BBC Vietnam monkey faces extinction; hunted for Chinese traditional medicine trade

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BBC DAILY E-MAIL: UK EDITION

Monday, 30 August, 2004, 8:00 GMT

01:00 -07:00:US/Pacific

 

 

 

* Vietnam monkey faces extinction *

The Delacour's langur monkey, which lives exclusively in Vietnam, is

fighting for its existence, conservationists warn.

Full story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/sci/tech/3599194.stm

 

 

Vietnam monkey

faces extinction

A black and white monkey that lives exclusively in Vietnam is in

severe danger of dying out, the International Primatological Society

has warned.

 

Only about 300 Delacour's langurs are alive today, and experts fear

they could be completely extinct by 2014 if the current rate of

decline continues.

 

The monkeys are being pushed to the brink by hunting for the Chinese

traditional medicine trade.

 

However, conservationists say swift action now could save the

species.

 

The Delacour's langur ( Trachypithecus delacouri ) is a

leaf-eating monkey which has an unusually long and bushy tail. It is

also one of the most endangered primates in the world.

 

Hunting has forced the animal into a few extreme strongholds, where

steep limestone cliffs grant a little protection from poachers.

 

Isolation

 

Poachers covet the monkeys for their bones, organs and tissues, which

are used in traditional medicines.

 

Development is placing an additional pressure on the fragile species

by serving to isolate already small sub-populations. This means that

if the main breeding male dies, the whole sub-population is at risk of

fading away, because no new males can reach the group.

 

" We have 19 isolated populations, " said Tilo Nadler, Vietnam

Country Representative for the Frankfurt Zoological Society. " And

60% of the whole population lives in isolated sub-populations of less

than 20 animals. "

 

The Delacour's langur is so rare that it was not described by science

until 1932, and it was another 50 years before anyone did any

comprehensive research into the distribution and habitat of the

species.

 

In the early 1990s, about 600 of the animals were found in the

limestone mountain ranges that cover an area of about 5,000 sq km in

northern Vietnam.

 

However, since then the species has taken a dramatic nose-dive.

" Since 1992, around 300 animals have disappeared, " Dr Nadler

told BBC News Online. " So in about 10 years, 50% of the

population has disappeared. "

 

Conservation efforts

 

However, the monkey has reached the attention of various conservation

groups, who are determined to see it survive.

 

" The

Delacour's langur is in the top 25 of the critically endangered

primate list, " said Russell Mittermeier, president of

Conservation International. " But the good thing about the

Delacour's is that people are beginning to pay attention to it, and it

does have some protected areas. "

 

Conservation

efforts are centred on two national reserves in northern Vietnam.

 

In Van Long National Reserve, created three years ago, approximately

70 individuals live in three separate populations.

 

" We have built five rangers stations [in the Van Long Reserve]

and our organisation pays for about 20 rangers to protect the

animals, " said Dr Nadler. " This is working well and the

population is increasing.

 

" If there is no hunting pressure, then the population will

increase very fast. "

 

Box-ticking

 

Dr Mittermeier is also a fan of tourism as a method of boosting

conservation.

 

" I'm an advocate of tourism in helping to conserve primates, "

he told BBC News Online. " I think it is the only alternative we

have that is going to generate significant income quickly.

 

" I think tourism has great potential in Vietnam, and very often

you can do it as high end tourism, where you get fewer people and

bigger returns. "

 

Dr Mittermeier thinks that appealing to people's bird-watching - or

" twitcher " - instincts may be the best way forward.

 

" I think that life-listing primates could become a new sport, "

he said. " A lot of people are box-tickers.

 

" We are going to publish several life-lists of primates, and we

are going to try to stimulate a little competition. "

 

Whatever it takes, both Russell Mittermeier and Tilo Nadler hope that

the international community can steer the Delacour's langur away from

the knife-edge.

 

Dr Nadler concluded: " We have a limited window of opportunity to

save them, and we hope the international community will rally around

this incredible monkey. "

 

 

Story from BBC

NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/3599194.stm

 

Published: 2004/08/29 21:29:14 GMT

 

© BBC MMIV

 

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