The world's 25 most endangered primates

22/02/2010 12:41:55 Primates in peril
February 2010. The world's 25 most endangered primates have been revealed. Mankind's closest living relatives - the world's apes, monkeys, lemurs and other primates - are on the brink of extinction and in need of urgent conservation measures according to Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates, 2008-2010.

Nearly half of all primate species are endangered
The report reveals that nearly half of all primate species are now in danger of becoming extinct from destruction of tropical forests, illegal wildlife trade and commercial bushmeat hunting. The list includes five primate species from Madagascar, six from Africa, 11 from Asia, and three from Central and South America, all of which are the most in need of urgent conservation action.

60 - 70 Golden headed langurs
Conservationists want to highlight the plight of species such as the golden headed langur (Trachypithecus p. poliocephalus), which is found only on the island of Cat Ba in the Gulf of Tonkin, northeastern Vietnam, where just 60 to 70 individuals remain.

110 eastern black crested gibbons
Similarly, there are thought to be less than 100 individual northern sportive lemurs (Lepilemur septentrionalis) left in Madagascar, and around just 110 eastern black crested gibbons (Nomascus nasutus) in northeastern Vietnam.
The list has been drawn up by primatologists working in the field who have first-hand knowledge of the causes of threats to primates. One of the editors of the report is Dr Christoph Schwitzer, Head of Research at the Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation (BCSF), a sister organisation of Bristol Zoo Gardens.

Dr Schwitzer, who is also an adviser on Madagascan primates for the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, contributed the chapter on the Endangered Sclater's lemur (also called the blue-eyed black lemur). Dr Schwitzer said: "This report makes for very alarming reading and it underlines the extent of the danger facing many of the world's primates. We hope it will be effective in drawing attention to the plight of each of the 25 species included. Support and action to help save these species is vital if we are to avoid losing these wonderful animals forever."

304 primate species endangered - Habitat destruction, bushmeat and pet trade to blame
Almost half (48 percent) of the world's 634 primate species are classified as threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM. The main threats are habitat destruction, particularly from the burning and clearing of tropical forests (which results in the release of around 16 percent of the global greenhouse gases causing climate change), the hunting of primates for food, and the illegal wildlife trade.

Northern sportive lemur of Madagascar, Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates 2008-2010 has been compiled by the Primate Specialist Group of IUCN's Species Survival Commission (SSC) and the International Primatological Society (IPS), in collaboration with Conservation International (CI). © CI/ photo by Russell A. Mittermeier

Dr Russell Mittermeier, Chair of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and President of Conservation International, said: "The results from the most recent IUCN assessment of the world's mammals indicate that the primates are among the most endangered vertebrate groups.

25 species most at risk
"The purpose of our Top 25 list is to highlight those that are most at risk, to attract the attention of the public, to stimulate national governments to do more, and especially to find the resources to implement desperately needed conservation measures. In particular, we want to encourage governments to commit to desperately needed biodiversity conservation measures when they gather in Japan in October. We have the resources to address this crisis, but so far, we have failed to act. We have chosen Bristol Zoo Gardens to launch this year's list, the fifth since 2001, because of the great leadership that this institution has taken in primate conservation in some of the world's highest priority regions."

Dr Schwitzer added: "This research is a good example of the growing importance of collaboration between the international conservation, research and zoo communities in the protection of species and habitats. At Bristol Zoo Gardens, we will continue our conservation and research with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of the conservation activities, as well as increasing our understanding of these, and other, critically endangered species."

Some successes - Black & Golden lion tamarins
Despite the gloomy assessment, conservationists point to the success in helping targeted species recover. In Brazil, the black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) was down listed to Endangered from Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as was the golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) in 2003, as a result of three decades of conservation efforts involving numerous institutions, many of which were zoos. Populations of both animals are now well-protected but remain very small, indicating an urgent need for reforestation to provide new habitat for their long-term survival.

Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates, 2008-2010 has been compiled by the Primate Specialist Group of IUCN's Species Survival Commission (SSC) and the International Primatological Society (IPS), in collaboration with Conservation International (CI).