Strengthening the Evidence Base for Ape Conservation
Introduction
Ape populations continue to decline despite substantial conservation efforts. While threats are well documented, there is still limited evidence on which conservation actions are most effective. This gap not only constrains better decision-making, but also makes it difficult to demonstrate where conservation is working and achieving real impact.
At the same time, conservation successes—such as population stabilization and recovery—are often underreported. Making conservation impact more visible and measurable is essential for improving strategies, motivating continued investment, and scaling effective interventions. Strengthening the evidence base, while highlighting and celebrating positive outcomes, is therefore central to advancing ape conservation.
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Our Approach
Our work focuses on strengthening the evidence base for ape conservation by evaluating the effectiveness of interventions across the species’ range and under varying socio-economic conditions. By integrating population trend data from the APES Atlas and Database with expert knowledge, we aim to support evidence-based decision-making and enable more targeted and strategic allocation of conservation funding.
In parallel, we contribute to the IUCN Green Status of Species, which complements extinction-risk assessments by evaluating recovery, conservation impact, and long-term sustainability. The framework assesses how close a species is to full recovery and explicitly measures the contribution of conservation actions, including what would have happened in their absence. This allows us to better understand whether conservation has altered species trajectories and the extent to which species depend on continued intervention. We have completed the Green Status assessment for Eastern Gorillas (Mountain Gorillas and Grauer’s Gorillas) and are seeking funding to expand these assessments to other ape species.
GOALS
Our goal is to support more effective, evidence-based decision-making and more targeted allocation of conservation funding. At the same time, through IUCN Green Status assessments, we aim to better capture and communicate conservation impact by evaluating species recovery, understanding how conservation actions have shaped species trajectories, and highlighting the importance of sustained efforts for long-term persistence.
Support This Work
Following a loss of funding, we are actively seeking new funding opportunities to continue building the conservation evidence base and to expand IUCN Green Status assessments across all ape species.
If you would like to find out more about this work or explore opportunities for collaboration and support, please contact Jessi Junker at jjunker(at)rewild.org.
