Catastrophic ape decline in western equatorial Africa

Because rapidly expanding human populations have devastated gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) and common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) habitats in East and West Africa, the relatively intact forests of western equatorial Africa have been viewed as the last stronghold of African apes. Gabon and the Republic o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 2003-04, Vol.422 (6932), p.611-614
Main Authors: Walsh, Peter D, Abernethy, Kate A, Bermejo, Magdalena, Beyers, Rene, De Wachter, Pauwel, Akou, Marc Ella, Huijbregts, Bas, Mambounga, Daniel Idiata, Toham, Andre Kamdem, Kilbourn, Annelisa M, Lahm, Sally A, Latour, Stefanie, Maisels, Fiona, Mbina, Christian, Mihindou, Yves, Ndong Obiang, Sosthène, Effa, Ernestine Ntsame, Starkey, Malcolm P, Telfer, Paul, Thibault, Marc, Tutin, Caroline E. G, White, Lee J. T, Wilkie, David S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal populations
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Ape Diseases - epidemiology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Commerce
Congo - epidemiology
Conservation of Natural Resources - trends
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Data Collection
Ebola virus
Ecosystem
Endangered & extinct species
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gabon - epidemiology
Gorilla gorilla
Gorilla gorilla gorilla
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - epidemiology
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - veterinary
Hominidae - physiology
Hominidae - virology
Human Activities
Meat - economics
Monkeys & apes
Pan troglodytes
Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking
Population Density
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Summary:Because rapidly expanding human populations have devastated gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) and common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) habitats in East and West Africa, the relatively intact forests of western equatorial Africa have been viewed as the last stronghold of African apes. Gabon and the Republic of Congo alone are thought to hold roughly 80% of the world's gorillas and most of the common chimpanzees. Here we present survey results conservatively indicating that ape populations in Gabon declined by more than half between 1983 and 2000. The primary cause of the decline in ape numbers during this period was commercial hunting, facilitated by the rapid expansion of mechanized logging. Furthermore, Ebola haemorrhagic fever is currently spreading through ape populations in Gabon and Congo and now rivals hunting as a threat to apes. Gorillas and common chimpanzees should be elevated immediately to 'critically endangered' status. Without aggressive investments in law enforcement, protected area management and Ebola prevention, the next decade will see our closest relatives pushed to the brink of extinction.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/nature01566