UK Government Commits Over £100,000 To Great Apes
18 years ago
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31st July, 2006 00h00
Kuching, Malaysia: UK Biodiversity Minister Barry Gardiner has today (28 July) pledged over £100, 000 in UK support for projects to protect great apes.
In Malaysia for talks on wildlife crime and the sustainable management of forests, Mr Gardiner said the projects would go a long way to raise awareness of the threatened great apes.
“Gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orang utans are protected by law in every country they inhabit, but they are still threatened by many factors, including the loss of their habitat to human expansion, logging and mining activities, poaching and the capture of young apes for sale as pets,” he said.
“The effects of these environmental pressures are grave. We must all work together through local, regional, national and international cooperation to ensure these magnificent creatures do not become extinct.”
The four projects to receive UK funding are:
- £19,500 to develop community stewardship of orang utans in Sarawak;
- £50,000 for projects delivered by the Great Apes Survival Project Partnership (GRASP);
- £22,000 for the first CITES Great Ape Enforcement Task Force meeting;
- £20,000 for the Great Ape Film Initiative.
The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is funding a £19,500 orang utan conservation project in two of Sarawak's most important habitats , the Batang Ai National Park and Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary.
Mr Gardiner said that the funding from Defra's World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Implementation Fund would be used by the Wildlife Conservation Society & Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) to develop community stewardship through conservation education.
“Local people have a strong spiritual attachment to orang utans and they must take the lead in protecting this incredible animal,” he said.
“ Setting Priorities for Orang Utan Conservation in Sarawak: to develop community stewardship role through conservation education aims to develop a sense of local pride and responsibility for orang utans in Sarawak Province through education.
“The project will help local communities learn how best to protect orang utans and will work with the forestry department to develop a role for local people in forest stewardship, habitat management and orang utan conservation.”
GRASP projects will receive an extra £50, 000 to help the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) project lift the threat of imminent extinction faced by great apes.
“The United Kingdom donates more money to GRASP than any other single government, and we have provided much-needed support and expertise in many other ways, including field projects, workshops, intergovernmental meetings, and fundraising,” Mr Gardiner said.
“This contribution will enable the GRASP secretariat to continue and expand its invaluable work and make a real difference to great apes and the communities that interact with them.”
The first CITES Great Ape Enforcement Task Force meeting , likely to be hosted by UNEP in Nairobi later this year, will benefit from a Defra contribution of £22, 000.
The meeting will provide an opportunity for the collection and exchange of intelligence and information regarding illicit trade in great apes and improving enforcement issues.
Mr Gardiner said it was hoped that ten great ape range states in Africa and South East Asia would send wildlife enforcement officials to the meeting.
“The meeting will be an opportunity to create a network of wildlife enforcement officers that can help respond to incidents of illicit trade in great apes, share and distribute intelligence, and help coordinate investigations,” he said.
The Great Ape Film Initiative , which aims to distribute top-quality wildlife programmes on the subject of great apes, will also receive UK funding.
“The Film Initiative is a unique approach that negotiates for major broadcasters to screen great ape films around the world. It's vital that ordinary people, both in range states and elsewhere, are aware of the threats to great apes and how we can relieve the pressure” Mr Gardiner said.
“We have contributed £20, 000 and have specifically identified Indonesia and Malaysia to be the focus of this year's programme.”
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