Commodity par Immelda Ahawo (EnvIM 2019)

The natural procedure of life has always included the apparition of species, their evolution, their interactions with each other and their extinction. The turnover of species is an inevitable part of the life bicycle, withal today we seem to be approching a phase of mass extinction. The 2019 IPBES Global Assessment Study on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services – the first inter-governmental global assessment on these topics – examines the state of nature, its ecosystems, and its contributions to people. As mentioned on the CIRAD website dedicated to this consequence "I of the conclusions is that humans are responsible for a sixth mass extinction that could threaten their very existence.", (CIRAD, 2019).

With each extinction, earth is losing its biodiversity and the different ecosystems are losing balance. And then far, 96 500 species are considered endangered or threatened according to the International Spousal relationship for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) blood-red list. An endangered species is a species that faces a high risk of extinction in the virtually future throughout all or a significant portion of its range, while a threatened species is a species at risk of becoming endangered. 25% of the species in the IUCN red list are mammals, pregnant that 24 125 species are facing diverse risks of extinction. Furthermore, in 2017, out of the three 326 identified endangered mammals, China was home to 61-90 of them.

In this article, we will focus on one of the mammals in question who happens to also be a national treasure: the gilded monkey. There are iv species of Golden monkeys in the world and three of them inhabit China and are under the Land'due south beginning-form protection. Simply what are the particularities of this monkey and what caused them to be endangered? Also, what are the solutions deployed on a local level for their protection?

Figure 1 : Countries with the most endangered mammals in the world,2017(The Eco Experts, 2017)
Figure 1 : Countries with the nigh endangered mammals in the world,2017(The Eco Experts, 2017)

Origins and facts

The three types of Rhinopithecus Roxellana or golden snub-nosed monkeys that are mainly constitute in the central part of mainland Cathay are in : （四川）Sichuan, （甘肃）Gansu and （陕西）Shanxi provinces, as well as （神农架）ShenNongjia Nature Reserve in （湖北）Hubei Province.

A typical monkey of that kind is nigh 70 cm tall and the length of its tail is the same as that of its body or even longer. It has a flat nose with nostrils facing forward, full lips and no cheek pouch. Its name comes from the shape of its nose and likewise its beautiful and very unique fur, the latter also differs depending on the gender and also betwixt the different types of monkeys.

The Sichuan Gilded Monkey has bluish fur on its cheek, which gives information technology another name "Blue Cheek Monkey". Its habitat is principally Sichuan, Gansu and Shanxi provinces. Yunnan (云南) Golden Monkey has white fur on both sides of its face, and is mainly found in Yunnan, and Eastern Tibet. The third 1 is the （贵州）Guizhou Aureate Monkey, which has an oval-shaped area of white fur betwixt shoulders. Regarded as China's "state treasure," just similar the giant pandas, golden monkeys are under the country's top-level protection.

However, despite being a state treasure and sharing the same habitat as the giant pandas, they are currently the 25th most endangered primate species in the world. The New England Primate Conservancy estimated that the population of gold monkeys decreased by 50% in half a century, (Regan, 2018). To understand the crisis faced past the golden monkeys, it is necessary to commencement acquire more about the primate itself, and so the deportment taken nether the proper noun of state top-level protection.

Figure 2: Photo of Hubei monkeys  (Huaju, 2016)
Figure 2: Photo of Hubei monkeys  (Huaju, 2016)

Natural habitat and mode of life

Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou Golden Monkeys' habitats are mainly in 1000 to 3000 m higher up sea level cold broadleaf mixed coniferous forests of China. The gilt monkeys move uphill or downhill depending on the season. And they tend to adopt cold areas because they tin can withstand severe common cold but cannot handle oestrus.

Fall is the estrus flow of the gilt monkey, the female golden monkey is sexually mature earlier than the male, the female's mature phase begins when she is around 4 or five years old, and the male person's begins while around vii years one-time. The golden monkeys are mating all yr round while the three months from August to October is their chief mating period. The pregnancy lasts nigh 6 months and usually gives one infant at a birth. The newly born baby monkey has a dark bluish confront and a brownish-brown color. Later one calendar month, the weight is more 1 kilogram. In the adult monkey group, the ratio of male person to female is about 1:two, (Regan, 2018).

As the altitude of the habitat increases, the estrus of different species of gilded monkeys will exist delayed.

The monkeys alive in colonies, which are composed of several groups of maximum 600 individuals. Females acquit one offspring at a fourth dimension, and they usually have a typical family lifestyle. The family members accept care of each other at all time, until the young ones reach adulthood when they have to alive by themselves (Regan, 2018).

Nearly of their activities accept place in the trees, but they can come down to feed. Their diet consists of fruits, leaves, seeds, bamboo shoots, bugs, eggs and birds. Eating on the ground makes them vulnerable to their predators.

The threats and the Chinese protection programs:

The threats that are provoking the rapid reduction of aureate monkeys' numbers are shared between endangered primates and other species. They encompass deforestation, mass tourism, hunts and also the fast development of urban areas close to the primates' habitat  (Li, 2018).

Unlike strategies can be observed to deal with the dissimilar threats. They could exist directly targeting the primate or be more indirect. One of the indirect ways is by restoring damaged forests. The monkeys need healthy forests to thrive, and so restoring forests and ecosystems is a skillful way to try to undo urbanization's, damages on their environment. Hence, Communist china developed important afforestation policies, and since 1999, has restored forest landscapes beyond more than 28 million hectares of farmland and state classified as arid or degraded (Dayne, 2017).

The grain for greenish program-GFGP, and other afforestation policies

Effigy 3: The Trends of tree cover changes from 2000 to 2014.(Wang, 2017)

The " Conversion of Cropland to Forest Programme" (CCFP), also known as "Grain for Green", is one of the many programs instituted by china to help fight climatic change. The CCFP program pays farmers to plant trees on their country and as well provides rural families with degraded land to restore. As the different provinces in Communist china adult at diverse charge per unit, population augmentation and fast urbanization impacts also as provincial government reactions were unlike. In Guangdong province for example, which is habitation to a species of golden monkey, the rapid evolution of the Pearl Delta River region (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong …) didn't have a strong impact on the wood lands. "The province attaches not bad importance to the protection of natural resource and environment. At present, Guangdong is home to 270 forest natural reserves and 459 wood parks." (Communist china Daily, 2016). The provincial government participated in the CCFP program, and even launched their ain afforestation plan in 2011, which is still helping wood lands restoration upwardly to this day.

If we include direct payments to more than 32 1000000 of rural households, the CCFP has and so far cost more than than 40 billion $ and affected 124 meg people.(Dayne, 2017)

Another important actor in China'due south afforestion progams is the China Eye for Forest Economics and Evolution Enquiry (FEDRC). In 2013, they signed a partnership with the Center for International Forestry Inquiry (CIFOR) to support the monitoring and evaluation of the CCFP. The CIFOR then became the showtime foreign organization to access data from China's National Restoration Programme. In the aforementioned dynamic, some African countries like Ethiopia are inspired by Chinese progresses in restoring their lands. Therefore another form of the Sino-African friendship is related to environmental issues. Information technology is interesting to note that the quaternary golden monkey species is establish in cardinal Africa and is also endangered. Hopefully, the Chinese government would share with Ouganda, Rwanda and Congolese government their protections policies.

Except preserving the forest, natural habitat of the golden monkey many their actions are need in order to protect them. One other method is through education and symbolization.

Preserving by educational activity

Figure 4: Photo of ANGELA CUN with local students. (Whitley Funds, 2016)
Effigy four: Photo of ANGELA CUN with local students. (Whitley Funds, 2016)

Straight interactions involving the Golden monkeys, their ecosystems and humans oft resulted the destruction of the fauna'southward habitat. Rampant logging, needs for biofuels and rapid development of the area, are the master reasons behind the primate's habitat destruction, (Whitley Funds, 2016). The animals are also hunted and killed for food, fur and leather as well as illegal exotic beast trading. It became necessary to enhance awareness amongst the local well-nigh the loss that would event if such habits remained. This is why Angela's team projection of a customs-based conservation education campaign in Mainland china's （老君山）LaoJunshan region was really important for the species protection in that area.

Born in a rural Chinese family, Angela is a young local woman who is successfully raising awareness of conservation protection laws amongst local people, whilst also developing alternative income options that do non harm the environs.

The campaign included posters, school songs, visits, costumes and was directed to children, local households, loggers, eduction authorities and business owners. At the stop of the campaign, the locals were more aware of ecotourism, natural reserves and alternative sources of free energy. "When respondents were asked to proper name an animal they considered a priority for protection, 86 per centum, up from 57 percent, named the Yunnan gilded monkey.", (Forestry Manufacture, 2011).

This change of fate could not happen to the African golden monkey. The conflicts between the locals and the monkeys are linked to the eating habits of both parties, then information technology was hard to modify the minds. "Despite ongoing conservation efforts, local communities notwithstanding rely on forest resources […], in improver, Aureate Monkeys feed on people'south crops […], every bit a issue golden monkeys are killed", said D. Tuyisingize during National Geographic Explorer festival in 2018.

Either style, every bit Angela Cun'due south example was a lesser-up arroyo of the state of affairs., and a success story."Cun is now working for The Nature Salvation's Communist china program and has become a leading phonation for community-based conservation in the region. She is besides helping Rare launch a university-based Pride grooming programme in China (adding to centers in Mexico, Republic of indonesia, and the United kingdom) to meet the growing demand for local environmental leadership and capacity in her country.", (Forestry Manufacture, 2011). A pinnacle-down ones involving national protections programs will exist presented in the next paragraphs.

Other national programs (From Xinhua News Agency's reportages)

  1. Establishment of the Golden Monkey Inquiry Base (Xinhua News, 2012)

Approved by the State Forestry Administration, the center is set upwards in ShenNongjia Nature Reserve in fundamental Cathay's Hubei （湖北） province, said Qian Yuankun, Communist Party chief of the ShenNongjia Forestry District that administers the reserve, during his interview by Xinhua News in 2012.

Located in the northwestern mountains in Hubei province, the ShenNongjia reserve is rich with natural forest resource and animal species. Dubbed "Noah'southward Arc" for plants from the glacial menstruum, the ShenNongjia area is often referred to every bit a "dwelling house of living constitute fossils.", (Xinhua News, 2012)

The center is the state's second wild animal research and protection base later the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Inquiry Center in southwestern Sichuan province. Even through aureate monkey are not equally well known outside Prc every bit pandas, they are indeed a national treasure, and the fact that they have the second wild animal research and protection base proves that.

China'southward science authorities have already approved a program of 30 million yuan (4.76 one thousand thousand U.South. dollars) on the research and protection of aureate monkeys in Shennongjia (Xinhua News, 2012).

  1. Golden Monkey Monkey Environmental Protection Network

Xinhua News Agency, Kunming, July 15/2019 (Reporter Zhao Yiran) :

The Gilt Monkey Monkey Environmental Protection Network was established in Shangri-La（香格里拉）, Yunnan Province. The institution was established past the Yunnan Forestry and Grassland Bureau in conjunction with a number of not-profit organizations, scientific research and individual institutions to carry out related work to protect the primate.

The Golden Monkey Surroundings Protection Network is the first attempt by Yunnan province to plant a multi-participation joint protection mechanism, and build a cooperation platform of "protection priority, sustainable use, public participation, and resources sharing", focusing on improving monkey group patrol direction, population monitoring, and habitat. Work on land conservation and restoration, biology conservation and ecological behavior research, friendly community development and co-construction, and public awareness.(新华报, 2019)

Yunnan Province has successively established four protected sites including （白马雪山）Baima Snow Mountain, （玉龙天池）Yunlong Tianchi, （兰坪云岭）Lanping Yunling and （丽江老君山）Lijiang Laojun Mount to protect the golden monkey and its habitat, with a total surface area of ​​478,000 hectares, roofing the population of the golden monkeys.

While it is good to rejoice virtually the creation of theses natural reserves, and protected areas, it is important to keep in mind that animals ecosystems are evolving. Climate change change is an important treat that tin can cause species habitat loss. And natural reserves might exist impacted likewise.

The climate change danger

As the Gilt monkeys are sensitive to estrus, climate modify likewise puts a slap-up threat to its survival. Ordinarily, the aureate monkeys move uphill or downhill depending on the season, also the altitude impact the œstrus of female monkeys as explained in previous paragraphs. Just with climate modify, the habitat of the monkeys might alter as far every bit not being suited for them anymore.

Usually, resilience or vulnerability to climate change is conditioned past the species power to minimize or adapt to its effect. Adaptation might be washed through evolution or dispersion to other suitable habitats. A recent analysis published in the American periodical of primatology, studied the case of the Sichuan aureate monkeys' possible habitat evolution due to the climate change (Li, 2018). The diverse contribution of model variables ranged from the highest to the everyman were: mean diurnal range (24.1%), density of rivers (23.4%), atmospheric precipitation seasonality (20%), density of roads (15.9%), annual precipitation (8.seven%), minimum temperature of coldest month (4.iv%), density of settlements (3.ane%), and pinnacle (0.3%), (Li, 2018) . The results are every bit follows:

Figure 5: Predicted suitable habitat of Sichuan golden monkey under current and the 2050s' climate scenarios in （秦岭）Qinling Mountains (Li, 2018).
Figure 5: Predicted suitable habitat of Sichuan golden monkey under current and the 2050s' climate scenarios in （秦岭）Qinling Mountains (Li, 2018).

Suitable habitat for Sichuan Golden monkeys will subtract and shift to the east. Some natural reserves are going to be lost and will end providing shelter to the current species settled there.

In the light of the different protection policies discussed in previous paragraphs it was possible to have a glimpse the Chinese efforts to salve the aureate monkeys.

Firstly, the actions aim to protect the animal'southward habitat at different levels. At a local level through population education, at a provincial level following the example of Guangdong province, and also a national level with the supervision of the Chinese forestry national agency, many protection and tree planting programs are developed.

Secondly by obtaining the necessary fundings and creating organizations dedicated to the animal study and protection.  By monitoring the life of the monkeys in the reserve, scientist could ensure that their living conditions are good enough for them to multiply within and outside reserves.

While those programs and strategies might not cover all the efforts displayed by the Chinese government to protect the Gilt Monkeys, it is clear that the primate isn't equally well treated as giant pandas. While the later is alway displayed every bit the national mascot in national and international events such as Olympic Games, golden monkeys are even a mystery to some Chinese citizen.

Symbolization and international recognition should help in obtaining fundings for local actions. But looking at the case of Angela Cun, who's contribution to the preservation of the monkey was discussed in previous paragraphs, it is not possible to reach a conclusions. As a rural Chinese woman fighting to raise awareness effectually herself she chose to piece of work for Nature Conservancy programs in China instead of local institutions.

In that location could be many reasons backside that choice, and joined efforts from both national and international institutions are indeed needed. Moreover it is said that the number of aureate monkeys is going up. Simply with climatic change comes another threat, and other ways of preservation should be observed.

–

Sources :

(CIRAD, 2019)
CIRAD Agronomical inquiry for development, The 6th mass extinction calls for stronger global governance of biodiversity and an economical paradigm shift,ten/05/2019 – Press release
https://www.cirad.fr/en/news/all-news-items/printing-releases/2019/6th-mass-extinction-stronger-global-governance-of-biodiversity-and-an-economic-image-shift

(新华报, 2019)
Xinhua Daily paper, China has established a global protection network for the unique endangered species,（新华报）, 07/2019, translated from Chinese.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/2019-07/xv/c_1124756213.htm

(Regan, 2018)
New England Primate Salvation, Gold snub-nosed monkey, Christine Regan Davi, Mai 2018
https://www.neprimateconservancy.org/gilt-snub-nosed-monkey.html

(Tuyisingize, 2018)
Geographic Explorer Festival 2018, speech by Conservation biologist and field ecologist Deogratias Tuyisingize,
https://thousand.youtube.com/watch?5=A2RoBGEPd3w

(Li, 2018)
The 80th volume of the American Journal of primatology,Identifying potential refugia and corridors under climate modify: A case written report of endangered Sichuan aureate monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) in Qinling Mountains, Communist china, by Jia Li, Diqiang Li, Yadong Xue, Bo Wu, Xiaojia He and Fang Liu,  October 2018
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/total/10.1002/ajp.22929?cookieSet=ane

(Wang, 2017)
Sustainability, The Spatiotemporal Variation of Tree Cover in the Loess Plateau of Prc later the 'Grain for Light-green' Project, Yuhang Wang, Muyi Kang, Mingfei Zhao, Kaixiong Xing,  Guoyi Wang, and Feng Xue, Mai 2017
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f932/ba841fdc4f5c09150d204a7f4e1f11c8bad3.pdf?_ga=2.241492682.970922945.1572071309-676910303.1572071309

(Dayne, 2017)
Wood News, "Grain for green": How Mainland china is swapping farmland for forest, Suzanna Dayne, Nov 28/2017
https://forestsnews.cifor.org/52964/grain-for-green-how-mainland china-is-swapping-farmland-for-forest?fnl=en

(The Eco Experts, 2017)
Pop Sugar, These ten Beautiful Animals Are in Serious Danger of Existence Lost Forever in 2018, Lisa Peterson, December xx/2017, Image by the Eco Experts
https://www.popsugar.com/news/Eco-Experts-Endangered-Mammals-Extinction-Written report-2017-44331753

(China Daily, 2016)
Communist china Daily, Most Guangdong , September 21/2016
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/regional/2016-09/21/content_26855604.htm

(Huaju, 2016)
Xinhua Daily newspaper, 4 aureate monkeys born in April in China'south Hubei, Du Huaju 2016
http://en.gmw.cn/2016-05/01/content_19922231_2.htm

(Whitley Funds, 2016)
Whitley Funds for Nature WFN website, Conservation Yunnan golden monkey through community instruction, China, 2016 associate award winner
https://whitleyaward.org/winners/conservation-golden-monkey-red china/

(Xinhua News, 2012)
China.org.cn wesbsite, Research center to protect Golden monkeys, Xinhua, March 5/2012
http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2012-03/05/content_24809674.htm

(Forestry Industries, 2011)
Forestry Industries, Save the Yunnan golden monkey through customs outreach, 02/2011
https://forestindustries.european union/content/save-yunnan-golden-monkey-through-customs-outreach