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Ministers from 23 countries in Africa and south-east Asia have appealed for international help to save the world's great apes from extinction.
Urgent action was needed to protect the great apes and provide sustainable ways of living for local communities, the UN-backed meeting in Kinshasa agreed.
Poaching and damage to forest habitats have led gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo and orangutan numbers to fall sharply.
Experts warn wild populations of great apes could disappear in a generation.
The five-day meeting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was the first involving ministers from the countries where the threatened species remain.
Officials for the United Nations Great Ape Survival project, which set up the conference, said the nations' joint commitment was an important step forward.
"The declaration affirms political will at the highest level for the first time in the history of the great apes," project spokesman Matthew Woods said.
The UN body hopes the agreement will help stamp out poaching for bush meat, animal trafficking and deforestation which has destroyed the creatures' habitats.
The countries involved have appealed for international aid and development agencies to back their efforts.
The agencies should "make it a priority to develop and implement policies which promote ecologically sustainable livelihoods for local and indigenous communities", they said in a statement.
Henri Dojombo, environment minister for DRC, told the AFP news agency more resources were needed from developed countries to safeguard the great apes.
He said: "Whether it be for research or for action on the ground, we need money. It is poverty in the first place that leads to poaching." Scientists at the conference identified more than 100 sites, most of them in Africa, where viable great ape populations could be saved from extinction by intensive conservation efforts.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4232174.stm