Great Apes & Gibbons Program Geographic Focus Areas
The program’s 10-year strategy focuses on 24 priority ape-range landscapes across 18 countries in Africa and Asia, as well as two countries, the United States and Kenya, where apes are held in captivity outside of their range.
Great Apes & Gibbons Program
Arcus’ Great Apes & Gibbons program strategy is driven by its mission to ensure conservation and respect for the world’s gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and gibbons, who are under threat in every country where they live.
The foundation’s 10-year strategy focuses on priority ape-range landscapes across 18 countries in Africa and Asia, as well as two countries-the United States and Kenya-where apes are held in captivity outside of their range.
The 2016-2026 strategy aims to:
- Reconcile socio-economic development and conservation activities in priority ape landscapes;
- Build an effective movement of institutions and leadership addressing current and emerging threats to apes;
- Increase respect for the intrinsic value of apes, diminishing their exploitation and ensuring they are provided appropriate care.
It currently prioritizes 24 landscapes based on the size of ape habitat, distribution and density of ape populations, species diversity, level of threat, presence of existing and effective conservation efforts, and the existence of supportive institutions and legislation: 12 in pristine areas,1 10 in frontier areas,2 and 2 isolated areas.3
Across these landscapes, we support holistic, collaborative, and long-term approaches by a range of actors from the conservation and other sectors to promote behavior change, including development of policy and legal challenges; strengthening tools, monitoring, and law enforcement; engaging local communities and leaders in improved and sustainable livelihoods; and developing strong public awareness and thought leadership.
1Trinational (Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic); Virungas (Rwanda, DRC, Uganda); Eastern DRC (DRC); the Greater Mahale Ecosystem (Tanzania); Lomako (DRC); Tshuapa-Lomami-Lualaba (DRC); Northern Rep. of Congo (Republic of Congo); Leuser (Indonesia); Central Kalimantan (Indonesia); Arabella-Schwanner (Indonesia); Gunung Palung (Indonesia); the Hukaung-Htamanthi landscape (Myanmar).
2Batang Toro (Indonesia); Eastern Sabah (Malaysia); Western Java (Indonesia); The Mentawai Islands (Indonesia); Fouta Djallon (Guinea); Cross-river (Nigeria, Cameroon); The Northern Annamites (Laos); Veun Sai-Siem Pang (Cambodia); Tai-Sapo (Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia); East Kalimantan (Indonesia).
3The Cao-vit Landscape (Vietnam/China); Hainan (China).
