People have to eat and the conservationists recognise this, but they are trying to encourage alternatives to bushmeat. One method is to show local people that the apes are worth more to them alive than dead through the income generated by tourism. The problem might seem far from home, but those of us in the west are the main consumers of tropical hardwoods. It may appear to be too little too late, but we can still help. Organisations such as the Forestry Stewardship Council have independent monitoring schemes that determine which products come from sustainable forests and if we are careful to choose these, deforestation of these vital habitats will be reduced.
Solar cooking uses nothing but the sun's rays and a foil-lined cardboard box to cook food.
This method is being promoted to reduce the need for firewood in regions local to the ape habitats. This alone will not save the great apes but it could help enormously. This introduction has only touched on the topics concerning the plight of the great apes. Go to the links section to find specialist sites that expand on the issues raised here, journals of scientific research, details of BBC programmes and suggested actions you can take to help the great apes. The BBC is not responsible for the content of other sites listed.