New distribution of Western Black-Crowned Gibbon in Mt. Nu.
The research team at the Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research and International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation declared at a joint conferences of the 2nd Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research Forum, the 6th Asian Primate Conference, and the 5th Indo-China Peninsula Primate Protection Seminar Yunlong Branch News that a group of the western black-crowned gibbon (Nomascus concolor) captured in Mt. Nu (Biluo Snow Mountain) is a population of the species newly found in the western Yunnan, China.
This is a species heavily dependent on extensive forests, mainly inhabiting in tropical and subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests. It lives in the forest canopy for almost its life time, without going to the ground. The previous reports indicated that the northernmost distribution of the western black-crowned gibbon was in the Ailao Mountain area. This discovery extends its distribution area to nearly 100km north of Yunnan, and 150km north of the Lincang area in the Province.
Its images were first caught by an infrared camera installed in the wild at a location between Yunlong County in Dali and Lushui County in Nujiang prefectures. The further study on its potential distribution is being carried out with 3DIS (3D-map based Interview Survey), mostly installed in Dali CaoJian Forest Farm.
Over the past 8 years, the research team of the Institute and Centre has been conducting biodiversity surveys on the primates in Biluo Snow Mountain. The discovery of this new populations is very important to fully understand the gibbon’s distribution, ecology, habitat and natural selection, and conservation for this critically endangered species.
The research team said: since the newly discovered population is located between the Nujiang Lanping and Dali Yunlong borders, it is necessary to set up a protection area, and carry out emergency protection involved with the two prefectures. It is also required to conduct a further study in Biluo Snow Mountain in order to provide more scientific information and evidence in making tangible conservation strategies and tactics, particularly regarding the establishment of the key biodiversity areas.
The outcomes of the research made the research team more convinced of the importance for a further survey in the region. Thus, it is necessary to strengthen the investigation in the area to have an integral plan conserving the biodiversity of Biluo Snow Mountain, and search for a possibility of establishing a protect area, so that this population and other animals could be effectively studied and protected in this world heritage region, the Three Parallel Rivers.
This found have been published in Primates Journal (Fang et al. 2020), Please list of publication of ICBPC Centre in the website.
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