Hainan hosts intl symposium on gibbon conservation

A Hainan Gibbon searches for fruit on a tree. [Photo/Hainan Daily]

More than 60 experts and scholars in the field of ecological and environmental protection from home and abroad took part in a special symposium held from Aug 20-21 in Haikou to discuss the conservation of Hainan Gibbons.

Hosted by the Hainan National Park Research Institute, the symposium sought to coordinate global research and cooperation regarding the Hainan plan for the protection of the critically endangered species.

Fan Pengfei, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University who has been researching Hainan Gibbons since 2002, said that this conference was the highest-level conference in the history of gibbon conservation in China. He attached great importance to protecting gibbons, as learning about gibbons can help people understand the process of human evolution.

At the forum, Jin Kun, director of the Research Institute of the Nature Reserve of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, revealed that a new family group of Hainan Gibbons had formed and that their habitat had been found through an smart camera.

This also meant that the protection of Hainan Gibbons has been very effective, Jin said, noting that the Hainan National Park Research Institute hopes to deploy expert teams to work together to protect the gibbons in the future.

Diao Xiaoping, deputy secretary of Hainan Normal University, said that during the construction of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, attention should be paid to the balance of tourism project development and the protection of habitats for Hainan Gibbons to minimize the impact of human activities on the animals, restore reserves, as well as expand the species.

Shi Kun, a professor at Beijing Forestry University, said that while promoting Hainan Gibbons protection, other factors in the ecological structure should also be taken into consideration, such as the gibbons' predators besides the Hainan Gibbons themselves.

After years of hard work, the Hainan Gibbon population has recovered to more than 30. If we can double the number in the next 15 years, we can provide the world with a new and successful Hainan Gibbon protection case, according to Fan.  

A Hainan Gibbon roars on a tree. [Photo/Hainan Daily]