The Impact of Climate Change and Human Activities on the Habitat Distribution and Ecological Corridors of Hoolock tianxing in Western Yunnan Province, China

Climate change and human interference are major drivers of biodiversity loss, with profound implications for species distribution and ecosystem integrity. Among the most vulnerable groups, primates are particularly sensitive to climate change due to their specialized habitat requirements and reliance on stable environmental conditions. This study investigates the impact of climate change and human disturbance on the distribution patterns and ecological corridors of the Gaoligong hoolock gibbons (Hoolock tianxing) in Western Yunnan Province, China. Climatic variables, including elevation, temperature range, seasonality, and annual precipitation, were found to significantly influence the spatial distribution of suitable habitats for the species. Under current climatic conditions, the suitable habitat area was 9801.59 km2. However, future climate scenarios projected substantial reductions in habitat area, with the RCP2.6 scenario showing a decrease of 10.07%, and the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios resulting in reductions of 29.75% and 69.02%, respectively. Spatially, Tengchong and Longyang supported the largest habitat areas, but these regions faced significant reductions under all future scenarios, while Longchuan and Fugong exhibited minimal to no suitable habitat, especially under higher-emissions scenarios. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that future climate change would cause a shift in habitat suitability toward higher elevations, with mid- and high-elevation areas becoming increasingly important. Ecological corridors, primarily located in the southern regions, showed a trend of fragmentation, with decreasing connectivity and increasing dispersal resistance across all future scenarios. By the 2070s, southern corridors would nearly disappear under the RCP8.5 scenario, with the dispersal paths contracting northward. These findings underscore the urgency of implementing comprehensive conservation strategies, such as habitat restoration, corridor enhancement, and cross-border cooperation between China and Myanmar, to mitigate climate change impacts and safeguard the long-term survival of Skywalker hoolock gibbons.