Why the Populations of Great Apes in Africa Are Declining

The populations of great apes in Africa—gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos—are shrinking at an alarming rate, threatening these iconic species with extinction. I’ve been struck by how human activities and environmental changes are pushing our closest relatives toward a precarious future, despite some conservation successes. Understanding why the populations of great apes in Africa are declining is critical for addressing this crisis and supporting their survival.

In this article, I’ll explain five key reasons behind their decline, based on my research and insights into conservation biology as of May 2025. These factors highlight the complex threats they face. Let’s dive into why African great ape populations are dwindling and what’s at stake.

Ever wondered why Africa’s great apes are vanishing? It’s a mix of human impact and environmental loss. Ready to explore five reasons for their decline?

Great apes are slipping away, and it’s mostly our doing. I’ve seen how deforestation and hunting devastate their world. Let’s uncover why these populations are shrinking.

1. Habitat Destruction

The relentless clearing of forests for agriculture, logging, and mining wipes out the habitats great apes depend on. This is the top reason for population decline. I’ve been shocked by how fast tropical forests disappear.

• Scale. Deforestation claims 13,250 km² of African forest yearly, with 76% of great ape habitats threatened by agriculture, per 2024 UN data. Palm oil plantations are a major driver.
• Impact. Habitat loss has cut chimpanzee ranges by 50% in some regions and Grauer’s gorilla populations by 87% since 1994, per Brainly 2025.
• Consequence. Shrinking forests leave apes with less space to find food, mate, or escape threats.

Why it matters? Without habitats, great apes can’t survive, pushing them closer to extinction.

2. Illegal Hunting and Poaching

Hunting for bushmeat and the illegal pet trade directly reduces great ape numbers. This cause of decline disrupts their ability to recover. I’ve read heartbreaking accounts of poached gorilla groups.

• Stats. 150,000 primates are killed annually for bushmeat in Nigeria and Cameroon, with 10% being great apes, per 2023 Science Advances.
• Example. In the DRC, illegal hunting dropped Grauer’s gorilla numbers by 80% in 20 years, per 2024 IUCN reports.
• Effects. Poaching fragments social groups, with 30% fewer births in affected populations, per 2020 studies.

Why it’s critical? Hunting decimates numbers and weakens community resilience.

3. Climate Change Effects

Rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns disrupt food sources and habitats, stressing ape populations. This reason for declining numbers compounds other threats. I’ve been alarmed by how climate shifts hit lowlands.

• Impact. Climate change could erase 94% of ape habitats by 2050 under worst-case scenarios, with 85% even in best-case mitigation, per 2021 Diversity and Distributions study.
• Mechanism. Warmer lowlands reduce food availability; apes struggle to migrate uphill, with 90% unable to relocate by 2050, per Mongabay 2021.
• Example. Mountain gorillas face hotter, drier conditions, affecting 50% of their range, per 2024 WCS data.

Why it matters? Climate change makes survival harder in already shrinking habitats.

4. Disease Outbreaks

Great apes are vulnerable to human-transmitted diseases like Ebola and COVID-19, which can devastate populations. This factor in population decline is unpredictable but deadly. I’ve been stunned by Ebola’s toll on gorillas.

• Example. Ebola killed over 5,000 gorillas in Congo’s Odzala Park in 2004, per 2006 Science study.
• Risks. Human encroachment raises disease transmission, with 20% of ape deaths in some areas linked to pathogens, per 2025 IUCN.
• Impact. Diseases disrupt breeding, with 15% lower birth rates in affected groups, per 2024 conservation data.

Why it’s serious? A single outbreak can wipe out entire communities.

5. Mining and Resource Extraction

The growing demand for minerals like lithium and cobalt for clean energy technologies threatens ape habitats. This emerging threat accelerates declines. I’ve been concerned by how mining overlaps with ape ranges.

• Scale. Up to one-third of Africa’s 180,000 great apes are at risk from mining, with 80% of West African apes near mines, per 2024 Science Advances.
• Impact. Mining lowers ape density by 70% in affected areas, with Grauer’s gorillas hit hard in the DRC, per 2025 Nature.
• Issue. Only 17% of western chimpanzees live in protected areas, leaving most vulnerable, per 2019 studies.

Why it matters? Mining sacrifices ape habitats for global resource demands.

• Read our blog on How Fluctuations in Abiotic Cycles Can Influence Populations

What’s Next for You

Understanding why the populations of great apes in Africa are declining is like facing a wake-up call for conservation. I’ve been moved by how these five reasons—habitat destruction, poaching, climate change, diseases, and mining—threaten gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos, all listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered by IUCN in 2025. With 85–94% of their habitats at risk by 2050, per 2021 studies, action is urgent. Ignoring this risks extinction; acting now can save them. Will you let great apes fade away, or support their survival?

Here’s how to act:

• Support conservation. Donate to groups like WWF or the Jane Goodall Institute.
• Choose sustainably. Avoid palm oil and demand ethically sourced minerals.
• Spread awareness. Share facts about great ape threats with your network.

Great apes are our kin, and their loss is ours. Why it matters is about preserving biodiversity. Start today to protect their future.