Knowing how people perceive and relate to the environment is invaluable to conservation efforts. The mechanisms that drive conservation initiatives are social in nature, and it must be acknowledged that conservation is as much about people as it is the environment and non-human species. This research explored how local communities living on the border of Gunung-Gede Pangrango National Park in West Java, Indonesia perceive the natural environment and the wildlife with which they share the forest. More specifically, the goal was to determine the depth of their knowledge about Javan gibbons (Hylobates moloch) and the threats they face in the wild. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with over 100 people during the months of June through August 2016. Interviews revealed an unexpected narrative. Local people have limited knowledge and information with regard to the forest and its inhabitants. Responses varied between how important people thought protecting the forest was and how crucial the need to expand agriculture is for their personal livelihoods. People also expressed a desire to be more involved in local conservation initiatives. Support from local governments and community engagement is crucial to ensure the success of conservation programmes for Javan gibbons in West Java.

The gibbons (family Hylobatidae) represent one of world’s most threatened group of taxa. In theory they are an attractive group for interdisciplinary research but are often unconsciously overlooked. We conducted a systematic review in Web of Science and Google Scholar between January 1900 and February 2020 using PRISMA guidelines and strict search criteria to investigate (1) the number of mixed-method biosocial studies published on gibbons; (2) focus species and countries; (3) social analytical approaches used; and (4) the success of this approach in elucidating conservation issues. Only 31 mixed-method biosocial studies have been published on gibbons, 56 per cent on Nomascus species but none on Symphalangus. China and Vietnam were the most popular study locations. Optimistically, 68 per cent of publications were led by gibbon-range country researchers, but only 48 per cent of studies represented international collaborations; 81 per cent of studies addressed a conservation-related topic, highlighting the potential efficacy of using this approach in primate conservation research. However, few studies provided details of data collection methods, methods of analysis and sample sizes, and only one study used an anthropological analytical approach. We therefore encourage further cross-disciplinary international collaborations to better our understanding of human–gibbon relations on a deeper, more contextual level.