Echoes of forest singers in China's gibbon protection

October 24 marks the International Gibbon Day. As one of the most endangered members of the primate family, gibbons, known as the "singers of the forest," use their resonant calls as an indicator of the health of tropical forests.

In southwest China's Yunnan Province, researchers and forest rangers are combining science and dedication to protect these agile "spirits of the canopy."

On October 23, a commemorative event was held in the main habitat of the Gaoligong hoolock gibbon, or Skywalker hoolock gibbon, in Yunnan's Baoshan City, unveiling a breakthrough in decoding its "vocal fingerprints."

This discovery enables scientists to identify individual gibbons by their calls, opening a new approach for species monitoring. Fewer than 200 Skywalker hoolock gibbons remain worldwide, found mainly in southwest China's Gaoligong Mountains and the northern mountains of Myanmar.

Since 2021, research teams have collected extensive audio data, built individual profiles and established an intelligent monitoring system using drones, infrared cameras and acoustic devices.

This system has marked a shift from broad protection to smart conservation.

Baoshan also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first video capture of the species, tracing its conservation journey – from the first recorded calls in 1997 to the first photo in 2005, and to its official naming in 2017 as the Skywalker hoolock gibbon (Hoolock tianxing) by Chinese scientists.

In Yunnan's Pu'er City, researchers have also intensified monitoring of the western black-crested gibbon. Infrared footage shows that this species feeds not only on fruits and leaves, but also on bird eggs, insects and small mammals, maintaining ecological balance through a diverse diet.

The population of the critically endangered Hainan gibbon has risen from just two groups totaling fewer than 10 individuals in the 1980s, to seven groups with 42 individuals, making it the only one among the world's 20 gibbon species that continues to grow. The increasingly frequent cries of infants in south China's Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, along with monitoring teams' footage of a mother cradling her offspring while feeding on wild fruit, paint a hopeful picture.

These efforts illustrate China's sustained commitment to primate conservation. Looking ahead, scientists will continue exploring integrated methods combining drones and acoustic monitoring, advancing harmony between humans and nature – and ensuring that the songs of these "forest singers" echo across the mountains for generations to come.

(Cover: A Skywalker hoolock gibbon in the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province, southwest China. Designed by Pei Zihan. /CGTN)