Question

The populations of the great apes in Africa are recovering and on the rise.

Answer 1

Not exactly. There has been a notable recovery for one African great-ape population (mountain gorillas), but most other African great-ape populations are stable at best or declining. The situation is mixed and species- and population-specific.

Short summary by taxon
- Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei): Clear recovery. Intensive conservation, anti‑poaching patrols and veterinary care have increased numbers, and the subspecies was downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered after recent censuses (≈1,000+ animals).
- Eastern lowland (Grauer’s) gorilla (G. b. graueri): Severely declined in recent decades, mainly from habitat loss, hunting and conflict; still in very bad shape.
- Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and western gorilla overall: Have suffered major losses (notably from Ebola and habitat degradation). Many populations are small or declining; the overall status is precarious.
- Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes): Overall declining across much of its range due to habitat loss, hunting for bushmeat and disease; some local populations are stable or the subject of conservation efforts, but the species remains threatened.
- Bonobo (Pan paniscus): Declining and threatened, mainly from habitat destruction, hunting and limited law enforcement in parts of the DRC.

Main threats that keep most populations from recovering
- Habitat loss/fragmentation (agriculture, logging, mining)
- Hunting and bushmeat trade
- Infectious disease outbreaks (Ebola has wiped out large numbers of gorillas)
- Civil conflict/weak governance that undermines conservation
- Small, isolated populations vulnerable to stochastic events

If you want, I can:
- Give the latest IUCN Red List categories and recent population trend notes for each species/subspecies, or
- Provide pointers to long-term monitoring and conservation programs that produced the mountain-gorilla recovery.