New research: Artificial rope bridges may be beneficial to rare primate conservation initiatives

BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua Sun Zifa) Springer Nature's open access journal Scientific Report recently published a research paper on endangered animals, said the endangered primate Hainan gibbon was photographed crossing an artificial rope bridge, which connects their forest crown habitat to a huge gap, indicating that artificial rope bridges or in favor of the conservation of such rare primates.
gibbons have been found only in the forests of Hainan Island, China. Within the habitat, they shuttle between trees on the ground, while natural or man-made forest crown gaps limit populations to specific areas, limiting their foraging and breeding opportunities and increasing the risk of being arrested for food.
paper's co-author,
Kado Farms and Botanical Garden Chen Yule, and colleagues built a man-made canopy bridge for Hainan gibbons in 2015 to help them move between two habitats separated by a shallow 15-meter-wide trench formed by a natural landslide. With the help of professional tree climbers, climbing ropes are tied to firm trees, and sports sensors are installed to monitor wildlife use.
176 days after the man-made canopy bridge was installed, hainan gibbons were photographed crossing the rope bridge for the first time. Over the 470 days of the study, 208 photos and 53 videos of gibbons using rope bridges were recorded. Among them, the Hainan gibbon was recorded climbing on the rope bridge the most images, followed by the swing arm. Nine members of the gibbon population were photographed using the canopy bridge, with the exception of an adult male ape. Instead of using rope bridges, larger apes are often photographed crossing the forest gap with adult apes.
authors conclude that the study shows the use and value of rope bridges connecting forest crown gaps. While the restoration of natural forests should be the primary objective of conservation interventions, man-made canopy bridges may be effective in solving short-term problems.