First use of artificial canopy bridge by the world’s most critically endangered primate the Hainan gibbon Nomascus hainanus

All gibbon species (Primates: Hylobatidae) are facing high extinction risk due to habitat loss and hunting. The Hainan gibbon Nomascus hainanus is the world’s most critically endangered primate, and one of the priority conservation actions identified is to establish artificial canopy corridors to reconnect fragmented forests. The effectiveness of artificial canopy bridge as a conservation tool for wild gibbons has not been widely tested, and the results are rarely published. We constructed the first canopy bridge for Hainan gibbon in 2015 to facilitate passage at a natural landslide; mountaineering-grade ropes were tied to sturdy trees with the help of professional tree climbers and a camera trap was installed to monitor wildlife usage. Hainan gibbon started using the rope bridge after 176 days, and usage frequency increased with time. All members in the gibbon group crossed the 15.8 m rope bridge except adult male. Climbing was the predominant locomotor mode followed by brachiation. This study highlights the use and value of rope bridges to connect forest gaps for wild gibbons living in fragmented forests. While restoring natural forest corridors should be a priority conservation intervention, artificial canopy bridges may be a useful short-term solution.

Produção de bioenergia, segurança ambiental e desenvolvimento econômico

O presente artigo propõe debater acerca da relação entre segurança ambiental, conservação dos biomas, produção de material para bioenergia e gestão estruturada de uso da terra em propriedades rurais para conservação dos solos e da bacia hidrográfica. Para isso, propõe-se o uso da metodologia denominada Corredores Florestais Ecológicos Econômicos (CFEE). Para garantir seu sucesso metodológico, é preciso que sejam, de fato, corredores ideais capazes de resgatar espaços ecológicos econômicos florestais. Assim, antes de sua construção é ideal que se obedeçam aos diversos postulados pedológicos, geomorfológicos, agrícolas e biológicos, denominados condições ideais e resumidos através dos Desenhos de Uso Optimal do Território (DUOT). Somente pós obedecer estas condições, é possível de fato se construir tais CFEE, buscando seu máximo sucesso, que pode ser verificado através da replicação experimental proposta, realizada por Camargo (2018), confirmando que os pressupostos teóricos aqui apresentados mostram resultados de fato positivos. Como conclusão, pode-se afirmar que os modelos aqui discutidos integram uma visão de viabilidade ecológica e econômica entre plantios florestais ecológicos e econômicos, com conservação do bioma e da circulação hídrica, com o uso de agricultura intensiva para a produção de biomassa, madeiras de lei, frutos e fármacos com vista a eco sustentabilidade das bacias hidrográficas. Palavras-chave: Corredores Florestais Ecológicos Econômicos (CFEE). Desenhos de Uso Optimal do Território (DUOT). Ordenamento Territorial (OT). Bioenergy production, environmental safety and economic developmentem Abstract This article proposes to debate about the relationship between environmental security, conservation of biomes, production of material for bioenergy and structured management of land use in rural properties for soil and watershed conservation. For this, it is proposed to use the methodology called Ecological Economic Forest Corridors (CFEE). To guarantee its methodological success, it is necessary that they are, in fact, ideal corridors capable of rescuing forest economical ecological spaces. Thus, before its construction, it is ideal to obey the various pedological, geomorphological, agricultural and biological postulates, called ideal conditions and summarized through the Drawings of Optimal Use of the Territory (DUOT). Only after obeying these conditions, it is possible to actually build such CFEE, seeking its maximum success, which can be verified through the experimental replication proposed by Camargo (2018), confirming that the theoretical assumptions presented here show really positive results. As a conclusion, it can be said that the models discussed here integrate a vision of ecological and economic feasibility between ecological and economic forest plantations, with conservation of the biome and water circulation, with the use of intensive agriculture for the production of biomass, hardwood, fruits and drugs with a view to the eco-sustainability of watersheds. Keywords: Ecological Economic Forest Corridors (CFEE). Drawings of Optimal Territory Use (DUOT). Territorial Planning (OT).

GEOSPATIAL ECOLOGICAL FOREST CORRIDOR MODELLING IN THE MOUNT LANTOY KEY BIODIVERSITY AREA

In biodiversity conservation, ecological corridors are assumed to increase landscape-level connectivity and to enhance the viability of otherwise isolated wildlife populations. Mapping these corridors serves as a feasible method to support forest management efforts in pinpointing areas to give special attention to. Here, we assess the current forest presence in the 3,000 hectare Mt. Lantoy, Key Biodiversity Area in Argao, Cebu and present potential forest corridors that could enhance the canopy cover of the current protected area. We present a method to map the potential corridors through the identification of the forest patches obtained from the global forest cover dataset and the creation of a species distribution model for the black shama, an endemic bird species in Cebu island and a great biodiversity indicator for the area. Our ecological corridors were acquired through the sum of the cost distance rasters obtained from the weighted overlay and cost surface tools of the black shama habitat suitability model. With the obtained corridors from the study, four potential forest corridors/ extensions were identified connecting five different forest patches. These corridors have areas that range from 0.47–2.17 square kilometers, with a potential to increase the forest cover in the KBA to more than 33% after corridor modelling.