Confined to just one island off the coast of southern China, the critically endangered Hainan Gibbon’s population is believed to have been reduced to just 25, primarily due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Worryingly, China doesn’t seem to have grasped the urgency of the situation and has yet to make this species’ conservation a top priority. Compounding its plight, the 15 square kilometres of habitat it’s restricted to on Hainan Island has been degraded considerably over time.

The tiny colony is thought to only include five females of breeding age, further restricting the group’s ability to increase their numbers. The ape’s population numbered around 2,000 in the 1950s, but a dramatic reduction in viable habitat due to the clearing of forest for rubber plantations was a major factor in its decline- as was illegal hunting. Dilution of its gene pool is now an acute threat.

Habitat connectivity needs to be restored through the creation of forest corridors, to boost the chances of successful reproduction, and it’s hoped that artificial canopy bridges can be constructed in the meantime to enhance the mobility of the group.

Flora and Fauna International has been working with local communities in the area to educate them about the species’ importance, as well as assisting the National Park in which it survives with reinforcing protection for it. Below, you’ll find a short film showing footage of the Hainan Gibbon and the deforestation that’s plagued its habitat.