Global Gibbon Network established in S China's Hainan

The Global Gibbon Network (GGN) was established in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province on the evening of Oct. 24.

The organisation's establishment was announced at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Tropical Rainforest International Conservation Symposium, with GGN's first secretariat set up in the Hainan Institute of National Parks.

The network has 13 founding members from different parts of the world, including the Hainan Institute of National Parks, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) SSC Primate Specialist Group's Section on Small Apes (SSA), Eco Foundation Global, and the China Exploration and Research Society.

Photo shows the logo of the Global Gibbon Network (GGN), which was established in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province on Oct. 24. (Chinanews.com/Wang Xiaobin)

GGN's logo, which was designed by British designer Guy Sanders, features an adult gibbon hanging from a tree branch with one arm and holding a baby gibbon with the other.

China is home to six gibbon species, including the Hainan gibbon, which is endemic to Hainan. As the world's rarest primate, the Hainan gibbon is under first-class state protection in China. The country has made great progress in the protection of the species in recent years, bringing its population from around seven to over 36. In addition, many international seminars have been held to contribute to the conservation of the species, according to Luo Qingming, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, head of the Hainan Institute of National Parks, and president of Hainan University.

"Hainan's success in protecting the species can be largely attributed to natural means, which is advocated by the IUCN and is also a result of China's cooperation with the world," said Zhang Xinsheng, former president of the IUCN.

Photo shows the logo of the Global Gibbon Network (GGN), which was established in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province on Oct. 24. (Chinanews.com/Wang Xiaobin)