Conservation Status and Abundance of the Crowned Sifaka (Propithecus coronatus)
| Autor: | Sam Viana Meyler, Heriniaina Rakotoarisoa, Lounès Chikhi, Clément Rabarivola, Fabien Jan, Jordi Salmona, Emmanuel Rasolondraibe, Sébastien Wohlhauser, Aubin Besolo |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2014 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Range (biology) Endangered species Propithecus coronatus 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Distance sampling Abundance (ecology) area of occupancy 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences 14. Life underwater 050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature and Landscape Conservation Wildlife conservation biology Ecology 05 social sciences 15. Life on land biology.organism_classification Habitat destruction Geography Crowned sifaka Population density Conservation status conservation status Animal Science and Zoology Species richness |
| Zdroj: | Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP) instacron:RCAAP |
| ISSN: | 2162-4232 0898-6207 |
| Popis: | The crowned sifaka (Propithecus coronatus) is Endangered. It has a large but highly fragmented distribution; its known range extends from the Betsiboka River in the north of Madagascar, to the Mahavavy River in the north-west, and down to the Tsiribihina River in the south-west. The species lives in forest habitats that are highly and increasingly fragmented and are continuously suffering perturbations and destruction. In order to carry out effective conservation measures targeting P. coronatus, its conservation status needs to be updated so that measures can be taken before anthropogenic or natural environmental changes lead to the extirpation of the species in most of its forests. We (i) identified forest fragments where the species is still present and (ii) using the line-transect “Distance” sampling method, estimated the population size and density in the principal remaining forest fragments in the northern part of its range, including both protected and unprotected areas. We visited most of the forests in the northern part of its range in order to update the current area of occupancy, and to rate the state of its forests using a qualitative “forest quality index.” Our survey results have shown that (i) a large number of forests have disappeared or decreased in size in the last 10 years, and (ii) population densities vary considerably among forest fragments (ranging from 49 to 309 individuals per km²), with some very high densities in forests located along the Mahavavy River and in the Antrema area. Their abundance in the area surveyed is likely to be between 4,226 and 36,672 individuals, and most probably above 10,000. It is difficult to extrapolate from these estimates to the total abundance across the species’ entire range, but we estimate that it is likely to be large, probably between 130,000 and 220,000 individuals. Unfortunately, many field observations suggest that its populations continue to decline at a high rate due to habitat loss and hunting, and we argue for the re-evaluation of the conservation status from Endangered A2cd to Endangered A4acd, and the need to survey the rest of the range of P.coronatus. FCT grant: (SFRH/BD/64875/2009), Institut Français de la Biodiversité, Programme Biodiversité de l’Océan Indien (ref.CD-AOOI-07-003), the GDRI Madagascar, the "Laboratoire d’Excellence" (LABEX) entitled TULIP: (ANR -10-LABX-41), Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, “Optimus Alive!” Biodiversity grant, University of Mahajanga, Département de Biologie Animale et Ecologie, Fanamby NGO. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|