Protection of the Golden-headed Langur in Cat Ba National Park, North Vietnam

Golden-headed langurs: Mother with her baby C)J. Adler

The miserable record as one of the most endangered primate species in the world keeps the Golden-headed Langur or CatBa-Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus). This primate species only range at the Cat Ba archipelago, the famous World Heritage Halong Bay in northern Vietnam. A large part of the main island and smaller islands were declared as a national park in 1986, which could not prevent the further reducing of the stock. Between 1960 and 2000, the number of CatBa-langurs drops of approximately 2000-2500 animals to just 53 animals. This represents a decrease of 98 percent in 40 years! The main reason for the decline is poaching in addition to the agricultural and forestry use intensification. By the deforestation of mangrove forests to make room for shrimp breeding, some groups of langurs are isolated on islands. Some of these groups consist entirely of females, which does not contribute to reproduction. Not only the gender relation, but the whole social structure is affected by the fragmentation of the population.

Juvenile Golden-headed langur C) J. Adler
Juvenile Golden-headed langur
 

In November 2000 the CatBa-Langur Conservation Project started on the island of Cat Ba. The German biologist Dr Roswitha Stenke worked for many years as a project manager on site. Since July 2008, the Veterinarian Daniela Schrudde is responsible for the leading of the project.

The main components of the work are:
  • Immediate protection of the remaining animals and securing their habitat;
  • Providing a natural social structure within the monkey groups;
  • Protection and exploration of the biodiversity on Cat Ba;
  • Dvelopment of capacities in the national park.

Numerous successes have been recorded so far. In the first year of the project a strict protected area was established inside the national park. This so-called "langur Sanctuary" is home to the largest reproducing group of langurs and is not accessible for tourists and local people. After the construction of two ranger camps now 20 rangers supervise this area. Langurs outside this area are protected by local "langur guards". They do educational work for the local people and are allowed to expel people out of the area and seize weapons.
In cooperation with the local forestry authority' forest protection groups have been established. These groups are also locals who carry out patrols and do also educational work.
They ensure the conservation of the habitat to enable an increasing of the langur-population.
A significant part of the activities of the project focuses on the direct support of the national parks as the main authority in matters of biodiversity and nature conservation.
This includes providing much needed technical equipment for rangers and expert advice in all aspects of conservation measures within the park and training of park employees.
The illegal hunting of monkeys has been terminated because of the surveillance of the park. Since the beginning of the project the stock of the langurs has increased to 60-70 animals. From that point of view the CatBa-Langur is the only primate species in Vietnam, whose numbers grow in their natural habitat.
Another milestone in the protection of primates was the expansion of the national parks in 2006. Since then all langur groups live within the national park.

The spectaular Cat Ba archipelago is home to the Golden-headed langur. C) R. Stenke
The spectaular Cat Ba archipelago is home to the Golden-headed langur.
The primary task for the future is to protect the remaining animals and their habitat. To enable a natural social structure to the animals and to prevent the fragmentation of populations, resettlement operations should be carried out. Also, the reforestation of mangrove forests is being considered.

More information is available here.


Stiftung Artenschutz is grateful to the Apenheul Primate Conservation Trust and the Gemeinschaft Deutscher Zooförderer e.V. (GDZ) for their generous support.

The Foundation received a major contribution by Langnese - we deeply acknowledge the generosity.



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