Climate change

Reconnecting Gibbons – Canopy Bridge Project in Mondulkiri

Our drive to enhance activities in our biodiversity offset to achieve a net-positive impact has led to a canopy bridge pilot project with technical support provided by Jahoo, a gibbon ecotourism and conservation research venture working to protect endangered gibbons in Mondulkiri. With their help, the pilot program aptly named Reconnecting Gibbons has been launched with the initial installation of three canopy bridges within the biodiversity offset and at Okvau in 2023. In 2024, the bridge design was modified with two currently installed. Our canopy bridges aim to help arboreal wildlife, like the yellow-cheeked gibbon, cross safely between habitat areas. There has been some early success with macaque, langur, squirrels and gibbon captured on camera either crossing or visiting the bridges.

Emerald is pleased to share the first confirmed sighting of a gibbon using a canopy rope bridge to cross a road within our biodiversity offset in the Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, near the Okvau Gold Mine. This video shows two gibbons making their way across—an encouraging sign that these bridges are helping reconnect fragmented habitats for this arboreal species. While other primates such as long-tailed macaques, pig-tailed macaques, and Indochinese lutungs have been regularly using the bridges, this is the first confirmed use by gibbons—marking a meaningful step forward for our conservation efforts.