The Gibbon Network

Hoolock Gibbon Status Review project

Field study:
Status survey of hoolock gibbons in Myanmar

Location of field site:
Surveys at numerous sites, including Rakhine, Kachin, and Shan states.

Objectives:
The Hoolock Gibbon Status Review project (of the Myanmar Conservation Program) is implemented jointly by the People Resources and Conservation Foundation (PRCF), Fauna & Flora International (FFI), the Myanmar Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA) and the Zoology Department of the University of Yangon.
The project aims to assess the conservation status of the hoolock gibbon in Myanmar, while strengthening the capacity of the conservation movement in primate surveying, monitoring, and conservation. Globally, hoolock gibbon populations are dwindling due to forest clearance, disturbance, and hunting. Myanmar still holds significantly large and intact areas of prime habitat for hoolock gibbons, but there is no significant data on the conservation status of these apes.
A comprehensive review on the conservation status of the species will help identify, prioritize, and plan conservation interventions to boost options for the long-term conservation of hoolock gibbons. The proposed project will help initiate hoolock gibbon conservation efforts, by increasing the knowledge on the distribution and relative abundance of this species in Myanmar.
Through surveys and analysis of gibbon population status, the project will identify major threats to gibbon populations in Myanmar and raise awareness among stakeholders regarding conservation needs for the species. To ensure sustainability of project outcomes, specialists in the project will train counterpart staff from the local non-government 'Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association' (BANCA) and the Zoology Department of Yangon University.

Project personnel:
Project Administration and Monitoring:
L. Fernando Potess (PRCF)

Project Field Coordination:
Frank Momberg (FFI)

PRCF Environmental Associate for Myanmar:
Mark Grindley

Project Logistics and Administration Support:
Dr. Htlin Hla (BANCA)

Primate ecology and survey specialist:
Dr. Thomas Geissmann, University of Zurich, E-Mail: thomas.geissmann@aim.uzh.ch

Species studied:
Western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock)
Eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys)

Other species found at sites:
Capped leaf-monkey (Trachypithecus pileatus)
Shortridge's leaf-monkey (Trachypithecus shortridgei)
Phayre's leaf-monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei)
Stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides)
Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensis)
Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Northern pig-tailed macacque (Macaca leonina)
Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis)

Affiliations:
Myanmar Conservation Program, BANCA (Myanmar Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association), FFI (Fauna and Flora International), PRCF (People Resources and Conservation Foundation), Zoology Department of Yangon University, Myanmar, and Anthropological Institute, Zurich University, Switzerland.

Project begin and end dates:
Jul 2008 - Jun 2010