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A primate on the brink - Cao vit gibbon even closer to extinction than feared
Thanks to new technology, we now have a better idea of just how vanishingly rare the world’s second rarest ape really is...
New populations of an endangered primate, named after the lead character in Star Wars when it was identified as a distinct species back in 2017, have been found in Myanmar.
Scientists had already speculated that the evocatively named Skywalker gibbon might not be confined to the forest in China where the species was originally discovered. They suspected that its range might extend across the border into Myanmar.
Gibbons do not swim and rarely leave their treetop homes, to which they are wonderfully well adapted. This means that rivers tend to form natural barriers that restrict the movements of these canopy-dwelling primates and dictate their distribution. Based on the local geography, Skywalker gibbons could reasonably be expected to occur between the N’Mai Kha and Ayeyarwaddy Rivers to the west, and the Salween River to the east.
Adult male Skywalker gibbon. © Prof. Pengfei Fan / Sun Yat-Sen University
An adult male Skywalker gibbon in the forest canopy.
Cutting-edge science
That hypothesis has now been proved correct, thanks to state-of-the-art conservation techniques including acoustic monitoring – a method that identifies gibbon groups based on their early-morning songs – and analysis of DNA samples taken from chewed plants (cue more Star Wars references to Chewbacca).
The latest twist in the Skywalker saga was announced in a paper co-authored by Fauna & Flora and published in the International Journal of Primatology. The study was led by the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center at the University of California, Davis, with support from an in-country expedition team led by Fauna & Flora and Nature Conservation Society-Myanmar.
Ngwe Lwin, Fauna & Flora’s Country Director in Myanmar and a leader of the expedition, comments: “This is a significant discovery for the future of primate conservation in Myanmar. While there are now more confirmed groups of Skywalker gibbons in the wild, it is feared that their populations are fast declining due to habitat degradation and loss, and poaching. With the new data collected during this study, we hope to continue working with the government and local communities to establish better protection for areas inhabited by gibbons, benefiting multiple fauna and flora species, and the communities that rely on these forests too.”
Hiding in plain sight
Primate surveys in Myanmar in recent times have been limited due to civil unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic. However, a period of relative stability created a window of opportunity for the field team to undertake this vital work. The new methods enabled the team to confirm 44 groups of Skywalker gibbon in Myanmar.
While the exact numbers in these newly identified groups have yet to be determined, evidence suggests that the world’s largest population of Skywalker gibbons may have been hiding in plain sight until now. Their presence has been confirmed in areas previously thought to be occupied by the closely related eastern hoolock gibbon.
New populations, old threats
The Skywalker gibbon faces a range of typical threats – from hunting to habitat loss – and the vast majority of its forest habitat falls outside Myanmar’s existing protected areas system. There is an urgent need for conservation action and, in the short term, community protected areas have the potential to play a crucial role in the gibbon’s survival
During the study, two communities stated their willingness to establish community protected areas to support gibbons and prevent land grabs for mining. In addition, one community wanted to start a gibbon conservation awareness programme to prevent hunting.
Ngwe Lwin sees partnerships such as this as the best way forward: “Now more than ever, it is recognised that the collective efforts of stakeholders, including governments, communities and Indigenous Peoples’ groups are the only effective way to protect and save our closest living relatives.”
Adult female Skywalker gibbon. © Prof. Pengfei Fan / Sun Yat-Sen University
The long-term survival of the Skywalker gibbon will hinge on protection of its dwindling forest habitat.
Primate hotspot
Myanmar is emerging as one of the most important countries in the world for primate conservation. Fauna & Flora and our local partners are at the forefront of efforts to protect the country’s globally significant populations of threatened gibbons and monkeys – several of which are found nowhere else on Earth.
In 2010, Ngwe Lwin was part of a research team that first discovered the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey, an extremely rare primate with an estimated population of just 260-330 individuals. A decade later, Fauna & Flora also contributed to the discovery of the Popa langur, which was confirmed as a new species following extensive genetic and morphological studies, combined with field surveys.
Myanmar’s primates face an uncertain future, but Fauna & Flora’s engagement with communities and other local partners offers new hope for the Skywalker gibbon and the other incredible species that we are helping to protect.
Help protect precious primates
Don’t let this newly discovered group disappear – help us to fund long-term protection for gibbons.
Support Fauna & Flora today.
Donate todayAdult female Skywalker gibbon. © Prof. Pengfei Fan / Sun Yat-Sen University
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