In early 2020, the IUCN Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group officially launched the ARRC (Avoid, Reduce, Restore, Conserve) Task Force (arrctaskforce.org), to provide advice to companies and banks to Avoid ape habitat, Reduce impacts where avoidance is not possible, Restore habitats that have been negatively affected, and contribute positively to ape Conservation. Development projects such as mines and hydroelectric dams occur throughout ape habitat, and are a significant threat to their survival. The task force provides guidance on the distribution of apes and the location of priority areas, so that projects with the most significant anticipated impacts can be avoided. It also offers technical guidance to improve the practices of those projects that proceed, to reduce their impacts on apes. The task force is guided by a steering committee of 20 members, nine from ape range countries, and draws from the expertise of c. 150 ape experts. One major achievement of the task force was the inclusion, in the latest iteration of the Guidance Note to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standard 6 (PS6; best practice lending standards for biodiversity), of a paragraph regarding projects operating in great ape habitat. As a result, companies seeking loans will need to engage with the task force to avoid great ape habitat and, where avoidance is not possible, develop appropriate mitigation measures.
The task force has advised c. 20 projects, leading to improvement in baseline surveys, increased avoidance of ape habitat, and improved practices, with better outcomes for apes. The task force will also review and monitor sensitive projects, will not be involved with projects where impacts to apes are deemed too significant to be mitigated, and will not engage with projects that directly or indirectly affect apes within World Heritage Sites. In addition to advising projects, lending banks and governments, the task force is also committed to strengthening capacity on these subjects within ape range countries. The Primate West Africa Team for Critical Habitat Protection programme was launched in April 2021, to help primatologists from West Africa advise and engage the private sector to minimize their impacts on primates.
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