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Breakthrough Discovery Of Monkey Population In Kenya
A new population of De Brazza's monkeys has been discovered in Kenya, boosting the existing population by 16%. The current population stands at an estimated 1000 monkeys in Kenya who are known for their white beards and shy nature. Until now De Brazza's monkeys were not known to exist east of the Great Rift Valley.
The finding comes at a particularly alarming time for primates with a recent report by conservation groups warning that 25 primate species are at risk of extinction; 7 of which are indigenous to Africa and one which is found in Kenya.
"This latest discovery really underlines our ignorance of changes in the landscape over a relatively short period of time. The De Brazza's must have had a wet forest corridor from western Kenya across the Rift Valley to this new locality," stated Dr. Richard Leakey, who was recently nominated as one of the top 100 thinkers of the 21st Century by Times Magazine. "It is a critical issue for study as it puts climate change again as the most critical consideration as we plan for the future," warned Dr. Leakey.
The study entitled "Primates in Peril" also warns that all 25 of the primate species at risk of extinction are found in the world's biodiversity "hotspots," – which are the richest and most threatened reservoir of plant and animals on earth.
The new population was found in arid northern Kenya in one of the last intact indigenous forest ranges. After 8 months of intensive surveys led by Iregi Mwenja who leads the Samburu Primates Research and Conservation Project in the remote Mathews Range Forest Reserve, a total of 162 De Brazza's monkeys have been identified.
"When I first heard from Helene Dufrense of the Milgis Trust that there were groups, I was not expecting to find more than two to three groups. When I realized that there such healthy populations existing in an unknown habitat, I was overwhelmed," Says Iregi Mwenja who has been studying De Brazza's monkeys in Kenya for the past four years.
In Kenya, threats to the survival of the De Brazza's arise mainly from rampant deforestation to satisfy a highly increasing demand for farmlands and human settlements, logging for domestic fuel and timber and competition from other species.
The situation in Mathews Range Forest Reserve which is referred to as an "island of biodiversity" in arid northern Kenya is different given that there is less anthropogenic pressure being exerted on this habitat as compared to other areas.
"For the first time in Kenya we have a population that is stable and not under serious threat. Given that habitat loss one of the biggest threats to species, finding a new habitat is a tremendous bonus and reminds us just how important every aspect of an ecosystem is" says Iregi Mwenja.
Editor's Notes:
- Wildlifedirect.org was set up to support conservationists in Africa working on the ground in isolated and often dangerous conditions. The website hosts a number of blogs, allowing for direct support of and participation in conservation programs. WildlifeDirect is funded by the European Union and private donors; 100% of donations go to the cause that is supported by the donors.
- De Brazza's Monkeys (Cercopithecus neglectus) is one of the most unusual species in the group of old world monkeys commonly known as guenons. They live in forests along the banks of streams and rivers, at the mid or lower canopy layers of the forest. They are omnivores, primarily feeding on fruits and seeds, leaves, arthropods, flowers and mushrooms.
The de Brazza's Monkey, is found within riverine and swamp forests in the Congo Basin from South East Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Angola. While large populations of De Brazza's monkey exist in central Africa, the population in Kenya is low and under immense anthropogenic pressure.
Those that have survived have been and continue to be pushed upstream which severely exposes them to poaching. Today, the majority of the population is straddled in very thin, increasingly fragmented strips of riparian forest on privately owned farms, usually in small, isolated groups. These pockets maintain populations comprising of a few monkeys, which may not be genetically viable.
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