Chimpanzees

In some areas of western equatorial Africa, ape populations have declined by more than 50% over the last twenty years. By far the most serious short-term threats to apes in this region are poaching and disease epidemics. In the longer term, however, it is believed that habitat loss and disturbance will become as serious a threat as hunting and disease. The world’s leading experts agree that the investment and actions described in this plan constitute the best strategy for preserving wild chimpanzees and gorilla populations in western equatorial Africa.

Les chimpanzés vivent à l’état sauvage uniquement en Afrique tropicale où leur population a diminué de plus de 66% au cours des trente dernières années. Ce plan d’action concerne l’une des quatre sous-espèces de chimpanzés, le chimpanzé d’Afrique occidentale, qui est l’une des deux sous-espèces les plus menacées d’extinction.

Wild chimpanzees are only found in tropical Africa, where their populations have declined by more than 66% in the last 30 years. This action plan focuses on one of the four chimpanzee subspecies, the western chimpanzee, which is one of the two subspecies most threatened with extinction. The aim of this publication is to halt or reverse the decline in chimpanzee numbers in West Africa by increasing awareness of their plight and by presenting a plan for action that represents a consensus among all parties concerned with the conservation of chimpanzees.