200 Until recently, quantifying rates of tropical forest destruction was challenging and laborious. © Jabruson 2017 (www.jabruson.photoshelter.com) forest quantifying rates of tropical Until recently, Photo: State of the Apes Infrastructure Development and Ape Conservation 201 CHAPTER 7 Mapping Change in Ape Habitats: Forest Status, Loss, Protection and Future Risk Introduction This chapter examines the status of forested habitats used by apes, charismatic species that are almost exclusively forest-dependent. With one exception, the eastern hoolock, all ape species and their subspecies are classi- fied as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (IUCN, 2016c). Since apes require access to forested or wooded land- scapes, habitat loss represents a major cause of population decline, as does hunting in these settings (Geissmann, 2007; Hickey et al., 2013; Plumptre et al., 2016b; Stokes et al., 2010; Wich et al., 2008). Until recently, quantifying rates of trop- ical forest destruction was challenging and laborious, requiring advanced technical Chapter 7 Status of Apes 202 skills and the analysis of hundreds of satel- for all ape subspecies (Geissmann, 2007; lite images at a time (Gaveau, Wandono Tranquilli et al., 2012; Wich et al., 2008). and Setiabudi, 2007; LaPorte et al., 2007). In addition, the chapter projects future A new platform, Global Forest Watch habitat loss rates for each subspecies and (GFW), has revolutionized the use of satel- uses these results as one measure of threat lite imagery, enabling the first in-depth to their long-term survival. GFW’s new analysis of changes in forest availability in online forest monitoring and alert system, the ranges of 22 great ape and gibbon spe- entitled Global Land Analysis and Dis- cies, totaling 38 subspecies (GFW, 2014; covery (GLAD) alerts, combines cutting- Hansen et al., 2013; IUCN, 2016c; Max Planck edge algorithms, satellite technology and Insti tute, n.d.-b). Launched in 2014, GFW cloud computing to identify tree cover provides free access to spatially explicit, change in near-real time, thereby allowing high-resolution forest change data derived those involved in ape conservation at the from thousands of satellite images that are local level to monitor changes and gener- updated annually. The global forest change ate critical information to enhance their data set on GFW allows users to quantify conservation efforts. annual change in forest cover within the The key findings show that gibbons are geographic ranges of each ape subspecies in crisis: and within protected and unprotected areas in those ranges (Hansen et al., 2013; see Gibbons receive less attention in the Figure 7.1). public eye than African apes and orang- This chapter presents the first assess- utans, yet gibbon habitats have been ment of the distribution of forest habitat degraded to a far greater degree. By 2000, in IUCN-defined ape ranges across Africa ten taxa of gibbons had already lost and Southeast Asia. It also quantifies yearly more than 50% of their forest habitat, and loss of ape-range forest from 2000 to 2014 in five gibbon taxa native to the Asian main- land had each had their habitats reduced a spatially explicit manner. Abundance data to less than 5,000 km2 (500,000 ha). are not available for all ape subspecies for this period. In future assessments, combin- In Indonesia, three others—the agile ing population and habitat data streams gibbon, Malaysian lar gibbon and sia- will be essential because hunting threatens mang—lost more than 30% of their forest ape population viability across taxa. Even cover between 2000 and 2014. so, the integrity of ape habitat can serve During the period under review, the as a useful threshold for estimating ape ranges of Asian apes lost up to 25% of occupancy until demographic information their protected forests (median 5%), at a becomes available. rate that must slow if apes are to persist The chapter presents these data in com- over the next few decades. Eight gibbon bination with current protected area (PA) subspecies lost more than 8% of their coverage to assess the adequacy of protection protected habitat. Two of them—the for each subspecies. Various lar gibbons Malaysian lar gibbon and Abbott’s gray (Hylobates lar) and western black-crested gibbon—lost more than 13%. gibbons (Nomascus concolor), as well as Plantations account for more than 75% Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri), of the loss of forest habitat of three gib- are already confined mainly to PAs (IUCN, bon subspecies—the agile gibbon (76%), 2016c; Maldonado et al., 2012). Protected Malaysian lar gibbon (87%) and the areas are increasingly important refuges moloch gibbon (77%)—as well as more State of the Apes Infrastructure Development and Ape Conservation 203 than 50% of habitat loss of nine other agricultural plantations account for the Asian gibbon and orangutan subspecies. majority of forest loss within ape ranges Based on the trends of the period 2000– in Malaysia (84%) and Indonesia (82%), 14, nine ape subspecies, all gibbons, are as well as nearly 30% of loss in Cambodia. expected to lose all their habitat by 2050 Altogether, ape habitat around the world unless decisive action is taken to stop shrank by more than 10%—from nearly or at least slow forest loss. Most of these 4.4 million km2 to under 4 million km2 species have enough area in legally defined (440 million ha to under 400 million ha). conservation units to persist if reserves Ape forest habitat in Asia shrank by are managed effectively. 21% (357,500 km2 or 35.8 million ha) Better protection of existing reserves between 2000 and 2014. African habi- within the ranges of 18 of the 25 gibbon tat fared relatively well, losing less than subspecies should be able to support 4% (95,400 km2 or 9.5 million ha) of more than 1,000 family groups. forest cover in that period, despite increasing human population density, Ape conservation faces grave challenges: insurgencies and activities such as ille- Between 2000 and 2014, Indonesia lost gal logging. 226,000 km2 (22.6 million ha) of forest Africa was home to two-thirds of the cover, which constituted 63% of total remaining global ape habitat in 2014, habitat loss in Asia and 50% of the total but major transportation infrastructure loss of ape habitat globally. Large-scale has already begun to speed deforestation FIGURE 7.1 Forest Cover and Loss in Ape Ranges and Protected Areas in Asia and Africa, 2000 and 2014¹ a. West Africa N SENEGALSENEGAL Forest loss 2000–14 Protected areas GUINEA- Chimpanzee BISSAUBISSAU MALI (Pan troglodytes) International boundary GUINEA BURKINA FASO G ATLANTIC H SIERRA A N OCEAN LEONE A IIVORYVORY COASCOASTT % forest cover LLIBERIAIBERIA in 2000 0–15 15–30 30–50 50–75 75–100 0100300 200 km Chapter 7 Status of Apes 204 b. Central Africa N NIGERIA CAMEROON CAR 0100300 200 km E Q U G A % forest cover in 2000 T U O 0–30 IN R E IAL 30–50 A 50–75 75–100 Forest loss GABON 2000–14 Protected areas Bonobo (Pan paniscus) Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) REPUREPUBLICBLIC Cross River and western lowland OF gorilla (Gorilla g. diehli CONGO DEMOCRADEMOCRATICTIC and Gorilla g. gorilla) REPUBLIC International boundary OF CONGO c. East Africa 0 300 km SOUTH N SUDAN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC REPUBLIC OF UGANDA CONGO DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO RWANDA BURUNDI % forest cover Chimpanzee TANZANIA in 2000 (Pan troglodytes) 0–30 Forest loss, Grauer’s and 2000–14 mountain gorilla 30–50 Protected areas (Gorilla beringei 50–75 Bonobo graueri and Gorilla 75–100 (Pan paniscus) b. beringei) State of the Apes Infrastructure Development and Ape Conservation 205 d. Northern Asia N BHUTAN CHINA INDIA BANGLADESH MMYANMARYANMAR LAOS VIET NAM THAILATHAILANDND CCAMBODIAAMBODIA 0100300 200 km MALAYSIA % forest cover Cao Vit gibbon Pileated gibbon in 2000 (Nomascus nasutus) (Hylobates pileatus) Southern white-cheeked 0–50 Eastern hoolock (Hoolock leuconedys) crested gibbon 50–70 Hainan gibbon (Nomascus siki) 75–100 (Nomascus hainanus) Southern yellow-cheeked Lar gibbon (Hylobates lar) crested gibbon Forest loss Northern white-cheeked (Nomascus gabriellae) 2000–14 crested gibbon Western black-crested Protected (Nomascus leucogenys) gibbon (Nomascus areas Northern yellow-cheeked concolor) International crested gibbon Western hoolock boundary (Nomascus annamensis) (Hoolock hoolock) Chapter 7 Status of Apes 206 e. Southern Asia N % forest cover in 2000 0–50 50–70 75–100 Forest loss 2000–14 Protected areas BRUNEI M A L A Y S I A SINGAPORE Borneo SumatraSumatra I A N I D O N E S Java 0 150 300 km Abbott’s gray gibbon (Hylobates abbotti) Kloss’s gibbon (Hylobates klossii) Agile gibbon (Hylobates agilis) Lar gibbon (Hylobates lar) Bornean gray gibbon (Hylobates funereus) Moloch gibbon (Hylobates moloch) Bornean white-bearded gibbon Müller’s gibbon (Hylobates muelleri) (Hylobates albibarbis) f. Southern Asia BRUNEI N M A L A Y S I A SINGAPORE Borneo SumatraSumatra I N A D O N E S I % forest cover in 2000 Northeast, northwest and southwest Bornean orangutan 0–50 (Pongo pygmaeus morio, 50–70 Pongo p. pygmaeus and Pongo p. wurmbii) 75–100 Sumatran orangutan Java Data sources for Figure 7.1 Forest loss (Pongo abelii) 2000–14 a–f: GLAD (n.d.); Hansen et Siamang (Symphalangus Protected areas al. (2013); IUCN and UNEP- 0 150 300 km syndactylus) WCMC (2016) State of the Apes Infrastructure Development and Ape Conservation 207 and associated development (see Sec- tion 1). BOX 7.1 By 2014, individual African ape subspe- Synopsis of Methods cies retained an average of 388,000 km2 The Global Forest Change 2000–14 data set, which is freely available of forest habitat; Asian apes retained an on the Global Forest Watch (GFW) site, served as the basis for the average of just 41,000 km2.