Graceful residents of the canopies in many tropical Asian rainforests, gibbons are also wondrous singers whose morning calls fill the forests with sound. Gibbons are under immense threat, both from habitat loss and from hunting for traditional medicines and the pet trade. While one species of gibbon is listed as Vulnerable, the other 15 species are either Endangered or Critically Endangered.
Our Goal
Thriving populations of gibbon species across each of their ranges in Asia. To secure this future, we're employing some key strategies:
Protect gibbons and their habitat.
Build capacity in range states.
Conduct scientific research on gibbons to help inform conservation strategies.
Promote gibbon-friendly policies.
Monitor gibbon numbers, population trends, and threats to gibbons and their habitats.
Why WCS?
11species
We collaborate with local governments to conserve critical populations of 11 of the world’s 16 gibbon species.
7protected areas
WCS provided technical support that helped local governments create or expand seven protected areas critical for gibbons across Asia.
WCS's technical support to local governments has helped create and expand a suite of protected areas critical for gibbons across their range.
Building Capacity in Gibbon Range States
WCS provides technical training to hundreds of forest rangers and park management authorities every year to prevent loss of gibbon habitat and stop the killing of gibbons.
Monitoring Gibbon Numbers, Population Trends, and Threats to Gibbons and Their Habitats
To ensure gibbon management strategies are informed by the most current data, WCS staff across Asia keep a close watch on threats to gibbons. WCS intelligence networks monitor the illegal trade in gibbons, and our close collaborations with ranger patrols ensures that we are up to date on all immediate threats to gibbon habitat.
July 27, 2016 – A team of conservation biologists is calling for a worldwide strategy to prevent the unthinkable: the extinction of the world’s largest mammal species.
Orangutan trader Vast Haris Nugroho was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 10 million Indonesian rupia (IDR) , the equivalent of $750 USD, in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
The State Prosecutor of North Sumatra and WCS’s Wildlife Crimes Unit announced the arrest of a suspect for trafficking a living orangutan in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The trafficker allegedly sold wildlife through Facebook and by BlackBerry...
