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Gibbons are some of the most under-loved, and in at least some cases the most endangered, primates in the world. They live in rainforests stretching from northeast India to Indonesia and parts of China, and while some people might mistake them for monkeys, they're not.
A conservation project will soon be launched in northeast India to address threats facing them locally.
The project, called ''Hoolock Gibbon Conservation Awareness and Education Programme," will be implemented in hoolock gibbon habitats in several Indian states. It is an initiative of the Centre for Environment Education and will include schools, 130 in total, located in areas that have designated protected sites for hoolock gibbons.
Eight local organizations will also participate, all with the objective of educating students and local communities on the need to conserve the gibbon population.
Why gibbons need protection
Some sources estimate the Hainan crested gibbon population at less than 20 total, although others have said the eastern black crested gibbon is the most endangered primate—and considering the state of bonobos, chimps and mountain gorillas, that's saying a lot.
Like many other threatened and endangered species, gibbons have been shafted by habitat loss due to human encroachment and deforestation. Deforestation specifically for logging and palm oil are two of the biggest culprits (although that's true for more than just gibbons).
Also high on the list is the exotic pet trade, for which poachers steal gibbons from the wild, not only preventing future reproduction but also often taking two for one, since hunters kill the mother to get at the baby (which they also do with chimpanzees).
The Gibbon Conservation Alliance highlights the roles that poor management of protected areas and lack of enforcement of wildlife laws play, in addition to the deforestation by logging outfits that sell to food giants overseas.
The Alliance also points to rural poverty and lack of awareness, on both the local and international level, as parts of the larger threat—which is why the education project in India is at least one important part of a comprehensive effort to save the world's gibbons.
More about gibbons, other primates, and endangered species:
25 Most Endangered Primate Species Could "Fit Into Single Football Stadium"
Are Exotic Pets Really So Bad?
Focus on Focus Earth: State of World Primates
