Learnings: Great Apes & Gibbons Program

The overall goal of the Great Apes & Gibbons Program is to achieve conservation and respect for the great apes and gibbons. The program focuses most of its work on apes living in their natural habitat in range states (countries in the tropical belt of Africa and Southeast Asia), strategically directing resources to “landscapes” where it has been determined that effective funding can help mitigate threats to the apes and their habitats. In addition, the program supports efforts to ensure the survival and well-being of apes in captivity, including optimal care and appropriate methods for release back into the wild where that is feasible.

The program’s strategy comprises three primary goals:

1. Reconcile socioeconomic development and conservation in ape habitats and surrounding landscapes;
2. Build an integrated and coordinated conservation movement to address current and emerging threats;
3. Create respect for the rights and intrinsic value of apes so that their exploitation is diminished and they are provided appropriate care in captivity.