HAIKOU /China/, October 17. /TASS/. Authorities of the southern Chinese province of Hainan plan to double the population of Hainan gibbons inhabiting the island in the next 15 years. This was stated by the President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Zhang Xinsheng at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, according to the Hainan International Communication Network.
"The protection of Hainan gibbons has brought results, but the process is still at a critical stage. There is still a long way to go in terms of protection and recovery," he said, adding that it is necessary to follow the outlined roadmap, which calls for doubling the population of Hainan gibbons over the next 15 years. "The Hainan gibbon belongs not only to Hainan, but also to China and to all mankind," the president stated.
Due to uncontrolled hunting and large-scale deforestation, the Hainan gibbon population had declined from 2,000 to seven by the 1980s. To save them from extinction, the government created a special reserve. At the same time, the authorities launched a program to restore forested areas that are vital for these animals. As a result, over 100 thousand trees have been planted over the past 20 years.
The Hainan gibbons, which are protected by the state, are the oldest surviving gibbon species in the world. This species lives only in China. They prefer to live in the treetops at a height of about 10 meters. This makes it very difficult to control them, as well as breeding them in artificial conditions. Currently, the gibbon population in Hainan is estimated at 35 individuals living in five family groups, according to official data.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has recognized the Hainan gibbon as an endangered species. It tops the list of 25 other endangered primate species in the world.