Will the new Chinese National Parks system save the world's rarest primate, the Hainan gibbon?

Abstract

Protection of species and conservation of biological resources are increasingly gaining attention in the global community, as ensuring ecological security and sustainable development, alongside the UN Sustainable Development Goals 14 and 15, is crucial to the survival of our civilisation (Barnosky et al., 2011). Designating land as protected areas is imperative for nature protection and worldwide biodiversity conservation (Brooks, Da Fonseca, & Rodrigues, 2004). Although nature protection has deep roots in China, its management is fragmented in the existing protected areas system (Wang et al., 2012). As a result, the multi-sector management approach leads to conflict between conservation efforts, sustainable community livelihoods and tourism development (Li & Wang, 2020; Li et al., 2021).

Furthermore, historically nature in China has been seen predominantly as utilitarian, hence open for exploitation, for example, for traditional medicines, food, hunting and trade (Harris, 2008). Nevertheless, culture and conservation are not fixed concepts, and approaches to conservation vary worldwide. To address the challenges mentioned above and to strengthen environmental protection and the Chinese Communist Party's goal of achieving an ecological civilisation, the government initiated a pilot national park system according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) standard, which aims to become the largest in the world.

Establishing a Chinese pilot national park system was officially put forward in the Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee of the Party in 2013. Complying with the initiatives of IUCN (specifically, protecting biodiversity and ensuring the sustainability of biological resources), ten pilot national park projects were established nationwide in 2019. In 2021, the first five national parks were announced to the public, including Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park (HTRNP), Sanjiangyuan National Park, Giant Panda National Park, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park and Wuyi Mountain National Park. The public announcement of the first national parks shows that authorities have conducted general policies prioritising biodiversity conservation.

Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park (海南热带雨林国家公园; HTRNP) is the most concentrated, largest contiguous and well-preserved tropical rain forest in China. The national park is located in China's southernmost province, Hainan, and covers 4,403 square kilometres, accounting for 13% of the province's total area (Li et al., 2022). HTRNP comprises 19 nature reserves and is home to many protected species, including the endemic Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus), the world's rarest primate and mammal (Baillie & Butcher, 2012).

IUCN listed the Hainan gibbon as a critically endangered species due to its rapid population decline (at least 80% over the past 45 years; Fig. 1). Although gibbons were previously widespread over Hainan Island, the current population is estimated at 36 individuals (as of April 2022) divided into five family groups (CGTN, 2022). Hainan gibbons once lived across the island, but now they are only found in the Bawangling section of the newly established HTRNP (He et al., 2022). As one of China's national class-one protected animals, Hainan gibbons are the jewel of the national park, and hence their survival is a key indicator of the effectiveness of HTRNP conservation management programmes.

The dramatic decline in the Hainan gibbon population resulted from increasing human pressures, including resource exploitation (of species and their habitats), vegetation change (due to logging and farming), habitat loss and fragmentation and hunting for food and medicine (Watson et al., 2016). Apart from the meat and fur, gibbon bones are used in Chinese traditional medicine in a Houzi Cream, which is believed to be a helpful remedy against arthritis (Zhou et al., 2005). The persistence of cultural practices involving the consumption wild animals on Hainan Island is evident, highlighting an ongoing presence of such traditions (Xinwenjun, 2023). In 1980, Bawangling Nature Reserve was established to protect the Hainan gibbons and their habitat, and in 1988, authorities prohibited hunting, trapping or catching gibbons; later, coming close to gibbons was prohibited as well (Lok, Xue-feng, & Wu-jing, 2008; Zhang et al., 2010).

Furthermore, in 1988, Hainan was established as a province and designated as a Special Economic Zone, which resulted in several waves of migrants from the mainland. Economic development on the island put more pressure on the natural environment and significantly impacted the gibbon's habitat. For example, the habitat was split by new roads, factories, villages and farmland, which hindered successful breeding of the species. Although Pagani-Núñez et al. (2022) state that extreme ecosystem damage associated with economic development in Hainan has partially stopped, local-scale biodiversity loss is evident. In this regard, we draw attention to the recent establishment of the Hainan Free Trade Port in 2020, which aims to attract domestic and foreign investment, develop new businesses, further urbanise the island and increase the human population, and thus may intensify tensions between HTRNP conservation and socio-cultural and economic objectives.

While authorities had been aware of the drastic population decline of Hainan gibbons since the 1980s, the extinction risk of gibbons gained serious attention only about two decades ago, and the provincial government reinforced laws and regulations to protect them from further harm. In 2021, with the establishment of the HTRNP, the government announced a new plan for gibbon conservation, yet the project is still in its initial stage. An expert research team is focusing on the protection of Hainan gibbons, the restoration of their habitat and the development of surrounding areas. Among the critical conservation measures are vegetation restoration and the creation of corridors to connect the habitats of different gibbon groups (Li, 2020; He et al., 2022). Furthermore, a new approach to conserving Hainan gibbons relies on innovative technologies (including acoustic monitoring, data transmission, cloud storage and AI analytics for real-time data collection) to help survey and understand the primates' behaviour and monitor their movement (IUCN, 2022).

Although laws, policies and technologies are the foundation of conservation efforts, conservation education in China is predominantly underfunded (compared to investments in park functions) to meet information needs (Miller-Rushing et al., 2017). Hence, we argue that increased education and public awareness of critically endangered species are crucial for successful conservation. People worldwide have heard of Chinese Giant pandas (Aailuropoda melanoleuca), yet, even in China, Hainan gibbons are unknown. As a part of our larger visitor experience study (Wengel et al., 2022), during the fieldwork in HTRNP, we noticed that most visitors (predominantly domestic tourists) had not heard about Hainan gibbons, while a few residents recalled their parents hunting the primates in the past. Apart from observation and casual interactions with locals and tourists during our ethnographic fieldwork, we conducted 106 semi-structured interviews. The interview findings revealed that only seven people knew of Hainan gibbons. These findings and field observation revealed extremely low education and awareness levels about this species. Unlike on the China-Myanmar border, where the traditional ecological knowledge of local communities positively influenced the conservation of hoolock gibbons (Hoolock tianxing) (Zhang et al., 2020), it seems that the traditional ecological knowledge of locals living within the national park borders in Hainan has not been utilised or has been significantly lost. In addition, residents within or near the Bawangling National Nature Reserve area exhibited comparatively low levels of formal education (Ma et al., 2023). During the fieldwork, we also found that residents living close to the core gibbon conservation area lack an understanding of the value of biodiversity conservation and the intrinsic conservation value of Hainan gibbons. One striking example shows that employees in one café living near the Bawangling National Nature Reserve area were unaware of gibbons even though their café is opposite a large billboard that constantly shows a video about the Hainan Gibbons and the HTRNP (Fig. 2).

While a few awareness-raising and educational initiatives in Hainan have taken place since the early 2000s, knowledge of Hainan gibbons (Qian et al., 2022) and understanding the intrinsic value and importance of this flagship species remain very low. Some activities include village education sessions, billboards and murals in villages close to the Bawangling Section of the HTRNP, activities in the provincial library and schools, conservation awareness – raising WeChat channels informing about gibbons and nomination of Hainan gibbons as mascots of the China International Consumer Products Expo since 2021.

Previous research has found that sustainable conservation governance prioritises ecological, biological and cultural resources above their economic value and profits (Otero et al., 2020). Massarella et al. (2022) move further and call for alternative approaches ‘from protection to connection’ and highlight that convivial conservation approaches are based on various perspectives, experiences, ideas and methodologies worldwide. In this vein, we argue that a convivial conservation approach, including education and awareness-raising among residents in Hainan, is indispensable.

In the past, China used exploitation and prohibition approaches to nature, and there was nothing in between. Associated with China's economic growth, the government has increasingly invested in conservation programmes over the past 20 years, yet educational initiatives about gibbons are scant (Fan, 2017). Efficient conservation education targeting different groups and awareness-raising initiatives that will help understand and appreciate the gibbons' intrinsic conservation value are crucial to successful delivery of objectives set by the national park authorities. We argue that awareness-raising among locals can help involve more people in the conservation and sustainable development of the HTRNP. The low income of Hainan citizens has made them dependent on natural resources, and to date, people continue to live off the forest resources. Thus, alternative income options for residents should be established to decrease dependency on natural resources. Our conversations with rangers demonstrated a notable concern for gibbons, acknowledging their declining population while attributing the decline to multiple factors (although hunting was not explicitly acknowledged). They expressed a sense of regret and concern regarding gibbons' health, low population and habitat fragmentation and degradation. Employing a systematic rotation of shifts, a team of rangers diligently conducts comprehensive observations of gibbons and the forest dynamics during regular patrols. Other local residents have limited awareness of gibbons, resulting in the absence of emotional connection or sympathy towards the species (possibly due to unfamiliarity with the gibbons and their conservation status).

Furthermore, international research has found that conservation is more successful if local communities are involved (Fletcher & Toncheva, 2021; Wengel et al., 2021). Hence, the newly established Chinese national parks system gives hope that conservation regulations and laws can be further developed to align with Chinese culture and involve local communities without compromising conservation goals. Additionally, initiatives can be created to involve more environmentalist individuals and organisations that genuinely care about the conservation of Hainan gibbons. Understanding how to engage and collaborate with individuals and organisations is crucial for strengthening overall biodiversity protection efforts. Future studies can also evaluate the effectiveness of community involvement, studying changes in biodiversity trends, the success of conservation initiatives and the level of support and engagement from local communities. Furthermore, to implement effective conservation initiatives, it is essential to understand how local customs and cultural factors influence environmental attitudes and behaviours. Finally, identifying barriers and enablers to community involvement can inform the development of strategies that better resonate with the needs and values of the people living in and around protected areas.