Source: Lookout
Atlas
➤ From 2 groups of less than 10 to 5 groups of 33, the protection of Hainan gibbons has achieved initial results, but this number is still far below the minimum number of ecologically sustainable populations, and population recovery is still arduous
➤ Experts believe that the study of gibbon marriage system, communication behavior, walking ability and other aspects is of great value to explore the evolutionary process of humans, but the current understanding of the habits and characteristics of Hainan gibbons is still extremely limited, such as "how gibbons sleep" and "why never found gibbon bones" and other basic ecological questions have not yet been answered
The Hainan gibbon was once widely distributed on Hainan Island, and due to human interference, the habitat has been severely damaged and its population has decreased sharply. "Lookout" news weekly reporter learned from the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration that 40 years ago, Hainan gibbons only had two groups of less than 10 on Hainan Island, and were listed in the Red List of Endangered Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with an endangered degree of "extreme danger". At present, of the 20 species of gibbons in the world, only less than 100 Are Hainan Gibbons.
In recent years, thanks to the effective protection work of government agencies, non-governmental protection organizations and surrounding villagers, the number of Hainan gibbons has grown to 5 groups of 33, experts believe that the population of Hainan gibbons is gradually growing, is gradually getting out of the situation of extinction, but there is still a huge gap with the population recovery, and it is necessary to unite multiple forces to increase protection.
A Hainan gibbon forages in the bawangling rainforest of Hainan (photo taken on October 25, 2019) Photo by Pu Xiaoxu/ This issue
Super cute and cute rainforest elves
As the most endangered national first-level key protected wild animals, although the number of Hainan gibbons is very small, they have high "appearance", the best chirping sounds, and they are also relatively close to people, which is a rainforest spirit that people will "love" when they see it, and have high conservation and research value.
Hainan gibbons are outstanding in appearance and have a high "good appearance" in the gibbon family. The eastern white-browed gibbon and the Tianxing gibbon living on the China-Myanmar border have two separate white eyebrows above their eyes, the top of the head is flat, and a square face looks serious and serious; while the Hainan gibbon has a palm-sized "melon face" and a black hair on the top of the head like "wearing" a black hat, which is more energetic. Young individuals aged 5 to 6 are all black, and only after they are seven or eight years old can change their coat color to distinguish between male and female. Adult females have golden coats, gentle and beautiful, and adult males have all black coats, low-key and calm.
The Hainan gibbon is known as the "King of Rainforest Song" for its beautiful song. Dr. Chen Ofe-doe Farm and Botanical Garden of Kadoorie became acquainted with the Hainan gibbon in 2003. He said: "The unique feature of the Hainan gibbon is its chirping. Over the years, I have heard many kinds of gibbon chirping, and the Hainan gibbon has the best sound. ”
At six or seven o'clock in the morning, a melodious and rhythmic cry awakens the sleeping rainforest. Male Hainan gibbons always ride on the trunks of tall trees, holding branches with one hand, roaring in the sky, and their mouths are regularly opened and closed, like trumpeters blowing out a string of clear notes.
The high-pitched, loud solo lasted 2 to 3 minutes, and the female ape and other members began to join the chorus. Adult female apes emit short, rapidly rising tremorillations that form the "duet" of the rainforest, reminiscent of the prelude to the round dance song "Blue Danube", like a stream like a waterfall, sprinkling into the rainforest shrouded in morning fog.
In addition to its clear call, the Hainan gibbon is agile. In the video footage of the artificial ecological rope bridge, some adult male apes take the lead, their hands and feet grasp and step on the two ropes, followed by a young individual, the action is like "copy and paste", not hurriedly passing through the rope bridge; some pictures are a female and two small, grasping the two ropes into one strand, or hanging their feet in the air, the left and right hands hanging on the rope alternately forward, or the feet on the rope, the hands unfold to maintain balance, three steps and two steps to run to the opposite side.
The Relationship between The Hainan Gibbon and man is also closer. Hong Xiaojiang, deputy director of the Bawangling Branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration, said: "The closest distance between the Hainan gibbon and the familiar monitoring team members can reach two or three meters, and they are almost able to shake hands." ”
Some young individuals even play with familiar monitoring team members. Watching the monitoring team members observe under the tree, they will throw branches and perform "acrobatics". Huang Lubiao, a member of the Bawangling monitoring team, told reporters: "When they are closer to three or five meters, they will even imitate my movements, I scratch my head at them, they also learn me to scratch their heads, I learn them to scream, they will also respond to a few sounds." ”
Li Fei, senior director of nature conservation at Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden, told reporters: "Hainan gibbon is an endemic species of Hainan, living only in the Bawangling National Nature Reserve in Hainan, is the flagship species and indicator species of Hainan tropical rainforest, and is an important symbol of the authenticity and integrity of tropical rainforests. ”
Fan Pengfei, a professor at the School of Life Sciences of Sun Yat-sen University, believes that the study of gibbon marriage mating system, communication behavior, walking ability and other aspects is of great value to explore the evolutionary process of human beings.
A number of foreign experts said that the Hainan gibbon is not only of great significance to Hainan, but also of global conservation demonstration significance, and the protection of the Hainan gibbon can provide a Chinese model for the global endangered species and ecological environmental protection. Jane Smart, global head of biodiversity and endangered species conservation at the IUCN, proposed that she hopes to take the conservation of the Hainan gibbon as a typical case and promote the protection of endangered species worldwide.
Gradually out of extinction
In order to protect this endangered species from extinction, in the past few decades, the Bawangling Forestry Bureau of Hainan Province and the Bawangling Nature Reserve of Hainan Province have jointly implemented the most stringent habitat protection measures in conjunction with the Bawangling Forest Public Security. Many times carried out the Qingshan Operation, strictly prohibited the occurrence of forest poaching, and carried out various forms of publicity and education in the surrounding townships of gibbon activities to publicize the importance of protecting gibbons, strictly prevent illegal hunting, and provide a guarantee for the survival and safety of Hainan gibbons.
In terms of habitat restoration of gibbons, the forestry department of Hainan Province and non-governmental organizations have made efforts. At present, Hainan gibbons mostly live in tropical rainforest areas at an altitude of 800 to 1200 meters. Experts say low-altitude rainforests are better suited to their lives and have a wider variety of food choices. Since 2005, the forestry department of Hainan Province has transformed and restored more than 5,000 mu of Hainan gibbon habitat, planting more than 300,000 native tree species that gibbons like to eat; from 2004 to 2012, Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden planted 2,300 mu in Nanchahe, and more than 83 species of tree species such as southern sour dates, autumn maples and banyan trees that gibbons like to eat, and bred them every year, which has now been effective.
In terms of ecological corridor construction, Hainan Bawangling National Nature Reserve, Qingsong Township People's Government of Baisha County and Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden jointly planted a field of native saplings and gibbon-like eating tree species at the landslide, and built an ecological rope bridge for gibbons. At present, the height of the tree species is enough for gibbons to move, and ecological corridors such as rope bridges have reached seven, and are frequently used by gibbons.
In terms of the construction of the monitoring team, the gibbon monitoring team members introduced that in 2005, the Bawangling Forestry Bureau of Hainan Province and the Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden jointly established a gibbon monitoring team, and a total of 19 team members have been developed so far, responsible for the gibbon monitoring task. The monitoring team usually sets off at 4 a.m. to go up the mountain, rush to the area where gibbons are often active before dawn, locate the ape song, track all the way, count the number of populations, record the age of individuals, take photos and videos, and collect ape feces. These basic work provided first-hand materials for the scientific research of Hainan gibbons.
On August 29, Li Wenyong, Zhang Zhicheng, and others, members of the monitoring team of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration, found a female ape of the Hainan gibbon e group (group 5) holding a cub in her arms and took a photo in Dongbengling in Baisha Li Autonomous County.
After expert identification, it was reconfirmed that it formed a new family group. Zhou Yadong, chief engineer of the Hainan Forestry Bureau, said that Hainan gibbons previously inhabited the Bawangling forest area of Changjiang Li Autonomous County, and the formation of new populations and the discovery of young cubs mean that their habitat has spread to Dongbengling, 10 kilometers away from the original habitat, proving that their habitat area is increasing and that new habitats can support their survival. At the same time, it shows that the natural ecological space such as the Hainan tropical rainforest has expanded, and the protection of hainan gibbons has achieved initial results.
According to data obtained by the World Conservation Union, 19 of the world's 20 species of gibbons show a downward trend, and only the population of Hainan gibbons remains stable and slowly growing.
This is closely related to the country's great attention to the protection of Hainan gibbons and their ecological habitats. In January 2019, the sixth meeting of the Central Committee for Comprehensively Deepening Reform deliberated and adopted the Pilot Program for the System of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park. In April of the same year, the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration was inaugurated, listing the protection of gibbons as an important part of the national park. In August 2020, the Hainan Gibbon Conservation and Research Center of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration was approved to be established, and the protection system of Hainan gibbons has become more and more perfect.
The task of population conservation and rehabilitation is daunting
Although the increase in the number of less than 10 in 2 groups to 33 in 5 groups can show that the protection of Hainan gibbons has achieved initial results, the reporter visited and learned that there are still many problems in the construction of monitoring teams, habitat protection, scientific research and other aspects of the protection of Hainan gibbons, which need to be further paid attention to and solved.
In terms of the construction of the monitoring team, the reporter learned from the Hainan Bawangling Forestry Bureau that 15 of the current 19 monitoring teams are also responsible for the daily work of forest fire prevention, pest control and other daily work in addition to gibbon monitoring work, only 4 people are responsible for monitoring work full-time, and the average age of the team members is over 50 years old, and the aging phenomenon is serious. Gibbon monitoring work needs to climb mountains, run, daily work is mainly to record the gibbon's song location, number of individuals, age level, coat color and other basic information on the table, physical exertion is larger, the working environment is difficult.
Several team members interviewed said that as they get older, their physical strength cannot keep up with the needs of monitoring activities, and they hope that the relevant departments can improve the treatment and guarantee of monitoring team members and let more young blood join the protection team of Hainan gibbons. Hong Xiaojiang said that at present, the personnel structure of the Bawangling monitoring team is unreasonable, the team is aging, due to the ranger's part-time gibbon monitoring task, the professional ability is lacking, and there is no fixed fund to pay the monitoring team members.
In terms of habitat protection, Li Fei and the monitoring team noticed that there are still sporadic poaching and logging in the habitat range of gibbons, and sometimes hunting tools such as shotguns and pincers are found in the forest, indicating that surrounding villagers still interfere with the habitat of gibbons. In addition, Experts such as Li Fei have observed that apes are more abundant in low-altitude tropical rainforests and the climate is more suitable for gibbons to live, but there are more artificial pine forests in low-altitude areas, and there is a phenomenon of workers entering the mountains to cut pine oil, which affects the habitat of gibbons.
In recent years, with the increase in publicity related to gibbons in Hainan, more and more researchers and media workers have gone to the mountains to find apes and install monitoring equipment such as cameras. Foresters such as Hong Xiaojiang believe that too many people entering the mountain will also cause human interference to the habitat of gibbons.
In terms of scientific research, Hong Xiaojiang and Li Fei believe that the current domestic research strength and depth are insufficient, and the local research strength in Hainan is not enough. The premise of protecting endangered species is to have a more comprehensive understanding of them, and at present, human understanding of the habits and characteristics of Hainan gibbons is still extremely limited. Basic ecological questions such as "how gibbons sleep" and "why gibbon bones have never been found" have not yet been answered.
In August this year, more than 100 experts and scholars from a number of scientific research institutions and multiple disciplines participated in the "Hainan Gibbon Conservation International Seminar" and released the "Outline of the Action Plan for the Protection of Hainan Gibbons". Experts attending the meeting agreed that under the premise of strengthening protection and no major natural disasters, taking domestic scientific research forces as the main body and integrating global forces to carry out joint research, the number of Hainan gibbons is expected to double and continue to grow in about 15 years.
In addition, experts pointed out that with the joint efforts of government departments, experts and scholars, local people and social organizations, although the population of Hainan gibbons has increased significantly, the current number of more than 30 animals is still far lower than the minimum number of ecological populations that can continue to survive, and the task of population rejuvenation is still very arduous. In the future, protective measures can be strengthened in the following areas:
In terms of monitoring team building, experts recommend the construction of a standardized and standardized Hainan gibbon professional monitoring team, regularly carry out professional skills training, and establish a set of scientific and reasonable monitoring workflows and assessment evaluation and accountability mechanisms. Professor Zhou Jiang of the College of Life Sciences of Guizhou Normal University proposed that a field monitoring team with high-quality scientific research ability and strong action ability should be established as soon as possible in order to provide the most basic and fundamental basis for biological problems such as ecology and behavior.
In terms of monitoring content, experts believe that current gibbon monitoring is limited to a simple record of their population activity. Dr. Heidi Ma of the Zoological Society of London, uk,000, and Shi Kun, professor at the School of Ecology and Conservation of Beijing Forestry University and director of the Wildlife Research Institute of Beijing Forestry University, suggest that ape-eating tree species, gibbon rest tree species and their phenological information should be systematically collected, as well as other biodiversity information such as predators and competitors in gibbon habitats.
In terms of gibbon habitat protection, Du Yanjun, a professor at the College of Forestry of Hainan University, suggested that the local government and relevant departments should increase the economic income of villagers near gibbon habitat from ecotourism, under-forest economy, green industry, etc., so that villagers can rely on the forest as little as possible and reduce the disturbance to the living space of Hainan gibbons. Diao Xiaoping, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Hainan Normal University, proposed that attention should be paid to correctly handling the relationship between the development of tourism projects and the protection of the habitat of hainan gibbons, minimizing the impact of human activities on its habitat, so that the habitat can be restored as soon as possible, and provide good conditions for the recovery of populations.
In terms of scientific research, experts recommend further institutional innovation. With the Hainan National Park Research Institute and the Hainan Gibbon Conservation and Research Center of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration as the main base, accelerate the construction of a platform that is open, shared and co-built to the world, widely attract and gather a group of multidisciplinary and multi-field top expert teams, and further carry out joint research on the protection of Hainan gibbons. ("Lookout" Newsweek reporter Ling Guangzhi Chen Ziwei)
Editor-in-Charge: Jiao Peng