Habitat restoration is the greatest challenge for population recovery of Hainan gibbons (Nomascus hainanus).

Publisher: Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd Country of Publication: Australia NLM ID: 101492420 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1749-4877 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17494869 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Integr Zool Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2012-: Richmond, Vic., Australia : Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
Original Publication: 2006-2012: [Oxford, England] : Blackwell Publishing

Hylobates* ; Hylobatidae*; Animals ; Endangered Species ; Ecosystem ; China

Hainan gibbons are among the world's most critically endangered primates, with a remaining population of only 35 individuals distributed across 5 social groups in the Bawangling Branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, China. Habitat conversion and forest fragmentation over the past 40 years have reduced their geographical distribution by 95%. In the absence of a quantitative assessment of the availability of remaining suitable habitat, it is unclear whether this species can survive to the end of this century. We used behavioral observations, ArcGIS, remote sensing, stereo optical imagery, and MaxEnt modeling to identify patterns of Hainan gibbon range use and compare changes in the distribution of suitable forest types and areas of forest fragmentation over the past 20 years (2000-2020). The results indicate that the combined range of the 5 extant Hainan gibbon groups totaled 14.89 km ² . The home range of the smallest group (Group E, 3 individuals) was 1.51 km ² , which likely represents the minimum home range size for this species. The remaining area of highly suitable and moderately suitable habitat totals 26.9 km ² . However, habitat connectivity across the gibbon range is very low (less than 0.5), limiting the ability of Hainan gibbons to move between forest patches. The results of this study indicate that the availability of suitable habitat in Bawangling is insufficient to allow for future Hainan gibbon population growth. Therefore, immediate action must be taken to restore, reforest, and establish ecological corridors to reconnect areas of suitable habitat for these critically endangered gibbons.
(© 2022 The Authors. Integrative Zoology published by International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

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3207030491 Natural Science Foundation; KY-2000105-KT Hainan Gibbon Conservation Research

Keywords: Hainan gibbon; MaxEnt modeling; conservation; home range area; landscape management

Nomascus hainanus

Date Created: 20220905 Date Completed: 20230704 Latest Revision: 20230704

20231215

10.1111/1749-4877.12684

36064198