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On 19 October 2000, the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000 (H.R.4320), passed in the U.S. Senate. On 1 November 2000, the Act was passed by the 106th Congress and signed into law (P.L.106-411) by President Clinton.

This new law will assist in the conservation of the great apes by providing up to $5 million annually, through fiscal year 2004, to conservation programs in countries where great apes are indigenous.

The Act has two purposes: (1) to sustain viable populations of apes in the wild, and (2) to assist in the conservation and protection of apes by supporting the conservation programs of countries in which ape populations are located. To accomplish these purposes, GACA creates the Great Ape Conservation Fund (GACF) to support and provide financial resources to conservation programs of countries within the range of apes and to projects of persons and organizations with expertise applicable to the conservation of apes.

The GACF assists the conservation of apes by supporting:

• implementation of conservation programs to protect at-risk ape populations and their habitats;
• in-situ research on ape populations and habitat including surveys and monitoring;
• community outreach and conservation education;
• compliance with CITES and other applicable laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of apes or regulate the use and management of ape habitat;
• protected area/reserve management in important ape range;
• development and execution of ape conservation management plans;
• efforts to decrease human-ape conflict, and;
• strengthening of local capacity to implement conservation programs.

In spite of the misleading title and most reports published on the GACA, the Great Ape Conservation Act does include gibbons.

Funding for the Great Ape Conservation Act has been allocated for fiscal year 2001. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) invites submission of grant proposals for the conservation of apes throughout their ranges. Guidelines for proposals are available from: http://www.fws.gov/international/grants/gacacfp2001.html

Proposals may be submitted by any wildlife management authority of a country containing the range of apes, the CITES Secretariat, or any individual or organization with relevant conservation experience. Proposals must have the support of local government(s), and have matching funds (cash), or in-kind support (salaries, equipment, etc.) provided by the organization receiving the grant or other partners. Preference will be given to proposals requesting US$30,000 or less, but higher amounts may be requested. Funding is usually for one year or less, but projects lasting more than one year may be proposed. Proposals may be submitted throughout the year, and those postmarked after 1 March 2001 will be reviewed during subsequent sessions. Reviews and processing may require up to six months.

For the full text of the legislation, see:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106:H.R.4320: