A rare and little-known group of monkeys could help save Africa's tropical forests – Phys.org

Click here to sign in with or
Forget Password?
Learn more
share this!
8
Twit
Share
Email
April 30, 2024
This article has been reviewed according to Science X’s editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content’s credibility:
fact-checked
peer-reviewed publication
trusted source
proofread
by Wildlife Conservation Society
Conservationists and scientists from almost 20 institutions in the United States, Europe, and Africa, have concluded that immediate conservation efforts to protect red colobus monkey species could have cascading net positive impacts on African tropical forest health in the face of a growing biodiversity crisis.
At a time when hunting of wildlife and habitat loss are driving long-term changes to ecosystems, including stark wildlife population declines and greater vulnerability to climate change and zoonotic disease transmission, the scientists identified red colobus monkeys as key indicators of tropical forest health and flagships for local and international conservation initiatives.
Writing in the journal Conservation Letters, the authors focus on five priority action areas:
The above actions build on the Red Colobus Conservation Action Plan, initiated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group and the African Primatological Society. The action plan aims to make red colobus a priority conservation target, which will help to secure Africa’s tropical forests and reduce unsustainable hunting for wild meat. A Red Colobus Working Group (RCWG) has been formed to guide implementation of the action plan and a Red Colobus Conservation Network (RCCN) has been created to promote communication, capacity-building and monitoring of red colobus conservation efforts.
Florence Aghomo, the RCCN Coordinator, said, “The Red Colobus Conservation Action Plan provides the blueprint for the conservation of red colobus monkeys. Through the collective efforts of the Red Colobus Conservation Network, we are striving to elevate red colobus monkeys to flagship species status, ensuring their survival for generations to come. With a focus on science-based solutions, community engagement, and capacity building for young African primate conservationists, the RCCN is forging a united front to address the urgent threats facing red colobus monkeys across Africa.”
In Africa, the 17 red colobus species (18 taxa if you count one species with two subspecies) range widely from Senegal in the west to the Zanzibar Archipelago in the east. One of the most imperiled and understudied primate groups, all 18 taxa are threatened with extinction and 14 of the 18 taxa are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species maintained by the IUCN.
The authors conclude that declining populations of red colobus “forewarn the fate of other large-bodied terrestrial vertebrates across African tropical forests and portend a bleak future for Africa’s biodiversity if a business-as-usual approach is followed.” The authors call for scientists, civil society groups, local communities, governments, funding agencies and others to invest in red colobus conservation efforts to help protect Africa’s tropical forests and biodiversity, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and improve food security and public health.
“One red colobus species may already be extinct due, primarily, to hunting and others are trending in that direction,” said Joshua Linder, lead author of the article and primatologist. “The time is now to ensure the future of Africa’s most endangered group of monkeys and the tropical forests they inhabit.”
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) research scientist Fiona Maisels added, “Red colobus are among the first mammal species to vanish from African forests, because they are large-bodied—providing a lot of meat with a single shot—and because they tend to look with interest at the hunter, rather than fleeing sensibly like most other monkeys. They often form large, noisy groups that are easy for a hunter to find compared with many of the smaller monkey species.
“The result can be that a perfectly good forest can swiftly be rendered red-colobus free within just a few years of hunting starting within it. Many of our priority action areas are in fact applicable to conservation of a wide range of species, and, indeed, of landscape protection as a whole.”
Barney Long of Re:wild remarked, “As the first species to be hunted out of the tropical forests of Africa, red colobus monkeys are the proverbial canary in the coalmine for biodiversity loss in these forests. Forests with red colobus remain healthy and so these monkeys should be elevated to be a key indicator of forest ecosystem integrity and closely monitored to track conservation effectiveness. Given the first primate extinction in modern times, may be a red colobus monkey—Miss Waldron’s red colobus—all conservation efforts should be made to prevent the loss of additional species and subsequent degradation of forest ecosystems across Africa.”
Drew Cronin from the North Carolina Zoo concluded, “Protecting red colobus monkeys isn’t just about saving a species; it’s about safeguarding Africa’s tropical forests, mitigating climate change, enhancing food security, and ensuring a thriving ecosystem for generations to come. Their survival symbolizes our commitment to conservation, urging us all to unite in action for a brighter, biodiverse future.”
More information: Joshua M. Linder et al, To conserve African tropical forests, invest in the protection of its most endangered group of monkeys, red colobus, Conservation Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1111/conl.13014

Journal information: Conservation Letters
Provided by Wildlife Conservation Society
Explore further
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Feedback to editors
14 hours ago
0
14 hours ago
0
14 hours ago
0
15 hours ago
0
Apr 29, 2024
0
5 hours ago
9 hours ago
10 hours ago
10 hours ago
11 hours ago
11 hours ago
12 hours ago
13 hours ago
13 hours ago
13 hours ago
8 hours ago
Apr 29, 2024
Apr 22, 2024
Apr 19, 2024
Apr 15, 2024
Apr 14, 2024
More from Biology and Medical
Dec 14, 2017
Apr 8, 2021
Feb 25, 2020
Jun 23, 2017
Sep 5, 2018
Sep 3, 2019
14 hours ago
15 hours ago
12 hours ago
10 hours ago
14 hours ago
15 hours ago
Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines).
Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request
Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.
Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.
Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient’s address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form.

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we’ll never share your details to third parties.
More information Privacy policy
We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X’s mission by getting a premium account.
Medical research advances and health news
The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances
The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web

source

About The Author

admin

See author's posts