China, Vietnam join hands to save endangered gibbon's last home

Every morning, the dense forest in Bangliang national nature reserve of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region wakes up in the iconic whistling of one of the most endangered primates in the world: eastern black crested gibbon.

The gibbon singing might have become a routine for local residents today, but for over half a century that sound was gone. The tree-dwelling primate was believed to be extinct in the 1950s, until they were rediscovered along the border between China and Vietnam in the early 2000s. 

Till this day, their entire population, which is believed to be less than 140 globally, are clinging to survival by its hooked fingertips in a small, fragmented forest on the border between Vietnam and China. More specifically, their habitats are confined to only two natural reserves: Bangliang on the Chinese side and Trung Khanh nature reserve on the Vietnamese side.

The rediscovery of the gibbon prompted both sides to act, resulting in the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2011 to join forces in the conservation of the critically endangered primate.

Since then, the two countries' conservationists, forest rangers, forest law enforcement have been working closely with each other to save the gibbon's last piece of home.

Initially, researchers discovered that the gibbon's food sources including banyan trees and other fruit trees, were reducing due to human activities such as grazing and cutting down trees for firewood. 

They designated eight areas in Bangliang and started to plant the gibbon's favorite trees. Across the border, the government in Vietnam mobilized villagers to plant trees. By the end of 2017, about 100 hectares of trees had been planted in order to restore the area into an ideal natural habitat for the gibbon.

In the meantime, a project to build a cross-border ecological corridor for the gibbon was launched in 2010 to solve another predicament facing the species: isolation. 

Two rivers running from China to Vietnam have turned the gibbon's habitat into a "peninsula", preventing them from moving northward. In addition, the gibbon's population on the "peninsula" had reached capacity, triggering conflicts within and destabilizing the population. 

Researchers decided to connect the fragmented areas by building a corridor so that the gibbon's habitat could be expanded, and so could their population. 

The two countries have also worked together in cracking down on poaching, preventing wildfires and educating the general public on biodiversity. 

After more than a decade's effort, researchers now have a sizable collection of data on the gibbon's population and territories, which is expected to lay a scientific foundation for further studies on the species. 

However, researchers also pointed out the gibbon's living conditions remain concerning with habitat fragmentation and population decline as the two biggest challenges, which calls for more work to be done.

(Cover image via CFP)