 Des
Moines, Iowa – February 28, 2006 – From bonobos and orangutans to
small monkeys and wood ducks, Great Ape Trust of Iowa is assisting a variety
of local conservation efforts on four continents. Over the past year, Great Ape
Trust, a new scientific research facility in Des Moines dedicated to understanding
the origins and future of culture, language, tools and intelligence in great
apes; has committed more than $56,000 to conservation programs and projects in
countries around the world.
“Advancing the conservation of great apes and their habitats is an important
part of the Trust’s mission. This is an urgent and complex process, as
ape populations are plummeting due to an interplay of biological, economic and
socio-political factors,” says Dr. Benjamin Beck, director of conservation
at Great Ape Trust. “Our approach is to partner with small non-governmental
organizations, or NGOs, working on the ground, to make measurable
improvements for the future of apes and other endangered primates.”
The programs to which Great Ape Trust committed conservation assistance in
2005 include: The emergency relocation of adult orangutans displaced by conversion
of forest to oil palm plantations in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia; a sanctuary
for orphaned bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); an environmental
education program for golden lion tamarins in Brazil; a survey of wild bonobos
in the Maindombe Forest in the DRC; support of bee-keeping associations for villages
living in chimpanzee habitat at the edge of the Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda and
construction of an orangutan field station in West Batang Toru Forest in Sumatra.
In addition, Great Ape Trust has assisted great
ape conservation efforts through the World Conservation Union (IUCN), chimpanzee
conservation supported by the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots and Shoots program
and a conservation endowment fund sponsored by the American Zoo and Aquarium
Association (AZA).
Great Ape Trust, located five miles southeast of downtown Des Moines on more
than 230 acres of lowlands, riverine forest and lakes, also has initiated conservation
programs on its campus. Students from St. Augustin’s School in Des Moines
recently constructed 32 wood duck boxes, the first of which will be positioned
in time for the spring nesting season. Bird and fish surveys have also been conducted
on campus by students from Drake University.
“We are mindful of our responsibility for environmental stewardship
of our wonderful 230-acre campus here in Des Moines,” adds Beck. “We
lose international credibility if we can’t protect our own back yard.”
When completed, Great Ape Trust will be the largest great ape facility in
North America and one of the first worldwide to include all four types of great
ape – bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans – for noninvasive
interdisciplinary studies of their cognitive and communicative capabilities.
Great Ape Trust is dedicated to providing sanctuary and an honorable life
for great apes, studying the intelligence of great apes, advancing conservation
of great apes and providing unique educational experiences about great apes.
Great Ape Trust of Iowa is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization and is certified
by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). To learn more about Great
Ape Trust of Iowa, go to www.GreatApeTrust.org. |
