New Monkey Species Threatened by Man
Mura's Saddleback Tamarin and Kipunji Suffering Habitat Loss
Jul 10, 2009
Over a dozen new species of primate (monkeys and their kin) have been discovered this century. Usually a remote habitat, or a small population account for the fact that they have not been seen earlier by scientists. These two factors (remoteness and rarity) also mean that recently discovered species are often found to be endangered. A new road through the rain forest, for example, will allow researchers in, but subsequent development often ruins the habitat. Small populations of rare animals are already vulnerable, and any alteration to their environment can spell disaster.
New Species Threatened by Development
- Mura's Saddleback Tamarin (Saguinus fuscicollis mura) was first seen in 2007, living in a remote part of the Brazilian rainforest. The animal is now threatened by projects in the region. A new road will lead to deforestation, and hydroelectric dams and gas pipelines will exacerbate the problems.
- Fabio Röhe (of the Wildlife Conservation Society) has said "This discovery should serve as a wake-up call that there is still so much to learn from the world's wild places, yet humans continue to threaten these areas with destruction."
- This rare monkey, also known as the Highland Mangabey (Rungwecebus kipunji), was only discovered in Tanzania in 2005.
- In 2006 DNA analysis showed it to be not only a new species, but also a new genus.
- Only a thousand or so individuals were left by 2008 (ScienceDaily – August 2008), with illegal logging and poaching making the Kipunji critically endangered (World Conservation Union).
- Dr. Tim Davenport (Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania) has said "We must do all we can to safeguard this extremely rare and little understood species while there is still time."
The Proboscis Monkey could easily become the flagship species of the mangroves. Conserving the monkey will preserve some of its habitat, and thereby save a whole ecosystem.
Rain forest monkeys could do the same for the rainforests, and saving the Kipunji would keep a little of the Tanzanian mountain forests intact.
Human Effects on Ecosystems
- In some situations, (as when removing top predators from an ecosystem), human activities can do untold harm, in other cases, (as when ecotourism helps preserve habitats), good can be done.
- In any situation where an interesting species is saved by keeping the habitat viable the whole ecosystem, with many thousands of other (named and unnamed) species, is preserved.
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