Species, Threats, and Stakeholders – Tonkin Snub Nosed Monkey

Species, Threats and Stakeholders Assignment – Tonkin Snub nosed Monkey
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Species, Threats and Stakeholders Assignment – Tonkin Snub nosed Monkey
Behavioral Ecology
The ecological aspect of various species across the world has been under close scrutiny to ensure that the public appreciates and understands the importance of having the species in the environment. There has been an effective move to ensure that all the species are recognized and recorded in the scientific and public records. There exists the most threatened species in the world which ensures that the species can be saved from being extinct. Among the critically threatened species is the Tonkin snub nosed monkey (TSNM), which calls for assessment of how various stakeholders influence the monkey's existence. An understanding of the Tonkin snub nosed monkey's behavioral ecology, as well as its threats, helps in building an extensive understanding of how the stakeholders either support or threaten the monkey's existence.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) indicates that there are only approximately eighty to a hundred mature Tonkin snub nosed monkeys (Baillie & Butcher, 2012). It is known by the scientific name Rhinopithecus avunculus. Normally, an adult Tonkin snub nosed monkey weighs 9.1 kilograms, indicating that it is a small-sized primate. It belongs to the kingdom Animalia, order primates, suborder Haplorhini, phylum Chordata, class Mammalia and family Cercopithecidae.
The TSNM’s natural habitat is in forests that have bamboo and broadleaf trees. The monkey has been naturally sighted in areas that are hilly and mountainous, specifically with an elevation of between two hundred and one thousand two hundred meters. It is seen mainly in the northern parts of Vietnam due to the topography and vegetative features of the area (Nguyen et al., 2023). An interesting feature of the hilltops and mountains in Northern Vietnam is that they have karst limestone, which supports the bamboo and broadleaf trees. The area is characterized by trees’ leaves, flowers, seeds and fruits, which form the monkey’s diet. The choice of its diet is made possible by the monkey’s strong jaws and specialized digestive juices in its stomach, thus enabling it to survive with trees’ vegetation. The primates live in Vietnam’s rainforests since it offers food and shelter as its habitat. The monkeys also have a non-specific social structure where it can be found alone or within a pack of males and females. Mostly, the Tonkin snub nosed monkey travel in packs of females and one male, which defines the monkeys as being polygamous. The monkeys reproduce under their social structure composition where many females monkeys undergo mating from one male. The female monkey is already productively mature at four years while the males are productively mature at seven years. The difference in their maturity ages illustrates the reason one male reproduces with different females. The Tonkin snub nosed monkey reproduces either one or two young ones. Despite the TSNM being critically threatened, it is known that the female monkeys offer the best care to their young ones. The primate's lifespan is approximately twenty to twenty-five years. Their population is currently at between eighty and a hundred monkeys, which indicates why they are critically threatened.
Main Threats the Species Faces
The Tonkin snub nosed monkey has been categorized as critically threatened due to the fact that it faces a number of threats that affect its existence. The threats that the monkey faces include increasing human population, deforestation and poaching of the monkey. In the modern day, the natural habitat of the TSNM is highly threatened due to the fact that the human population has been edging out the monkeys. An increase in the number of humans has seen the primate being pushed out of the bamboo and broadleaf forests. In fact, the high number of tours prevents the monkeys from living freely. The increased demand for tourism has seen countries market their tourism resources, where Vietnam has marketed itself to have one of the threatened species, the TSNM. The increase in tourism has disoriented the monkeys' natural habitat peace as well as created an awareness of the monkeys' value. The increasing human population has, therefore, been a major threat to the monkey, which has opened up the monkeys to other threats.
The Tonkin snub nosed monkey also faces the threat of deforestation. The bamboo forests have been in high demand due to the fact that bamboo is a durable wood. The high deforestation has led to the destruction of TSNM monkey habitation. The exposure of the primate has created an environment where the monkeys have experienced a decreased source of food. More so, deforestation has led the TSNM to be exposed to a greater threat of increased poaching (Nadler, 2021). The monkey has been targeted by poachers due to the increase in demand for wild meat especially in the Asian markets. In fact, by the 1990s, widespread hunting for the TSNM was witnessed in Na Hang Nature Reserve, Vietnam, where poachers mostly used trapping to hunt the monkeys. Therefore, the increasing threats of poaching, human population increase and deforestation have been major issues in the reduction in the monkey numbers globally.
Aspects of Behavioral Ecology Relevant to The Threats
Behavioral ecology aspects of the TSNM have been a major contributor to the threats being actualized. The primate is a uniquely featured primate with a flat face, pink nose, pink lips and blue patches around their eyes. They are also characterized by black upper areas, cream and whitish colored lower areas and orange color around their throat. The orange color is mostly seen in breeding males. The occurrence of the monkey has been a major reason why the monkeys are highly targeted. Tourists are highly interested in viewing the unique monkey, thus frequenting Vietnam. The behavioral ecology attributes that the female primate carefully looks after their young ones also increased the number of tourists (Guo et al., 2020). The increase in tourists has brought about the threat of increased human population in Vietnam since the tourists indirectly contribute to the increase in population through their socialization with Vietnams and some tourists tend to end up residing in Vietnam. The unique outlook of the monkey has made envious and bad people target the monkeys for wildlife meat and even its skin. The skin is attractive due to the different colors the primate possesses, which makes it a target of many poachers. The fact that the monkey feeds on bamboo leaves also indicates that its critically threatened nature is attached to the deforestation threat. The reduction and lack of bamboo leaves from the increased deforestation has led to a reduction in the number of TSNM. Therefore, the threats that Tonkin snub nosed monkey faces are closely linked to the behavioral ecology aspects of the monkey.
Scientific Stakeholders to the Species
The Tonkin snub nosed monkey has attracted a large number of scientific stakeholders, especially due to their uniqueness and their critically threatened status. A large number of conservationists have been interested and taken actionable initiatives to guarantee the protection of the TSNMs. The IUCN has been on the lead to ensure that a scientific understanding on the critically threatened animals is conducted. Through their research to identify the number of monkeys, the organization has helped in making scientific arguments towards triggering effective conservation efforts (Guo et al., 2020). The organization has extended its scientific efforts through a collaboration with various researchers and scientists to ensure that conservation measures of the TSNM are effectively developed and deployed. Organizations such as the Flora and Fauna International have been crucial in launching conservation programs that are scientifically backed in Vietnam. Scientists have been highly influential especially through working with conservationists to help in establishing scientifically safe conservations for the monkeys in Vietnam. Although the monkey still faces threats in the conservations, a collaboration from international organizations to launch more scientific measures. The Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR) has seen an effective basis in launching effective scientific initiatives in protecting the primate while they are in the co...