A Hatinh langur, an endangered primates species is released at a forest in central Vietnam. (Photo courtesy of Bui Van Tuan)"Primates of the Greater Mekong: Status, Threats and ConservationEfforts" – a new World Wildlife Fund report, highlights the amazingdiversity of lorises, macaques, langurs and gibbons that live in the five GreaterMekong countries -- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The profiled species include the skywalker hoolock gibbon, which was describedas a new species in 2017, and the Popa langur which was only described as a newspecies in 2020.
The 44 primate species found in the region, 19 of which are endemic, are atestament to the amazing biodiversity of the region, but their conservationstatus is a stark reminder of the grave threats they face.
Deforestation, habitat degradation and hunting driven by the wildlife tradehave forced many primates in the Greater Mekong to the brink of extinction.
One-quarter of the species are classified as Critically Endangered in the IUCNRed List, while about half are categorized as Endangered.
Vietnam is home to five endemic primate species, all of which are included inthe list of the world’s 25 most Critically Endangered species. Moreover, thelatest Red List assessments show an increased extinction risk for a quarter ofthe primates compared to the previous assessments conducted in 2008, while therest showed no reduction in their extinction risk.
Primates from this region are not only losing their precious habitat at analarming rate, but they are also severely threatened by the wildlife trade -both legal and illegal. Their meat is sold as food, parts are traded for use intraditional medicine, and live animals are marketed as exotic pets or props fortourist selfies.
In Vietnam, although all primate species are protected by law or communityconvention, hunting, illegal captivity and trading are the primary causes for adecrease in primate populations.
The number of primates in the legal wildlife trade - often for use inbiomedical research and pharmaceutical testing - has been on the increase, withthe legal trade in primates estimated to be worth 138 million USD in 2015.
Furthermore, research has predicted that all apes and Asian and African monkeyspecies are at high risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causesCOVID-19 in humans.
Zoonotic diseases - which have their origins in animals and are often caused bythe frequent and unsafe contact between wildlife and humans in the trade - canthen be transmitted back to animals, further threatening their survival.
Rhesus macaques and long-tailed macaques, both of which occur in the GreaterMekong region, have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in laboratories anddeveloped COVID-19 symptoms similar to humans.
Fortunately, many organizations, government agencies and local communities areworking tirelessly to protect some of these unique species from disappearing.The WWF is carrying out surveys in some protected areas to monitor primatepopulations, such as the white-handed gibbons in Nam Poui National ProtectedArea in Laos, or the Ha Tinh langur in Thach Hoa district of Quang Binh provincein central Vietnam.
In Vietnam, the WWF supported patrols are removing snares and releasingprimates caught in traps back into the wild in the Annamite mountains.
Connecting fragmented forests and improving forest quality has also been astrategy that WWF has carried out in Vietnam to protect species over the past30 years. Recently, WWF supported the upgrading of Song Thanh from a NatureReserve to a National Park in Quang Nam province, established two new SaolaNature Reserves in the central Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces, andassisted government partners to extend protected areas in Quang Nam, Quang Triand Thua Thien Hue provinces. All of these efforts are to establish safe corridorsfor species to thrive.
Community awareness-raising activities about wildlife and primates areregularly carried out in communities that live close to the species’ habitats,as well as with other key stakeholders at the national level. Besides providingconservation knowledge, WWF’s campaigns in Vietnam also encourage publicchanges in behaviour and engage local communities to protect their primates.
Many other conservation organisations are protecting, researching, rescuing andrestoring the unique primates in the region. Fauna and Flora International isworking extensively in Vietnam and Myanmar to monitor and protect threatenedprimates in key locations.
The Endangered Primate Rescue Centre in Cuc Phuong, in the northern Ninh Binh provinceof Vietnam, is rescuing and working on breeding threatened species toreintroduce them to the wild. The Little Fireface Project is researchinglorises in the wild while also working to tackle their trade as pets and propsfor selfie-tourism.
Organisations like the Jahoo Gibbon Camp in Cambodia and the Gibbon Experiencein Laos are creating safe ways for tourists to see and hear primates in thewild, with above local economy and livelihoods and in turn, reduce huntingpressure.
“If the remaining primate populations in the Greater Mekong are to survive andeventually recover to viable numbers, governments, NGOs, corporates and localcommunities must all work together and implement conservation measures targetedat primates,” said Van Thinh Ngoc, CEO of WWF-Vietnam.
“WWF is currently working with other primatologists to review primateconservation efforts in Vietnam; there is hope to save these incredible speciesthat make our region unique, but we must act swiftly and decisively.”
The WWF is calling on decision-makers to include interventions needed toaddress key drivers of zoonotic disease outbreaks in their pandemic preventionplans. Closing forests and high-risk wildlife markets, for example, will helprecover wildlife populations and maintain local and global biodiversity thatnaturally help regulate disease, as well as help ensure sustainable use ofnatural resources.
To support the fight against COVID-19, citizens are highly recommended not tobuy, sell or consume wildlife products./.
VNA
