Sulawesi crested black macaques relisted as critically endangered

Sulawesi crested black macaques have been re-categorised as critically endangered. Credit Jean Wiltshire.

June 2009. Dr. Vicky Melfi, from the Devon-based Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which runs Paignton Zoo, is travelling to the island of Sulawesi for a conservation strategy meeting where she will sign a memorandum of understanding between the charity and the University of San Ratulangi which she hopes will kick-start efforts to save the Sulawesi crested black macaque from extinction.

Macaque expert Dr. Melfi spent three months on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi in 2007 conducting a major population count. Her findings painted a bleak picture for the future of this charismatic but endangered species:

Population has plummeted
"The population has plummeted. In 1980 the population density was as much as 300 individuals per square kilometre. In the past 20 years this has decreased to between 60 to 20 individuals per square kilometre. We searched more locations and saw fewer animals than would have been expected for even these low density levels - we recorded only eight separate sightings in three months.

Re-categorised as critically endangered
Sulawesi crested black macaques have since been re-categorised as critically endangered - facing a very real threat of extinction - by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The next category down is extinct in the wild.

Dr. Melfi said "It takes time to collect the data needed to make accurate population counts. We feel that with the data already collected, we know the population is declining quickly and dramatically. We have reached the point where it is too late to continue counting, we need to be conserving. We must act now. If we take another two years to do an exhaustive census there may be no animals left to save."

Local delicacy
The conservation strategy meeting will bring together a host of stakeholders, including representatives from the Indonesian parliament, other NGOs and local people. It is hoped that an agreement will bring about action to slow the decline in this population, and save it from extinction. Part of the problem is an accident of geography and religion. These large primates are eaten at celebratory dinners by the local people, who are predominantly Christian. Muslim populations elsewhere in Indonesia have taboos against eating such animals.

Her 2007 trip built on links with Indonesian scientists and conservation workers. In September 2008 she returned to the island; now she wants to take practical steps to save the macaques and their habitats by supporting and training the next generation of Indonesian conservation biologists and by raising awareness about the conservation issues in Sulawesi.

"In many cases, researchers turn up and are welcomed, provided with wonderful hospitality, collect their data - and then many of the locals never see them again. I want to build genuine links between the conservation work which is necessary to save the macaques and their habitats, and the people who live along side them, because only then can we save this species."

As endangered as tigers
The Sulawesi crested black macaque is probably one of the most endangered mammal species in Indonesia - and this is a part of the world with tigers, orangutans and rhinos. The coconut monoculture of the region is a major threat to the species.

Dr. Melfi has been working with this primate - known locally as yaki - for over 10 years. It is hunted for food and threatened by habitat destruction; while closer proximity to the expanding human population means an increased risk of the transmission of human diseases.

Dr. Melfi is an impassioned advocate for the species and is determined to alert the world to the crisis. She first saw Sulawesi crested black macaques in the wild in 1995.

"Seeing them in their native habitat was awe-inspiring - and I realised how fragile and threatened their existence is. I was motivated to help. Now I am integrating my zoo-based research with frontline conservation in the field."