New Year, New Forests
by Thomas Gomersall
A new year brings new hope, both for people that a COVID-19 vaccine will help end the ongoing pandemic and, with your help, for the Hoolock gibbons of Myanmar that their rainforest habitat will be restored.
In Myanmar, as in much of their range, these small apes are under threat from hunting and habitat loss. The latter is especially damaging as gibbons require large areas of forest in order to maintain viable populations. But because of deforestation, many populations are divided into small, isolated forest fragments, potentially making them very vulnerable to eventual die-off through hunting or in-breeding. In order to prevent this, it is vital that these fragments are reconnected through reforestation and that important gibbon habitats are protected.
One such habitat is Zalon-Taung, an area of proposed national park covering around 244 square kilometres of forest. It has recently been identified as a site of conservation significance for the Hoolock gibbon and is one of the few places in Myanmar where they can still be found. It also borders another large patch of habitat: The Kalut Reserved Forest. If they could both be linked up together and receive official protection, it would dramatically increase the area of protected habitat for gibbons here, as well as for other species like pangolins, dhole dogs, Asiatic black bears and clouded leopards.
However, this connectivity is currently compromised by a history of illegal gold mining. Mining has resulted in severe forest degradation and fragmentation along streams, particularly in the area separating Zalon-Taung from the Kalut Reserved Forest. Although mining has ceased, the places in which it occurred still remain deforested and require intensive reforestation if they are to be returned to their former state.
This is where you come in.
WWF aims to plant 3,000 trees in former mining sites in Zalon-Taung. By following the link here, you can donate to plant up to 20 trees, which will be used to connect it to the Kalut Reserved Forest. This is important for all of the species here but especially for the gibbons as their primary mode of travel is swinging through the forest canopy.
So as we all look forward to a bright new year, please give as generously as you can to make it a good one for gibbons and our precious rainforests too.
