A strong regulatory framework is already in place to protect gibbons and their habitat, including a ban on all hunting and establishment of nature reserves to protect gibbon habitat. However, substantial gaps still remain between policies and their implementation. The geographical range of the gibbons in China has been contracting for as long as we have historical records. Despite progress in protection of forests, both within and outside of nature reserves, habitat loss remains a major threat to the Black Crested Gibbons. Hunting was formerly a serious threat to the survival of all gibbon species, but in the past decade, hunting of gibbons in Jingdong County does not seem to have occurred.
Gibbons are very sensitive to disturbance, which can disrupt their behaviour for several days.
Human disturbances in the Wuliang Mountains have included hunting, logging, and construction of roads and power lines, including blasting. It is likely that many of these disturbances have disrupted gibbon daily activities, and may have even led to site abandonment in areas where disturbance is regular. Even if the total population of gibbons in the Wuliang Mountains was well protected and large enough to give confidence in its viability, there may be a hidden risk of extinction. Gibbons rarely if ever travel on the ground and even small gaps in the forest canopy can create a barrier to their travel. Deforestation can easily break up a population of gibbons into isolated subpopulations, which may affect the survival of the population in several ways.