Abstract
The western black crested gibbon (Nomascus concolor), or black gibbon, one of the lesser apes (Hylobatidae), is mainly distributed in Yunnan, China. Of the four recognized subspecies, N. c. jingdongensis is endemic to the Wuliang Mountain, central Yunnan, China. Of all the subspecies, this one has the largest population of any black gibbon. However, the data were all based on brief estimates. We carried out an extensive field survey on population and group distribution of the black gibbon in the Wuliang Mountains by use of loud morning songs and interviews with local people. Ninety-eight groups were confirmed and located in the mid-montane range of Wuliang Mountains. More groups are found on the east slope and the southern region than in the west and the north. Gibbons are more disjunctly distributed on the west slope, especially in the northern part. Deforestation in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was the main reason for rapid loss of habitat and population decline. Hunting was another key reason for population decline and, in many cases, the main reason for local extinction.
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Acknowledgements
The study was supported by the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (#KSCX2-SW-119), the National Key Project for Basic Research on Ecosystem Changes in Longitudinal Range-Gorge Region and Transboundary Eco-security of Southwest China (#2003CB415103) and the Sino-Dutch Forest Conservation and Community Development Project. Many thanks to Mr. Zhang Xingwei, the director of Jingdong Nature Reserve, Mrs. Gao Suzhen, the director of Nanjian Nauture Reserve, for their kindly supports and coordination. We are debted to Mr. Li Jianqiang, Yang Wenqin, He Qifeng, Dong Wenjin, Xiong Shaorong, Luo Kaichun, Yang Kaijing and Li Kaihong for their useful field assistance. Thanks also to Mr. Song Jinxin for drawing Fig. 1. We are grateful to Dr. William Bleisch, and one anonymous reviewer for their comments on the manuscript. Special thanks to Dr. Warren Y. Brockelman for his invaluable comments and kind help, especially rewriting the part on population estimation and improving the manuscript. Part of the work was carried out at the Jointed Black Gibbon Monitoring Station of Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Jingdong Nature Reserve.
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Jiang, X., Luo, Z., Zhao, S. et al. Status and distribution pattern of black crested gibbon (Nomascus concolor jingdongensis) in Wuliang Mountains, Yunnan, China: implication for conservation. Primates 47, 264–271 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-005-0175-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-005-0175-3