Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 12 December 2003:
Vol. 302. no. 5652, p. 1875
DOI: 10.1126/science.302.5652.1875c
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

ScienceScope

Concerned that the great apes could face extinction within 20 years, leaders from nearly three dozen countries met at UNESCO headquarters in Paris late last month, aiming to launch a rescue mission under the aegis of the United Nations' Great Apes Survival Programme (GRASP).

The chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas of Africa, as well as the orangutans of Southeast Asia, are under threat from civil wars, poaching for meat, and destruction of their forest habitats. "The world has been guilty of collective negligence," Ian Redmond, head of GRASP's technical support team, said at a press conference. The meeting adopted a proposed $25 million "global strategy" that includes money for research, monitoring, and conservation. Next, the plan goes before an intergovernmental meeting of ministers in late 2004.

To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)