Primates: Saving the Species

Hello, Jen. Very happy to be with all of you, and I’m amazed to see all of the interesting questions that have been posed so far. I’m sure we’ll see even more throughout the hour. Let's get started.

I don’t think it’s possible to make such a generalization, especially across such a highly diverse order of mammals like the primates. Certain primates are highly commensal (some baboons, grivets in Africa, and some macaques in Asia); other primates actually do pretty well in secondary or degraded habitats, even species like orangutans; still others really do depend on intact primary forest. The two key things that absolutely have to be addressed are hunting (because it’s no point having lush intact rainforest if there’s nothing living in the forest), and large-scale habitat loss (e.g., the conversion of lowland rainforests in south-east Asia to oil-palm).

Captive-breeding programs remain an important and vital tool in the conservationist’s tool-box, and many outstanding projects have resulted in the positive recovery of several primates (such the lion tamarins), as well as many other species. However, any captive-breeding program should always be accompanied by the appropriate action in the wild.

Many zoos that have animals in their collections have very active conservation programs on those species in the wild (or at least help to support such work). After all, it’s all very well having the species survive in captivity, but in the end it would be nice to be able to return the species to its home in the wild. Fortunately, at present at least, no primate taxon is listed as what we call “Extinct in the Wild” (meaning it survives only in captivity).

The primary role that primates play in (especially) tropical forest ecosystems is as seed dispersers and therefore in forest regeneration and maintaining forest composition (i.e., the diversity and structure of forest fruiting species).

Studies in Kibale National Park in Uganda have shown that forests in which primates had been hunted have fewer seedlings (i.e., less recruitment) and a lower diversity of seedlings. Interestingly, many of the remaining seedlings were of very small-seeded species that were probably being dispersed not by primates, but by small birds. The implications of this for forest regeneration and composition are understandably quite important, if not necessarily very well understood.

Nobody knows for sure how many species have gone extinct, partly because species extinction is very difficult to document. What we know for sure is that since 1500, approximately 700 animal species have been documented as having gone extinct (you can find out more about these by visiting the IUCN Red List at www.iucnredlist.org).

Several primate species are included in this tally, among them a species of monkey from the island of Jamaica (Xenothrix mcgregori), which may have survived until sometime after 1700, and several giant lemurs from Madagascar. A few primates are on the verge of extinction though, perhaps none more so than Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus from West Africa.

Perrier’s Sifaka is a Critically Endangered lemur that has a very restricted range in northern Madagascar (that includes the Analamerana Massif).

It was formerly recorded in the Ankarana forests, but was not recorded at all during recent surveys led by Matthew Banks and others at Stony Brook University), although animals were observed in forest fragments between Analamerana and Ankarana. A recent survey suggested fewer than 1,000 individuals may survive.

Analamerana is classed as a Special Reserve, but even within this protected area the forests have been reduced. Nonetheless, there have been calls for the forests between Ankarana (also a protected area) and Analamerana to be included as part of these protected areas. The enhancement of infrastructure at Ankarana and Analamerana to support moderate tourist volumes and research presence also needs to be considered.

The northern forests of the Republic of Congo harbour the largest populations of western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) worldwide. Recent survey results in northern Congo have suggested some 60,000 apes may survive in this landscape. Protected areas will continue to be absolutely vital to the persistence of these populations, but of course much of the land is also under logging concessions so working with logging companies is going to be crucial.

The most recent population estimate puts numbers at between about 170,000 and 300,000, with probably a third in DRC. The least numerous subspecies is the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee, with about 6,500 individuals.

I see you also asked another question about the ring-tailed lemurs. Madagascar’s iconic species is apparently doing better than many other similar-sized lemurs. Their overall geographic distribution on Madagascar has not changed much over the past 50 years, and may even be wider than previously thought. Ring-tailed Lemurs occur in a very wide variety of habitats on Madagascar, ranging from the hottest and driest place to the coldest (on the Andringitra Massif in the south). They also have a varied diet, and are not constrained by the need for water. It is present in a number of protected areas, and many of the places where it occurs in the highest densities are on sacred lands. Of course, this is not to say the species is not at risk – hunting and habitat loss are still issues – but for now the species seems to be doing okay.

Very! In particular for helping to mitigate against the impacts of habitat loss and hunting. The problem is protected areas are not very useful in preventing the spread of disease, and we know that Ebola is a major threat to Western Lowland gorillas.

Given that 20 percent of global climate change is caused by tropical deforestation, any efforts by conservation groups to prevent the loss of forest habitat and thereby reduce global carbon emissions is immediately going to have a positive benefit for primate conservation. A major new area of focus is the issue of REDD (or Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation), which was discussed at the UN conference on climate change in Bali, Indonesia in December. Delegates there agreed that efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through forest protection and restoration should be stepped up, but they didn’t mandate any specific targets.

Establishment of protected areas is a necessary step in effective conservation. However, there are many gaps in the existing protected areas network, and it’s important to identify first where those gaps are and which are the most important to plug first.

If many of those newly discovery primates have wide ranges, and are not currently at risk, then it may be worth investing our time and energies elsewhere where species are at more immediate risk.

Let’s assume by International Wildlife Protection Laws you’re referring to international policy conventions such as CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) … one of the key things we can do is work with local governments to help them become more aware of their roles and responsibilities in enforcing CITES regulations. As an international policy convention, it can only really be as effective as the degree to which is implemented by national governments. The problem is that it’s vitally important that we do look at this issue. If you look at regions like Southeast Asia, where we see the impact of utilization or harvesting being quite severe, some of the trade is crossing international borders - so between Vitenam and China, for example, to supply a demand for body parts for traditional Chinese medicine with little or no regulation.

Two good questions, Kathleen. First of all, reintroduction is a rather complex, albeit important, conservation action. It was mainly through reintroduction efforts that the conservation status of two lion tamarin species in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil was downlisted. However, this involved a few decades worth of collaboration and effort.

As for mating for life, it’s not the case at all. In fact, many primates are not what you would call monogramous, and even those that are don’t necessarily demonstrate much fidelity. Gibbons are monogamous, but among most primates both males and females have a different number of mates. Chimpanzees, at the other end of the spectrum, are notoriously promiscuous, mating with just about any other chimpanzee!

If you want to make a career out of it, then best to start off with an established ngo or other institution and gain some practical on-the-ground experience. If you’re content with your day-job, and just want to make a difference, make contact with the various conservation ngo’s out there and find out what you can do to help or support species conservation.

Personally, I am not a fan of top 10 lists, because I’m just not sure it’s that easy to emerge with a prioritized list of the top 10 most threatened primates.

Species like the Hainan Gibbon are down to less than 20 individuals, but have recently been increasing. The Cat Ba Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus) numbers only 65 individuals. Two red colobus monkeys in Africa haven’t been seen in several decades, and may be extinct. There are lots of candidates for the list of primates most threatened with extinction.

The kipunji was described only in 2005, and has gone straight to Critically Endangered, with a little over a 1000 individuals. Most of the work done to date has been led by the Wildlife Conservation Society in Tanzania, who have used the species as a “flagship” for their Southern Highlands Conservation Programme in and around Rungwe-Kitulo, especially in education and awareness raising activities, and as part of a long-term monitoring programme. WCS has been promoting the protection and restoration of the montane habitats of Mount Rungwe, especially the forest connections such as Bujingijila Corrido.

That’s true, sadly. Most of the gibbons are threatened. Most conservation attention seems to focus on the gorillas, the chimps and the orangutans. That’s the things about these assessments – they offer the opportunity to find out what other species are at very high risk of extinction. That’s not to say that orangutans aren’t threatened, because they certainly are, but there are many other species that are too and often slip out of the limelight. As I mentioned earlier: the Hainan gibbon which is down to about 15-20 individuals. All are found in a single protected area in Hainan and although the population has shown signs of increase recently, they nonetheless remain a highly threatened species.

Likewise, populations of the Javan gibbon, which is pretty much confined entirely to the western part of Java, are down to about 4,000-4,500 individuals in about 15 different locations. CI’s Dr. Jatna Supritna has been helping protect and increase the Java gibbon populations, partly through the creation of the Javan Gibbon Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. We’ll take an in-depth look at this effort Thursday, so definitely come back to Conservation.org then and read more.

There are many organizations whose entire mission is to save and conserve primates. There are the established well-known groups like Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, the Jan Goodall Institute, and so forth, but there are also outstanding conservation projects ongoing by just about every international ngo as well as by numerous local ngos.

A fantastic example of a locally run project helping to conserve a Critically Endangered primate (the cotton-top tamarin in Colombia) is Proyecto Titi, which works closely with local communities and has developed some innovative means of empowering local people to get involved and benefit from conservation activities. (You can check back tomorrow on conservation.org to read more about Proyecto Titi -- we'll be featuring it!)

If you’re looking for a very simple introduction to primates and primate diversity, you can go to www.conservation.org/primatenews. I would also encourage you to take a look at the Primate Specialist Group website, www.primate-sg.org. In addition, there is Noel Rowe’s Pictorial Guide to the Living Primates.

You should also keep an eye out for the forthcoming handbook of the mammals of the world, by Lynx Ediciones – the third volume of which is due to be about primates and is expected within the next year or so. CI’s Russ Mittermeier is an editor for that volume. Finally, all of the supporting documentation that underpins the Red List assessments, including information on distribution and threats, as well as distribution maps, will be available on the 2008 IUCN Red List, from October. That’s www.redlist.org.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m a strong believer in packing one’s bags and getting out into the places where these species live to see what’s going on.

If you’re in the US, you don’t necessarily have to brave a 30-hour trip to Madagascar to see lemurs, but you could put up with a much shorter flight to Costa Rica or Guatemala or Brazil.

Or if you’re making a trip to Thailand, for example, put aside some time to visit Khao Yai or one of the other national parks to see gibbons and other primates.
The president of CI, Russ Mittermeier, hit upon this idea of primate life-listing. It’s an idea that has somewhat grown on me, especially when you look at the birding community and consider the incredible lengths some of these people will go to just to add some mega-rarity to their life-list. In so doing, not only do they contribute immensely to ecotourism initiatives and local economies (and in some cases they contribute extremely relevant information on new records and population information), but they often have a chance to witness first-hand the outstanding work being done by many of the wonderful local non-governmental organizations filled with talented dedicated individuals working against all odds to save species.

Good question. It’s mainly due to our sense of valuing the intrinsic worth of these species. There’s all kinds of reasons to save them, but I would like to think that the main reason why none of us would like to see a species go extinct as a result of human influence is because, well, can you imagine being responsible for the extinction of a spider monkey or the cotton-top tamarin?

We’re being held accountable for the extinction of our closest relatives. I’d like to think it is our moral responsibility to save them. And it’s not just primates, but indeed all species. We don’t have perfect information, but we have enough to know what we need to do and where we need to do it first – and quickly.

First, it bears mentioning that the bushmeat trade is not just an African issue – it is much more widespread, though arguably not quite as commercialized as in Africa.

The solutions to the bushmeat crisis are varied and cannot be generalized. Some people have devoted entire academic careers to understanding the issue, and there are some heft PhD’s devoted entirely to understanding the dynamics of the bushmeat trade. Certainly, there are hardline measures such as improved enforcement and protection (e.g., the banning of shot-guns on Bioko, or improved management of protected areas), but then there are also important measures such as education and public awareness.

A lot of bushmeat is eaten because people cannot afford the higher prices associated with eating farmed species like chicken, beef, etc. This has led to some calling for a taxation on commercial trade in wildlife to push up the prices of bushmeat. In the long run, finding alternative protein sources that are competitively priced (and actually taste good).

You can also check out a personal account of a Bioko bushmeat market by one of our ILCP photographer friends who was recently in Equatorial Guinea at conservation.org/bioko.

This is definitely not my forte, but I think they’ve decoded the genome of the Rhesus Macaque, which shares somewhere in the region 90 or 95% of its sequence with humans.

To give you an example of the sort of work that’s being done - usually partnerships between international organizations, local NGOs and local communities – I’d like to draw your attention to the work of Proyecto Titi. I mentioned previously this conservation program that basically is working to conserve cotton-top tamarins in northwestern Colombia and does so in part through educating local communities about the importance of biodiversity. But they have also developed some very clever strategies to work with and empower local people to benefit from conservation action.

The really good example here is one of their projects that involves teaching local villages to make small traditional cooking stoves, called “bindes,” out of clay. They burn two-thirds less wood than normal open wood fires would, and of course you can imagine the immense benefits in the reduction of cutting down trees and collecting firewood as a result. So the benefit here to the communities is a more efficient means of cooking (you spend less time collecting firewood) and for the cotton-top tamarins, the bonus is more habitat. It’s sort of a win-win situation.

Most primates aren’t necessarily immensely wide ranging, so they certainly don’t need large areas to exist in. But it’s really species specific. Larger bodied species like gorillas and chimpanzees and gibbons will generally need larger areas to move in, whereas smaller bodied species can persist in smaller forest fragments. (Although, this is not to say fragmentation is a good thing because it comes with problems of its own, such as inbreeding and reduced dispersal, for example.)

A lot of primates do breed very well in captivity and captive breeding programs exist in not only North American and Australian zoos but also in many in-country facilities such as the Endangered Primate Rescue Center at Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam, which holds populations of many threatened primates.

I think so. The outlook appears bleak, but if we’re pessimistic that it’s all going down the tubes, then we may as well just give up and go home now. If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that targeted conservation action can prevent extinctions. It doesn’t come cheaply, of course (just ask all those ngo’s working in the Virungas to protect the Mountain gorillas), and it’s not a case of investing in it for a few years and then pulling the plug and moving on. Successful conservation requires decades worth of investment and commitment. It took some 75 years to change the fate of the White Rhino in Africa from a near write-off (perhaps less than 50 individuals around the turn of the century) to a major conservation success story (17,500 animals and counting).

Yeah. Make a point of getting out there, see some primates, find out what you can do and get involved. Thanks for all of the great questions! You kept me on my toes.