Western chimpanzees are the most threatened of the four confirmed chimpanzee subspecies. Conservationists estimate that populations of the western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes versus) declined by 80% between 1990 and 2014. Large tracts of chimpanzee habitat have already been lost, and much of what remains is in the crosshairs of agriculture, industry and infrastructure development.
Adding to the pressure, in their West African home, the subspecies shares its space with the worlds fastest-growing human population. Without immediate action, the IUCN warns the western chimpanzee may soon become extinct.
The IUCN recently released its latest 10-year action plan, setting out nine key strategies to protect chimpanzees. On the agenda are improved legal protection, raising awareness, and more research into their distribution, genetics and behavior. The plan also highlights the need for chimpanzees to be considered at all levels of the land use planning process if they are to have a future in the rapidly developing West Africa region.
The western chimpanzee is in dire need of coordinated and effective conservation action right now, said Erin Wessling, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvards Department of Human and Evolutionary Biology and lead editor of the IUCN plan.
The western chimpanzees range extends across eight countries in West Africa: Cte dIvoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierre Leone. The subspecies is already locally extinct in Benin, Burkino Faso and Togo.
The exact challenges western chimpanzees face vary by location, but the IUCN has identified common key threats across the region: poaching, habitat loss, and disease.
According to U.N. population data, almost half of West Africas 367 million inhabitants were 15 or younger in 2015, making it highly likely that the regions current rapid population growth will continue in the near future. Agricultural production in West Africa has been growing even faster than population growth in the last 30 years, allowing the region to greatly reduce undernourishment.
While vital for West Africas food security, this rapid agricultural expansion has had unfortunate consequences for chimpanzees. Much of their habitat has been lost to subsistence and industrial agriculture, and what remains has become increasingly fragmented.
In Cte dIvoire, once home to one of the largest populations of western chimpanzees, widespread agricultural expansion for coffee, cacao and palm oil has seen the chimpanzees range cut by 70%. Researchers now believe that only small remnant populations of a few hundred individuals remain in two of Cte dIvoires national parks.
Large portions of the remaining chimpanzee habitat in West Africa as much as 80% in Liberia are also suitable for oil palm production, a valuable export crop. Without a voice for chimpanzees in the land use planning process, experts fear the lure of foreign exchange may well override any conservation concerns.
As well as agriculture, artisanal and industrial mining, logging, new roads and development projects all have an impact on chimpanzee habitat. According to a study modeling western chimpanzee distribution, 10% of chimpanzees live within 25 kilometers (16 miles) of four major development corridors planned in West Africa.
As large-scale land-use change is occurring across West Africa, this action plan points out the need for integrated land-use planning that involves chimpanzee experts, said Stefanie Heinicke, a postdoctoral researcher with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and one of the authors of the IUCN plan.
At present, chimpanzees are sometimes considered in environmental impact assessments for individual projects in the region. However, the IUCN plan argues that unless the cumulative impact of multiple projects is considered, the full impact of development on chimpanzees cant be seen.
Chimpanzee experts need to have a voice in the planning practice, argues the action plan, which was developed following a four-day workshop in Monrovia that included representatives from the governments of all eight range countries as well as NGOs and researchers.
The authors propose that environmental assessments be carried out at both a national and range-wide level to assess the impact of development and land use change on chimpanzee populations and identify important no-go zones to protect. The IUCN plan also emphasizes the importance of ensuring land use planners have accurate information on the likely impact of developments on chimpanzee populations. As a last resort, the IUCN suggests establishing offset programs to counteract the impact of development projects on chimpanzees.
In addition to fragmenting habitat, infrastructure projects like roads also make chimpanzee habitat more accessible to poachers 60% of western chimpanzees already live within 5 km (3 mi) of a road. Bushmeat consumption is the main driver of direct killing of chimpanzees in West Africa, with researchers documenting the availability of chimpanzee meat in both rural and urban bushmeat markets. Chimps are also killed for their body parts and as a result of human wildlife conflict, or are captured live for the exotic pet trade.
Heinickes modeling study calculated that 83% of the estimated 52,800 remaining western chimpanzees live outside protected areas, leaving them especially vulnerable.
As less than 20% of western chimpanzees occur in high-level protected areas, the strengthening and extension of protected areas is a central strategy of this new conservation action plan, she said.
And even living in a protected area is not a guarantee of safety. A study surveying hunters around Liberias Sapo National Park recorded 74 chimpanzees killed and eight infants captured alive in two months.
To tackle this, the action plan calls for increased legal protection for chimpanzees and international coordination to improve the enforcement of wildlife laws.
Laws and protected areas dedicated to protecting this subspecies havent been as effective as we need them to be, Wessling said. To do so will require that chimpanzee conservationists have a seat at the table in the discussions.
There are also other consequences to the growing proximity between chimpanzees and humans.
An increasing spatial overlap can increase the risk of disease transmission between humans and chimpanzees, and can also increase the likelihood of conflicts, Heinicke said.
With many physiological similarities, chimpanzees are susceptible to a number of human diseases, and vice versa. Chimpanzees are known to have caught human respiratory diseases, including a type of human coronavirus, that can prove fatal. Another disease of major concern in the West Africa region is Ebola. While there is no evidence that chimpanzees have been affected in the worst outbreak, from 2014-16, gorilla and chimpanzee populations have been severely affected in the past.
The action plan calls for disease monitoring and risk analysis to understand and mitigate the risks of disease transmission between humans and chimpanzees, an issue that has recently shot to prominence in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Another area the plan focuses on is the need to fill gaps in scientific knowledge about the distribution, behavior and genetic diversity of western chimpanzees an area also highlighted in the previous action plan.
Since the last conservation action plan many areas across West Africa have been surveyed, Heinicke said. However, there are still gaps, especially in terms of chimpanzee density and distribution.
The remaining strategies in the action plan call for an increased awareness of the plight of western chimpanzees at both the local and international level, and the need for effective long-term financing for chimpanzee conservation.
With rising competition for chimpanzee habitat and increasing proximity to West Africas growing human population, the future for the western chimpanzee is precarious. Wessling and Heinicke say they are hopeful that the nine strategies the IUCN plan sets out can offer a glimmer of hope for the western chimpanzees.
Theres an urgent need to make calculated efforts to give this subspecies a chance, Wessling said. [T]he consequences if we arent effective are immense.
FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page.
Read the original:
10-year plan hopes to give western chimpanzees a fighting chance - Mongabay.com
- June 11th At Westport, CT: Federal Red Flags, HIPAA Security Rules and Fraud Prevention - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Do not learn Dvorak! - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- You Can’t Solve Problems By Making It Illegal To Have The Problem - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- A Force Fix for Healthcare - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Yahble, HIT, Bubblecon, BIZDEV!, Solid State - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- 15 things that suck about the Palm Pre - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- What an Indie Genomics Lab Looks Like - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Practice Fusion: Class D Felony? - February 26th, 2010 [February 26th, 2010]
- Practice Fusion Responds - March 7th, 2010 [March 7th, 2010]
- Practice Fusion: Do the math: $44,000 is a LIE - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- How Much Until Doctors Approve of 23andMe? - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Biochemicals as Media, Not Methods - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- More Practice Fusion Reality Distortion - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Same Test Results: 23andMe is Myriad is BRCA is Medicine - March 12th, 2010 [March 12th, 2010]
- BRCA is 23andMe is Myriad is Medicine - March 13th, 2010 [March 13th, 2010]
- Getting Serious About Genomics as Common Medical Practice - March 15th, 2010 [March 15th, 2010]
- The New John Mackey of Genetics: Linda Avey? - March 15th, 2010 [March 15th, 2010]
- Keep the Medical, Well, Medical - March 16th, 2010 [March 16th, 2010]
- If 23andMe shuts down, it won’t be for some mundane reason like the bills weren’t paid - March 16th, 2010 [March 16th, 2010]
- If I Run A Medical Practice, How Do I Use A 23andMe? - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- 23andMe Contract in Bad Faith - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Doctors CANNOT Use 23andMe Due To 23andMe’s Bad Faith Contract - March 20th, 2010 [March 20th, 2010]
- Pathway Compared to 23andMe and Navigenics - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- There’s a Word for “Views Differ” When One View Is The State - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- Association for Molecular Pathology, et al. v. USPTO, et al. – Opinion - March 29th, 2010 [March 29th, 2010]
- Birth of a Super Villain - April 3rd, 2010 [April 3rd, 2010]
- “Medical Products” like 23andMe must not become the new “Financial Products” - April 4th, 2010 [April 4th, 2010]
- How I Would Apply Genomic Technology In Clinical Use Today - April 5th, 2010 [April 5th, 2010]
- Gmail Enterprise: World’s Best EMR - April 6th, 2010 [April 6th, 2010]
- Brief Primer on Health Law Compliance - April 9th, 2010 [April 9th, 2010]
- Spoiler: You ARE the “Valids” - April 9th, 2010 [April 9th, 2010]
- Rachel Lehmann-Haupt Line by Line Take Down - April 9th, 2010 [April 9th, 2010]
- Is Medicare Bankrupt? What the Hell Is Going On? - April 17th, 2010 [April 17th, 2010]
- The Big Shuffle: Medicare Cuts Rates by 21.3% (but not “technically”) - April 17th, 2010 [April 17th, 2010]
- “Tech Hiring Binge” == “Fear for Your Job, Nerds” - April 18th, 2010 [April 18th, 2010]
- How Bad is Bad? $.20 on the Private Medical Insurance Dollar - April 20th, 2010 [April 20th, 2010]
- Update: How Bad is Bad? It Used to Be $.45 on the Medical Insurance Dollar - April 20th, 2010 [April 20th, 2010]
- World’s Best “EMR” for $1000: Google Spreadsheets + iPad - April 21st, 2010 [April 21st, 2010]
- Don’t Insult Me with your “AOL Keyword” Strategy, Google Health - April 21st, 2010 [April 21st, 2010]
- How to Play LAWGAMES - April 23rd, 2010 [April 23rd, 2010]
- Top 4 Predatory Schemes Encroaching on American Medicine: Part 1 - April 25th, 2010 [April 25th, 2010]
- What’s the Big Deal About iPads? - April 27th, 2010 [April 27th, 2010]
- Got Google Android for Google I/O - April 27th, 2010 [April 27th, 2010]
- Google Enterprise meets HIPAA and HITECH Compliant Laws - April 29th, 2010 [April 29th, 2010]
- Pixels of Accuracy CHALENGE: Diagnostic Medical Imaging - April 29th, 2010 [April 29th, 2010]
- 23andMe Launder AlioGenetics Doesn’t Even Bother to Remove 23andMe Logo - April 30th, 2010 [April 30th, 2010]
- Anthem of CT Denies $600 Until “Subscriber Responds to our Coordination of Benefits Questionnaire” - May 1st, 2010 [May 1st, 2010]
- Apple And Google Team Up To Launch Revolutionary Mobile Health System - May 1st, 2010 [May 1st, 2010]
- Funny Pictures from This Year Building the Medical Practice - May 6th, 2010 [May 6th, 2010]
- Remote Medical Video Monitoring on iPad and iPhone - May 7th, 2010 [May 7th, 2010]
- Google Calendar Overhead Waiting Room Display - May 7th, 2010 [May 7th, 2010]
- Various Whiteboards on Solid State Medical Operations - May 7th, 2010 [May 7th, 2010]
- The Raw Facts about Counsyl - May 7th, 2010 [May 7th, 2010]
- Brawndo: Still Mutilating Thirst, Still Not Yet Sold at the Stop-n-Shop Pharmacy - May 9th, 2010 [May 9th, 2010]
- Video: Google Enterprise to Outsource Medical Administration - May 9th, 2010 [May 9th, 2010]
- Gattaca: “The Matrix” of Genomics - May 11th, 2010 [May 11th, 2010]
- 23andMe Now Diagnoses Fatal Tay-Sachs Disease - May 12th, 2010 [May 12th, 2010]
- Why Was Pathway Targeted for FDA Enforcement and Not 23andMe? - May 15th, 2010 [May 15th, 2010]
- John Dolan on Aging and the Horrifying Conclusion of GWAS - May 16th, 2010 [May 16th, 2010]
- Sam R. Riley Wants To Tell You About Practice Fusion - May 17th, 2010 [May 17th, 2010]
- Response to “Genomic Medicine: Lost” - May 19th, 2010 [May 19th, 2010]
- Death And Taxes: CMS to IRS - May 19th, 2010 [May 19th, 2010]
- Please Stop Antagonizing the AMA - May 26th, 2010 [May 26th, 2010]
- Dan Vorhaus, Attorney At Law, Legally Advises Medical Doctors Can Use 23andMe To Provide Medical Advice - May 28th, 2010 [May 28th, 2010]
- Singularity Summit 2010 in San Francisco to Explore Intelligence Augmentation - June 7th, 2010 [June 7th, 2010]
- OpenPCR: DNA amplification for anyone - June 10th, 2010 [June 10th, 2010]
- FDA sends letters to 5 genetic testing companies - June 11th, 2010 [June 11th, 2010]
- Amazon And The NIH Team Up To Put Human Genome In The Cloud - March 31st, 2012 [March 31st, 2012]
- ReproSource Comments on New Study Linking Infertility to Genetics - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Genetics 101 Part 1: What are genes? - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Red Ice Radio - David Icke - Hour 1 - The Manipulation of Humanity - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Genetics Part 5: Human Genetic Disorders - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- C2CAM - The Nephilim, Genetic Manipulation - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Human Nature talk with Robert Sapolsky, Gabor Mate, James Gilligan, Richard Wilkinson - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Human Genetic Diseases - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Alien Scientist on Genetics, Implants - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Research and Markets: Genetics, 6th Edition International Student Version Continues To Educate Today's Students for ... - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Myriad Genetics to Present at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2012 Health Care Conference - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Genetics may explain some people's dislike of meat - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- 'Blond Genes' May Vary Around the World - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]