Primate Conservation 3:Primates on the brink...

Summary

• Rates of deforestation

• Causes of deforestation– Agriculture (slash and burn)– Mining– Forestry and forest product use– Influence of these– Hunting

• Stacey’s lecture- approaches

Goals for the week

• Finish Hunting and Primate Trade

• What measures are being taken?

• Conservation quiz

• National Parks in Action

History of Hunting on primates

Homo erectus

Giant gelada baboons

History of Hunting on primates

Wiped out on Java since turn of century

Orangutans

Recent extinction due to hunting

Subfossil lemurs (<2000 yrs ago)

Miss Waldren’s colobusAfrica (last 100 years)

Why Hunt?

• Subsistence

• Eliminate agricultural pests

Crop raiding

• Wipe out whole populations.

Baboons

DeBrazza

Hunting trends• Primates favored in some places

(Figure 9.1)

• But varies- Asia/Madagascar low, higher in New World/Africa (table 9.2)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Madagascar Asia Africa Americas

High

Moderate

Low

Hunting trends• Larger primates over smaller ones.

Madag.Americas Africa AsiaLorisiformes Rare RareLemuriformesRareTarsiformes NoneCallitrichidae RareCebidae WidespreadColobinae Common Commonhylobatidae CommonPongidae Widespread Widespread

Sm

all b

odied

Large

bod

ied

Types of Hunting

• Trapped or shot

• Impact on population will depend on area

Relative

abundan

ce

Forest Condition, Hunting Intensity

REASONS

• Bushmeat (Africa)

• Live Primates

• Primate parts

Result = High impact on populations

Bushmeat

• West African crisis

• Empty Forest Syndrome

• Crisis because….– Unmonitored– More taken than needed– Not sustainable– No alternative sources– Big $$

Congo Example

• 2% of total carcass count = chimps

• Another 2% primates

• 15,000-26,000 carcasses total per year

Primate Trade

• Biomedical needs• Pets• Zoos• Meat trade

CITES

• Convention on the International trade in Endangered species (1975)

• Graphs 9.4-9.5 in readings.

Primate parts

• Medicinal (Asia)– Tonic

– Eyes- cure

– Bones- aphrodisiacs

– Brains- headaches

Primate Parts

• Tourist trade

• Ornamental

Is Hunting sustainable?

• Hard to know- see figure 9.7

Solutions

• Reintroduction

Gibbons

Ruffedlemur

orangutan

Golden Lion Tamarin

National Parks

• Grassroots approach

• Health Education, Agriculture

• Sustainable Development

• Ecotourism