Avoiding Cognitive Trap in Habitat Restoration: A Case Study of the World's Rarest Primate

Abstract

The lack of knowledge regarding the basic ecological traits of an endangered species may lead to traps in habitat restoration efforts. Understanding the ranging ecology of endangered species is essential in avoiding these traps. The Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus), the world's rarest primate, reportedly takes refuge in suboptimal montane habitats and occupies an abnormally large home range, resulting in suggestions for enhancing montane habitat quality with high priority. However, these conservation suggestions and actions are not based on solid science. For the first time, we habituated two groups of Hainan gibbon, and studied their ranging ecology over a year from January to December 2022. We found that the average home range size of these groups was 164.5 ± 70.6 ha (95% KDE-href) and 155.2 ± 71.1 ha (95% MCP), which is comparable to other Nomascus gibbons and represents an adaptive trait in response to their heterogeneous habitat. Furthermore, gibbons have shown a preference for higher-altitude habitats between 800 and 1100 m, where food is more abundant than in low-altitude habitats. Our findings, combined with the evidence of favorable food conditions and short interbirth intervals of the Hainan gibbon, indicate that montane habitats meet gibbons' life-history requirements and are suitable for them. The idea that “montane habitat is suboptimal” is a cognitive trap. Given the Hainan gibbons' isolated habitat is approaching saturation, we suggest prioritizing ecological corridor construction to enable gibbons to rapidly gain access to other suitable montane forests.