The Confrontation and Saving the Country’s population of Yellow-Cheeked Crested Gibbon in the Eastern Plains Landscape
Thursday, February 12, 2009 - Editor: Tiep Seiha
By Chheng Sambo
The latest report of WWF, which is about the number of yellow-cheeked crested Gibbon and its living at the Eastern Plain Landscape of Cambodia on 30 December 2008 confirmed that they are living in a suitable habitats of Phnom Prich. The estimated population of 275 groups, or possibly more then 1000 individuals.
Yellow-Cheeked Gibbon is the kind of species, which are found less as universal among other in Cambodia. IUCN has recently been up-listed them into the red list to endangered due to the declining number and increased the pressures from exploitation.
The primate population is decimated mainly by habitat loss and fragmentation, caused by illegal logging, shifting cultivation and land encroachment; and by hunting for food, use in traditional medicine and trade.
“This is the unique chance for conservationists with Cambodian government and NGOs sector to mobilize the efforts into protecting the primate and its habitat,” said Graig Bruce, Esatern Plain landscape project manager.
Survey method was designed using 60 listening posts distribution randomly across Phnom Pric. WWF’s field research team navigated to pre-designed listening post using the hand-help GPS, and camps over 1000 meters away from the listening post to avoid disturbing the gibbon.
Seng Teak, country director of WWF said that the survey indicated the global significant of Phnom Pric wildlife sanctuary for this endanger primate and suggested more conservation effort must be focused in this last dry forest wilderness of the country. As well, the finding gives the conservations a better perspective on how to preserve this gibbon population.
Thom Gray, landscape biodiversity monitoring advisor, described that this field research is demanded the conservationists involve the rangers describing gibbon song bout for the couple of day. “For each song bout, the team described compassing bearing direction and estimated the distance to the group, time of starting and ending of all song bouts, and type of song,” he added.
The rang of the yellow-cheeked gibbon has been described as encompassing northeastern Cambodia, Southern Vietnam and Southern Lao. However, recent studies suggested that gibbon population in Phnom Pric and Seima biodiversity conservation area important.
Cambodia WWF organization encourages a new chance to benefit to people to do the conservation of biodiversity in the country. In addition, WWF has plan to do this research every 2-3 year once to keep watching of changing the number along with activities to best protect and conserve them.
