Gibbon conservation in Laos

This video is on wildlife in Laos.

From Fauna & Flora International:

National Gibbon Conservation Action Plan launched in Lao People’s Democratic Republic

18th July 2011

Lao PDR further commits to protecting globally important biodiversity by launching a national action plan

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have been coordinating preparation of a national action plan with the Division of Forest Resource Conservation within the Department of Forestry for the conservation of gibbons in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR).

Paul Insua-Cao, FFI’s China – Indochina Primate Programme Manager said, “Native to the forests of Southeast Asia, gibbons are considered to be among nature’s greatest acrobats. Throughout their range gibbons are under considerable threat, often restricted to isolated patches of forest within a region with some of the highest human population densities in the world.”

Altogether six species of gibbon are known from Lao PDR, among 18 species globally. Of particular conservation significance are crested gibbons, of which there are four species in Lao PDR. This is the most endangered genus of gibbons and they are found almost exclusively east of the Mekong River, also in Cambodia, China and Vietnam.

Fate of Vietnam’s Gibbons Hangs in the Balance: here.

Gibbons effortlessly use the same techniques as professional opera singers when calling out to other animals, scientists found by listening to the squeaky songs of one of the apes on helium: here.

Related articles

• Praise for Vietnamese writings on Laos (laospdrnews.wordpress.com)
• New Mekong region animal discoveries (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Gibbon born at the Toledo Zoo (toledoblade.com)
• Research findings offer a glimmer of hope for one of the world’s rarest primates (phys.org)

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