title: Catastrophic ape decline in western equatorial Africa.
abstract: Because rapidly expanding human populations have devastated gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) and common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) habitats in East and West Africa, the relatively intact forests of western equatorial Africa have been viewed as the last stronghold of African apes. Gabon and the Republic of Congo alone are thought to hold roughly 80% of the world's gorillas and most of the common chimpanzees. Here we present survey results conservatively indicating that ape populations in Gabon declined by more than half between 1983 and 2000. The primary cause of the decline in ape numbers during this period was commercial hunting, facilitated by the rapid expansion of mechanized logging. Furthermore, Ebola haemorrhagic fever is currently spreading through ape populations in Gabon and Congo and now rivals hunting as a threat to apes. Gorillas and common chimpanzees should be elevated immediately to 'critically endangered' status. Without aggressive investments in law enforcement, protected area management and Ebola prevention, the next decade will see our closest relatives pushed to the brink of extinction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Guyot Hall, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA. pwalsh@princeton.edu
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Kate A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Abernethy
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bermejo
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beyers
authors.forename: Pauwel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Wachter
authors.forename: Marc Ella
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Akou
authors.forename: Bas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huijbregts
authors.forename: Daniel Idiata
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Mambounga
authors.forename: Andre Kamdem
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Toham
authors.forename: Annelisa M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kilbourn
authors.forename: Sally A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lahm
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Latour
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maisels
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mbina
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mihindou
authors.forename: Sosthène Ndong
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Obiang
authors.forename: Ernestine Ntsame
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Effa
authors.forename: Malcolm P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Starkey
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Telfer
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thibault
authors.forename: Caroline E G
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Tutin
authors.forename: Lee J T
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Wilkie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018420:Ape Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003132:Commerce; D003223:Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000639:trends; D003625:Data Collection; D017753:Ecosystem; D005681:Gabon / Q000453:epidemiology; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015186:Hominidae / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006802:Human Activities; D008460:Meat / Q000191:economics; D011156:Population Density