Disappearing silvery gibbons

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This gibbon species lives only on Java, Indonesia and only around 2,000 are

believed to exist in the wild.

 

www.chinaview.cn 2004-08-28 16:49:05

 

Five groups of silvery gibbon disappear in Java

 

JAKARTA, Aug. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Five groups of the endangered Javan

silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch), or Owa Jawa, have disappeared from the

Kabandungan Forest, a lush corridor that connects Mount Salak and Mount

Halimun in Sukabumi, West Java province, a park official said.

" Illegal loggers have nearly cut down the entire corridor ... the

small area of remaining forest is now isolated from the Kabandungan

ecosystem, " Mount Halimun National Park official Nur Faizin was quoted by

The Jakarta Post as saying on Saturday.

In 1998, Faizin said five families of four to five Javan silvery

gibbons lived in the forest corridor.

" Maybe they died from the extreme change in their habitat, or were

killed by hunters, or migrated to another location, " he said.

Another Halimun park official Ika Kristiana warned the extinction of

many flora and fauna, especially those as yet undiscovered in the forest,

due to disappearance of the forest corridor.

The Kabandungan corridor is vital to the preservation of the mountain

ecosystems of Salak and Halimun, which are home to different animals and

vegetation.

" We believe the forest corridor linked the two ecosystems and enabled

their endemic species to interact and expand their gene pools for better

survival. Without this, species endemic to the mountains would disappear

one by one, " Ika asserted.

The Ministry of Forestry placed Salak and Halimun under a single

management last year, expanding the national park from 40,000 ha to 113,357

ha across Sukabumi and Bogor regencies of West Java and Lebak regency of

Banten. The Kabandungan forest corridor is located in Lebak.

In the next five years, Faizin said, the national park, along with the

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), would initiate a program

rehabilitating the diminishing forest corridor.

The park management and JICA are currently surveying the economic base

of villagers living around the forest, establishing the park's border and

involving locals in conservation programs.

In addition, they are encouraging villagers to switch to farming to

reduce their dependence on forests as their main source of income.

" We are also receiving assistance from other (environmental groups) to

rehabilitate the forest, " Ika said.

The twin ecosystem is also home to 16 different species of eagles,

including the 18 Javan eagles spotted there, and eight remaining Javan

silvery gibbon families that forage across 40,000 ha of the park.

" We have found 40 panthers in the national park, each of which has a

territory of 1,000 hectares, " he said.

 

 

Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman

International Primate Protection League

POB 766

Summerville SC 29484, USA

Ph. 843-871-2280: Fax: 843-871-7988: www.ippl.org

 

" Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because

we build cars and buildings and start wars etc...and

all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish

and play around. Dolphins believe that they are

smarter for exactly the same reasons. "

--Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy