16 U.S.C. § 6301 — Findings and purposes

great ape^* populations have declined to the point that the long-term survival of the species in the wild is in serious jeopardy;

the chimpanzee, gorilla, bonobo, orangutan, and gibbon are listed as endangered species under section 1533 of this title and under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (27 UST 1087; TIAS 8249);

because the challenges facing the conservation^* of great apes are so immense, the resources available to date have not been sufficient to cope with the continued loss of habitat due to human encroachment and logging and the consequent diminution of great ape populations;

because great apes are flagship species for the conservation of the tropical forest habitats in which they are found, conservation of great apes provides benefits to numerous other species of wildlife, including many other endangered species;

among the threats to great apes, in addition to habitat loss, are population fragmentation, hunting for the bushmeat trade, live capture, and exposure to emerging or introduced diseases;

great apes are important components of the ecosystems they inhabit, and studies of their wild populations have provided important biological insights;

although subsistence hunting of tropical forest animals has occurred for hundreds of years at a sustainable level, the tremendous increase in the commercial trade of tropical forest species is detrimental to the future of these species; and

the reduction, removal, or other effective addressing of the threats to the long-term viability of populations of great apes in the wild will require the joint commitment and effort of countries that have within their boundaries any part of the range of great apes, the United States and other countries, and the private sector.

to sustain viable populations of great apes in the wild; and

to assist in the conservation and protection of great apes by supporting conservation programs of countries in which populations of great apes are located and by supporting the CITES^* Secretariat.