The Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) is a UNEP and UNESCO-led World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Type II Partnership, established in 2001, that aims to conserve the non-human great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans) and their habitats—primarily forested tropical ecosystems that provide important services to humanity, through pro-poor conservation and sustainable development strategies.
The continuing destruction of habitat, in combination with the growth in the commercial bushmeat trade in Africa, have led scientists to suggest that the majority of great ape populations may be extinct in our lifetime.
Even if isolated populations were to survive, the long-term viability of these great apes is in doubt due to their limited numbers and the fragmentation of their habitat.
The growth of habitat destruction shows no signs of stopping, potentially leading to mass extinctions of all great apes.
Urbanization and improved technology provide greater access to remote areas, increasing the bushmeat trade market.
Despite the severe risk of pathogen transmission, disease monitoring is only conducted for a small percentage of the world’s great apes.
This lack of monitoring is the greatest limiting factor in our ability to detect outbreaks and reduce the loss of great ape life.