In the past many young chimps were exported for entertainment or biomedical research in the United States and other countries. Increased legislative restrictions and penalties have reduced the export of young chimpanzees, but the threat has by no means vanished. Africa currently has one of the highest growth rates in the world, its population doubling every 24 years. The total population of the continent in 1990 was approximately 600 million people, leading to a greater demand upon the natural resources. Wood is cut for firewood, charcoal, and building poles.
Forests are clear cut for living space, crop growing, grazing for domestic livestock.
Forest concessions are sold to timber companies from the developed world, some of which practice clear cutting, turning forest land into desert. Deforestation drives the chimpanzee species toward extinction. Many populations have become fragmented. Very small relict groups will not be viable once they are cut off from other groups and no longer able to exchange genetic material. In many areas in West and Central Africa there is a cultural preference for meat from wild animals.