Post by ranibilkis88888 on Feb 17, 2024 3:38:09 GMT -5
In January when Wildlife Conservation Society researchers working in the southern highlands of Tanzania heard from local hunters that there was a monkey called kipunji living on the slopes of Mount Rungwe, they didn't know what think. They had never heard of kipunji, but the local Wanyakyusa are storytellers, and the line between the real and the mythical is often blurred. Then, in May of that year, while conducting biodiversity surveys in the Southern Highlands, researchers saw a rare primate for the first time. It took many months of walking through the steep forested slopes in the footsteps of these elusive monkeys before they got a good look at them. Only then could they confirm that the kipunji, with its light brown triangular crest, black face, baboon-like snout and loud squawk, was a species new to Wes WhatsApp Number List tern science. In a strange coincidence, in July 2004, researchers working in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania, about 350 kilometers to the northeast, also discovered what they believed to be a new primate. In 2005, the two teams jointly published a paper in the journal Science describing the new species. They initially called it the highland mangabean ( Lophocepus kipunji ), but after genetic analysis of a dead specimen, they renamed it kipunji ( Rungwecebus kipunji ), placing it in its own genus, meaning it was not closely related to any other monkey. . This made the kipunji the first new genus of primate described in Africa in more than 80 years. But with the excitement of the new discovery came deep concern. The kipunji and its forest habitat, rich in biodiversity and endemic species found nowhere else, were in trouble. Mount Rungwe and Livingstone Range Forest in the Southern Highlands, home to almost 95% of the Kipunji population, was not in a national park; Cutting down trees, obtaining charcoal, and poaching were common. Farms pushed up against the edge of the forest, threatening to sever the ecosystem and isolate kipunji groups.
In the Udzungwa Mountains, where scientists discovered the second kipunji population, the forest was in better condition, but the kipunji population there was very small. The first census , conducted in 2007, put the total kipunji population, at both sites combined, at just 1,117 individuals. “Of course , the discovery of the monkey was very exciting, but it was also very useful,” says Tim Davenport, former director of species conservation and science for Africa at WCS, and now director of Africa at Re:wild. The discovery attracted international attention, garnered political support, and attracted funding, allowing WCS to work with government and community partners to implement a holistic, long-term conservation program. The program worked. The latest census showed that in the last 13 years, the kipunji population in the Southern Highlands has increased by 65% and expanded its range by almost a fifth, while signs of human disturbance have reduced by 81%, according to a 2022 International Journal of Primatology. Davenport says little was known about the biodiversity of the Southern Highlands when WCS began working there in 1999. The area does not have the big game of northern Tanzanian parks like the Serengeti, nor, at the time, the reputation of a biodiversity hotspot like the Udzungwa Mountains. But the area had an intriguing mosaic of mountainous grasslands, rich volcanic soils and abundant rainfall, a breeding ground for biodiversity waiting to be discovered. But finding a rare monkey in a montane forest is not so easy. Sophy Machaga first joined WCS in 2003 and is now the director of the organisation's Southern Highlands conservation project. She remembers those early days when the team would walk for hours along the steep, densely forested slopes, crisscrossed by ravines, in search of the elusive kipunji. “You don't see it, and then when you see it, it runs away,” she says. “Sometimes when you find it, you follow it for a few hours and then it just jumps to the other ridge. But you can’t jump to the other side, you have to go all the way down and follow the other ridge… and then you lose it.” Slowly, however, the team managed to understand the basic biology of the kipunji. Monkeys live in montane forests at altitudes of 1300 to 2450 meters, in groups of 15 to 30 individuals. They mostly remain in the treetops, feeding on a wide variety of leaves, bark, fruits, seeds and invertebrates. Although the behavioral questions were fascinating, Davenport says the research focus was always on applied studies to help conservation. That included observing human-wildlife conflict. Farmers in the Mt. Rungwe–Livingstone area grow bananas, corn, potatoes, and occasionally horticultural crops such as carrots. Although generally shy, the kipunji will prowl around the edge of the forest and attack crops opportunistically. In response, farmers set crude but deadly log traps. Machaga describes how he witnessed crop invasion when he was making some observations in the Rungwe area to try to understand the extent of the problem.
There was a farm near the forest, and in the center of the farm, a hut where the farmer had hung some bundles of corn to dry. As the farmer left the farm, a juvenile male kipunji ran to the top of one of the trees at the edge of the forest and surveyed the area. Seeing no one, he let out a call. “Then imagine,” Machaga says, “like 30 monkeys coming from the forest. The females and calves were right at the edge of the forest and the subadults would run to that hut, open it, pass the corn to the females and then run back to the hut to take more... I thought, Oh my God, that man... we'll do it. “At least I have to offer some compensation.” To mitigate conflict, the WCS team tested a series of deterrents; Spreading chili oil and cow dung paste on the corn stalks at the field entrance worked best. Farmers also changed cropping patterns, planting avocados or potatoes, which the monkeys don't seem to like as much, in fields closer to the forest. Other obvious threats to the Kipunji were habitat degradation, caused by the felling of trees for timber and charcoal, and traps set by hunters in the forest. Addressing that requires lining up “carrots and sticks,” Davenport says, so that there is an overall benefit for people to change their behavior. “It's not rocket science; Ultimately, it’s just understanding what motivates people,” she says. The “sticks” involved working with the government to strengthen forest protection in the Southern Highlands. The Livingstone area was incorporated into the newly created Kitulo National Park; Mount Rungwe became a nature reserve; and WCS leased a third area of kipunji forest, called Nkuku, to create a private reserve where kipunji could be studied and potentially habituated for tourism. WCS also provided financial and technical support for the ongoing management of those protected areas, including the hiring and training of rangers; demarcating boundaries so people know when they are encroaching on protected areas; regularly remove traps from forest areas; and more. The “carrots” were economic opportunities, alternatives to cutting down trees within the kipunji habitat for wood, firewood or charcoal, or poaching. Working closely with government partners such as the Forest Service, WCS established wood lots for firewood; introduced beekeeping projects for income generation; initiated community ranger programs; supported native tree nurseries for habitat restoration; and more. Along with sticks and carrots, WCS and government partners initiated a comprehensive education program targeting villages within 5 km of protected forests.
In the Udzungwa Mountains, where scientists discovered the second kipunji population, the forest was in better condition, but the kipunji population there was very small. The first census , conducted in 2007, put the total kipunji population, at both sites combined, at just 1,117 individuals. “Of course , the discovery of the monkey was very exciting, but it was also very useful,” says Tim Davenport, former director of species conservation and science for Africa at WCS, and now director of Africa at Re:wild. The discovery attracted international attention, garnered political support, and attracted funding, allowing WCS to work with government and community partners to implement a holistic, long-term conservation program. The program worked. The latest census showed that in the last 13 years, the kipunji population in the Southern Highlands has increased by 65% and expanded its range by almost a fifth, while signs of human disturbance have reduced by 81%, according to a 2022 International Journal of Primatology. Davenport says little was known about the biodiversity of the Southern Highlands when WCS began working there in 1999. The area does not have the big game of northern Tanzanian parks like the Serengeti, nor, at the time, the reputation of a biodiversity hotspot like the Udzungwa Mountains. But the area had an intriguing mosaic of mountainous grasslands, rich volcanic soils and abundant rainfall, a breeding ground for biodiversity waiting to be discovered. But finding a rare monkey in a montane forest is not so easy. Sophy Machaga first joined WCS in 2003 and is now the director of the organisation's Southern Highlands conservation project. She remembers those early days when the team would walk for hours along the steep, densely forested slopes, crisscrossed by ravines, in search of the elusive kipunji. “You don't see it, and then when you see it, it runs away,” she says. “Sometimes when you find it, you follow it for a few hours and then it just jumps to the other ridge. But you can’t jump to the other side, you have to go all the way down and follow the other ridge… and then you lose it.” Slowly, however, the team managed to understand the basic biology of the kipunji. Monkeys live in montane forests at altitudes of 1300 to 2450 meters, in groups of 15 to 30 individuals. They mostly remain in the treetops, feeding on a wide variety of leaves, bark, fruits, seeds and invertebrates. Although the behavioral questions were fascinating, Davenport says the research focus was always on applied studies to help conservation. That included observing human-wildlife conflict. Farmers in the Mt. Rungwe–Livingstone area grow bananas, corn, potatoes, and occasionally horticultural crops such as carrots. Although generally shy, the kipunji will prowl around the edge of the forest and attack crops opportunistically. In response, farmers set crude but deadly log traps. Machaga describes how he witnessed crop invasion when he was making some observations in the Rungwe area to try to understand the extent of the problem.
There was a farm near the forest, and in the center of the farm, a hut where the farmer had hung some bundles of corn to dry. As the farmer left the farm, a juvenile male kipunji ran to the top of one of the trees at the edge of the forest and surveyed the area. Seeing no one, he let out a call. “Then imagine,” Machaga says, “like 30 monkeys coming from the forest. The females and calves were right at the edge of the forest and the subadults would run to that hut, open it, pass the corn to the females and then run back to the hut to take more... I thought, Oh my God, that man... we'll do it. “At least I have to offer some compensation.” To mitigate conflict, the WCS team tested a series of deterrents; Spreading chili oil and cow dung paste on the corn stalks at the field entrance worked best. Farmers also changed cropping patterns, planting avocados or potatoes, which the monkeys don't seem to like as much, in fields closer to the forest. Other obvious threats to the Kipunji were habitat degradation, caused by the felling of trees for timber and charcoal, and traps set by hunters in the forest. Addressing that requires lining up “carrots and sticks,” Davenport says, so that there is an overall benefit for people to change their behavior. “It's not rocket science; Ultimately, it’s just understanding what motivates people,” she says. The “sticks” involved working with the government to strengthen forest protection in the Southern Highlands. The Livingstone area was incorporated into the newly created Kitulo National Park; Mount Rungwe became a nature reserve; and WCS leased a third area of kipunji forest, called Nkuku, to create a private reserve where kipunji could be studied and potentially habituated for tourism. WCS also provided financial and technical support for the ongoing management of those protected areas, including the hiring and training of rangers; demarcating boundaries so people know when they are encroaching on protected areas; regularly remove traps from forest areas; and more. The “carrots” were economic opportunities, alternatives to cutting down trees within the kipunji habitat for wood, firewood or charcoal, or poaching. Working closely with government partners such as the Forest Service, WCS established wood lots for firewood; introduced beekeeping projects for income generation; initiated community ranger programs; supported native tree nurseries for habitat restoration; and more. Along with sticks and carrots, WCS and government partners initiated a comprehensive education program targeting villages within 5 km of protected forests.