Collaborative Research: Conservation and Ecology of the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey at Khau Ca, Ha Giang Province, Vietnam

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The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey was named by Dolman (1912), but very few sightings of it occurred in the following decades leading western scientists to suggest its extinction until recent sightings in 1990. While not extinct, the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus) is presently restricted to as few as three small sites in the north of Vietnam, where it is endemic. This study focuses on the most viable population of Tonkin snub-nosed monkey at Khau Ca area in Ha Giang Province, Vietnam. Protection, conservation, and expansion (both demographically and geographically) are the primary goals of this project, but a deeper understanding of the ecological diversity of the genus Rhinopithecus is also sought. It has been suggested that an environmental cline has produced a gradation of morphology and behavior among the four extant Rhinopithecus species, with the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey living in relatively low lying tropical evergreen forest as opposed to the other three species in China which inhabit increasingly higher and colder habitats. Preliminary data reveal unexpected mandibular robusticity in the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey accompanied by the exploitation of a diverse array of relatively tough plant foods. These findings suggest an adaptive complex among Rhinopithecus species that cannot be explained by the clinal hypothesis. The conservation strategy of this project involves faunal and floral survey, assessment of activity patterns and ranging, and detailed population and phenological monitoring. Additional data on social behavior, foraging and feeding, and locomotion will be collected to test the clinal hypothesis. These findings will be disseminated in peer reviewed and popular journals and will lay the foundation for additional funding.This project will coordinate conservation efforts between NGOs and the Forestry Protection Department of Vietnam. It will help to build the forestry capacity of local villagers belonging to a number of ethnic minorities. Public awareness will be enhanced through interactions with local leaders and through the training of local counterparts. The lead Vietnamese researcher will gain support for the development of a doctoral thesis on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey. This study will aid in developing a viable strategy for the newly proposed Species/Habitat Conservation Area for the TSN monkey at Khau Ca.