. n ( Since thcn. the IPS Ad-Hoc Committee has therefbre ofiicially trans- formed itself into the Steering Committee for GAWHSP. lt is this body that J I continuesto interact with UNESCO and other organizationsto develop 'l an International Declaration, fbllowed by a Convenlion, as proposed by the IPS Ad-Hoc Committee. For continuing news on these endeavors, see I www.4gfeatapes.con-I. s I t 9. Addendum t ( This chapterwas written in 2003.As it goesto press(May 2006),we wish to l note severalpositivc developments over the last threeyears. UNEP and I UNESCO'sGreat Ape SurvivalProject GRASP) hasundergone institutional I revisionsthat addresssome of theseissues, ald GAWHSP hasbeen a strong supporter lor GRASP's increascdeffectiveness. At GRASP's inaugural CouncilMeeting in Septerrber2005, the KirshasaDeclaration was unani- mously approvedand now has been signedby nearly all governmentand NGO partners,with others intending to do so. The Dcclaration includes much of the sentimentand commitmentswe had hopedn.right be in a decla- ration establishinggreat apes as world heritagespccics. Further, in late 2004 GRASP incorporateda ScientificCommission, and its initial objectivehas beento locus GRASP actionson thc identificationand protectionof those great ape wild populationsthat will preservethe genetic,ecological and cultural diversityo[ the grcatapes. This commitmentis explicitlystated in the KinshasaDeclaration. The WorldConservation Union's (IUCN) PrimateSpecialist Group estab- lisheda Seotiol on Great Apesin 2004that has begunaddressing a number of internationalcollaborative issues to improvegreat ape conservation. Chief among thesehave been rcgional workshops to developconservation action planslor specificgreat ape species and subspecies.Othcr taxon-specitic,but 14.The Grcat Ape World HeritageSpccies project 293

Heritage Speciesstatus lor the great transnational wolkshops have helped identify priority populations for €sslons ol supportfor GAWHSp by conservationatteDtion and fulding. We expectthe IUCNiPSG! Sectionon ocratic Repubiicof the Congo, and Great Apes and GRASP's ScientificCommission to fill mutually supportive ten letters dir.ectly in support of and complementary roles. So the crisis ill great ape conservation is now EdwardO. Wilson. benefitingfiom intemational scientificcollaboratjon and advice. discussedat the International Howcver, these positive developments have not diminisl.red the need for achrevements and goals of the IpS vastlyimproved political commitmcnt and funding, both of which would be :.Species for the Great Apes were advanc$d by pursuing a fbrmal status of great apes as World Heritage rdsubsequently by the International Species.lAswe pursue this objectivc, it is critical to tie theseclements rogerner embly.The Geleral Assemblyvoted so this stlrtusconfers tangiblc and sustainedbenellts for the protcctioDof rntageSpecies status lor the Great greatape wild populationsand individuals. theAd-hoc Committee evolve into nlrnuerts work by attemptingto :specles. wilh thegrcat ape5 as the Acknot,,ledgments.This chapter rcpresentstltc energies,ideas, and activity of pred. many individuals and organizations, including Christophe Bocsch, Debby tlee hasth(refor(. olllcjaliy trans- Cox, Sally Coxe, Doug Cress,Jim Else.Takcshi Furuichi, Michele Goldsmith. elor GAWHSPtr is rhisbody rhat , Chie Hashimoto. Holly Hazard, Jan van Hooff, Gilbcrt Id other organizationsto develop lsabirye-Basuta,Jamie Jones,Sonya Kahlenberg, Cheryl Knott, Sarah Luick. by a Convention,as proposed by Tetsuro Matsuzawar, Martin Muller, Dale Peterson. Herman pontzer. Ian urng newson theseendeavors, see Redmond, Vernon Rcynolds, Tony Rose, Norm Rosen. Anne Russon. John Scherlis,Craig Stanford, Janette Wallis, David Watts, Stever Wise, and Juichi Yamagiwa. Particular thnnks go to David BufmoD and Kayo Burmon lor their dcvelopment of Great Ape World HcritargeSpecics project, Inc.. ard to thc Glaser Ptogress Foundation tbr funding thc Chimpanzec Collaboratory. GAWHSP also appreciates the support of the Aiexnlder Abraham esto press(May 2006),we wish to Foundation, the Car Foundation. and the Sharcd Earth Foundation. TN the last three years. UNEp and thanks thc Global Environment Research Fund from thc Ministrv of the IASP)has undergone institutional Environment,.lapan. ,.andGAWHSP has beena strong lrveness.At GRASp,s inaugural KinshasaDeclaration was unani- References ed by nearlyall governmentand Anonymous (2001). The great ape declaration preventing the extitlction of the great do so. The Declaration includes apes by awarding thcm World Hcritage Statos. pdn Aftica Nclr.r 8:2 17. re hadhoped might be in a decla- Beck,8.8.. Stoinski,T.S.. Hutchins. M., Maple.T.L.. Norton. B., Rowan.A.. specres. SteveDs. Fnrthcr,in late 2004 E.F., and Arlukc. A. (eds.). (2001). Great ,1pes und llu:11mls: jhe Ethits of' and its initial objectivehas Coexi sten rc. Sn,)ithsoni.lnlnslilute, Washington, DC. ronand protectionof those Darwin, C. (1871). Tlle Des(.1t of Ma an.l Sde(tio in Relatioa to .!c_r.Jol]n MrLrray. the genetic, ecological and London. isexplicitly statetl in the Felton, A.M.. Engstrom, L.M., Felton. 4., and Knort, C.D. (2003). Oranguran population deDsity.lorest structure and ftuir availability in handJogged and unlogged peat PrimateSpecialist Group estab_ swamp lbrest in West Kalimantan. Indoncsia.BialogiL. Con.servution114..91 l0l. Harcoult, A.H. (2000). hasbegun addressing a number CoiDcidenceand mismatchof biodiversityhotspots: a global survey lbr thc ordeq primd.tes.Bi.iogical Conseryation93 163 1j5. $eat apeconseryation. Chief Hargiove -E.C-( I989). Al overviewof conservationand human values:are conserlation developconservation action goals merely cultural attitudes? [n: Western. D., and pearl. M.C. (eds), Col,renatiojl Othertaxon-specific, but ./br the Twetlly-Fi'st Cdrtrf,. Oxtbrd Uriversity Prcss.New Yo rk- pp. 227 23j . Richard W Wlangham et irl.

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DC. (1994).Habirat destruction

I). Dramaticdecline in Oryx 35:14-25. PROGRESSAND PROSPECTS Chicago,Chicago, Illinois Conservationin the of organicdiversity wirh thecontinuiry of seriesexemplify the diversityof theoretical 2Ist Century:Gorillaq curenUy employedby primatologistsand primat€ behaviorin natural habi- \ cons€rvation;functional morphology asa case Studv systematics;genetic and phenotypic

PRIMATESIN TIIE Editedby and Kate Elias OFMESOAMERICAN T.S.Stoinski BEHAVIOR, The Dian FosseyGorilla Fund International Atlanta, Georgia, USA Mary Pavelka and Zoo Atlanta BACKGROUNDS Atlanta, Georgia, USA Martin Pickford, H.D. Steklis The Dian FosseyGorille Fund International Atlanta, Georgia, USA BEHAVIORAL, and Dep artment of Anthr op o I o gy Rutgers University C,{TTAIN New Brunswitk, New Jersey,USA Koyama P.T.Mehlman EVOLUTION The Dian FosseyGorilla Fund Intemational Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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