Workshop Report
November 21-22, 1999
Kyoto University Primate Research Institute
Inuyama, Japan
Sally Coxe, Norm Rosen, Philip Miller and Ulysses Seal, editors
A Contribution of the Workshop Participants and
The Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (IUCN / SSC)
CONTENTS
Section I: Executive Summary and Recommendations 3
Section II: Distribution, Threats and Activities 11
Section III: Life History and Modeling 17
Section IV: References 29
Section V: List of Participants 33
Section VI: Appendices
Appendix I: Bonobo Distribution Maps 37
Appendix II: Update of status of pending survey of the Salonga
National Park 45
Appendix III: T. Furuichi and C. Hashimoto Post-Workshop Modeling
Report 47
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION:
Endangered, the bonobo (Pan paniscus) is found only in the central Congo
Basin of the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire). The
current wild population is unknown, but definitely decreasing. Restricted
in distribution, bonobos have disappeared from areas where they were
abundant ten to fifteen years ago. Habitat loss, fragmentation and the
catastrophic effects of the civil war in the Congo pose serious threats.
Bonobos are being hunted with greater frequency for meat and profit in
the commercial bushmeat trade. Traditional taboos that have protected
bonobos in the past are breaking down in the face of civil war, human
opulation pressure, and desperate economic circumstances. At this time,
there is no enforced protection for the bonobo.
Conservation efforts to date have been hampered largely by political unrest,
which has intensified since 1991. The intermittent presence of field
researchers has provided some protection for bonobos in isolated pockets
of their fragmented habitat. However, scientists have not been able to
return to their study sites for one to four years, due to back-to-back
civil wars that began in 1996. The frontline of the war has moved into
the central part of the bonobo range, posing even more danger to the
remaining bonobo population. Bonobo study groups are at particular risk
because they are habituated to humans. There has been a sharp increase
in the number of bonobo orphans entering the capital city, Kinshasa, and
reports state that armed soldiers are hunting the apes.
On November 21-22, 1999, CBSG conducted a two-day conservation assessment
workshop, hosted by the Kyoto University Primate Research Institute in
Inuyama, Japan. The workshop was organized by Norman Rosen and facilitated
by Dr. Ulysses Seal of CBSG. This was a satellite meeting held after the
"Committee on Excellence"; Symposium: Evolution of the Apes and the Origin
of Human Beings. The workshop was held in preparation for a full-scale
Population and Habitat Viability Analysis (PHVA) to be conducted in the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
The objective was to identify current threats to wild bonobo communities
and set priorities for action. Because PHVA workshops are not usually
conducted outside of the range country and no Congolese were present, the
meeting focused on sharing data, producing a first draft of a population
modeling exercise using the simulation modeling package VORTEX, and
synthesizing available information on the status of research, protected
areas, and conservation activities. The Action Plan for Pan paniscus:
Report on Free-Ranging Populations and Proposals for their Preservation,
published in 1995 by the Zoological Society of Milwaukee County
(Thompson-Handler et al. 1995), was used as one source of baseline
information.
Twenty-two participants from five countries attended the 2-day workshop,
including representatives from the active field research teams. (See List
of Participants, Section V).
WHERE TO ORDER:
IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group
12101 Johnny Cake Ridge Road
Apple Valley, MN 55124, USA
Fax: 1-952-432-2757
E-mail: office@cbsg.org
Price: $35.00 (Spiral bound)
Note: All orders must be prepaid.
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URL: http://www.primate.wisc.edu/pin/review/bonocons.html
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