Gibbon Journal Nr. 6 – 2011 5
Hoolock gibbon status and conservation: Editorial
Stephen Browne1, Frank Momberg1 and Thomas Geissmann2
1 Fauna & Flora International, 4th Floor, Jupiter House, Station Road, Cambridge, CB1 2JD, U.K. E-mail: [email protected]
2 Anthropological Institute, University Zürich-Irchel, Zürich, Switzerland. E-mail: [email protected]
The hoolock gibbons (genus Hoolock) are one of form is considered less threatened mainly because of four known genera of gibbons or small apes. Their the larger habitat areas that are believed to support natural range extends from east of the Brahmaputra this species in Myanmar. Whereas the status of the River to west of the Salween River, and includes hoolock gibbons in Bangladesh, NE-India, and China forested areas from eastern India, Bangladesh, has been assessed repeatedly (see articles in this is- Myanmar, and southern China. sue), very little is known about the status of gibbons Currently, two species of hoolock gibbons are in Myanmar, where the main distribution areas and recognized; the western hoolock (H. hoolock) and the probably the main populations of both hoolock spe- eastern hoolock (H. leuconedys) (Geissmann, 2007). cies are located. Their respective ranges are separated by the Chind- Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has been win River (Groves, 1967, 1972). However, the working with partners to improve the conservation boundary between the two species is uncertain in the status of hoolock and recognizes the need for a con- Chindwin headwaters in northern Myanmar and pos- certed effort by all of those working on the species, if sibly includes a zone of intermediates or variable its extinction is to be avoided. In view of this FFI or- population (e.g. Groves, 1967; Ngwe Lwin et al., ganized a symposium and workshop on hoolock 2011, this issue). Furthermore, it has been suggested gibbons (genus Hoolock) during the 23rd Congress of that an undescribed new taxon of hoolock gibbons the International Primatological Society (IPS) in may occur in the northeastern part of India’s Kyoto, Japan in September 2010 (Fig. 1). Arunachal Pradesh State (Das and Biswas, 2009). The goal was to improve the understanding of Main threats to hoolock gibbons include habitat the conservation status of hoolock gibbons through- loss and fragmentation, and hunting for food and tra- out mainland Asia, by bringing together all of those ditional “medicine” (Geissmann, 2007). working on the species across its range. The specific According to the IUCN Red List assessment, the objective was to better inform conservation practitio- western hoolock is Endangered, whereas the eastern ners working to protect and improve the status of the hoolock is Vulnerable (IUCN, 2010). The western hoolock gibbon.
Fig. 1. Participants of the hoolock gibbon workshop in Kyoto, Japan, 16 Sep 2010. Standing, from left to right: Sun Guozheng, Paul Insua-Cao, Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury, Frank Momberg, Dilip Chetry, M. Anwarul Islam, Stephen Browne, M. Kamrul Hasan, and Thomas Geissmann. Front row: Fan Peng-Fei, Ngwe Lwin, Long Yong- cheng, and Yan Lu.
©2011 Gibbon Conservation Alliance, Switzerland, www.gibbonconservation.org 6 Gibbon Journal Nr. 6 – 2011
The specific objectives were: and Helga Rainer for their help in securing the Objective 1: Provide an opportunity for re- funding. searchers working on hoolock gibbons to share knowledge to inform and improve conservation of the References genus. Objective 2: Increase our knowledge of the Das, J., and Biswas, J. (2009). Review of western hoolock gibbon by organizing a workshop to under- hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) and eastern take a status review and produce a conservation hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) diversity action plan so that effort and resources are appropri- with a presence of another new distinct variety of ately targeted. gibbon in Arunachal Pradesh, India. American Journal of Primatology 71 (Suppl.): 72 (Abstract To achieve these objectives we brought together only). over 40 people with an interest in hoolock gibbon conservation specifically, and more generally those Geissmann T. 2002. Taxonomy and evolution of working on other gibbon species. A series of presen- gibbons. In: Soligo C, Anzenberger G, Martin tations from each range country was given to provide RD, editors. Anthropology and primatology into an update on the species’ status, plus presentations on the third millennium: the Centenary Congress of ongoing conservation activities. the Zürich Anthropological Institute (Evolution- ary Anthropology Vol. 11, Supplement 1). Wiley, The present issue of the Gibbon Journal contains New York, pp. 28-31. papers resulting from the presentations given at the Hoolock Symposium. The papers resulting from a Groves, C. P. (1967). Geographic variation in the similar event, focussing on crested gibbons will be hoolock or white-browed gibbon (Hylobates collected in the following issue of the Gibbon Jour- hoolock Harlan 1834). Folia Primatologica 7: nal. 276-283. Groves, C. P. (1972). Systematics and phylogeny of gibbons. In Rumbaugh, D. M. (ed.), Gibbon and Acknowledgements siamang, vol. 1, Karger, Basel and New York, pp. We thank all those who participated in the sym- 1-89. posium and workshop sessions at the IPS, particularly IUCN (2010). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. those who gave presentations and produced papers Version 2010.4.