The following is a guest post featuring the work of a student enrolled in SA 202: Introduction to Anthropology. This exceptional work highlights the importance of primate conservation. I hope you find this piece informative and are inspired to make a positive change in the world that will help this and other endangered primates.
By: Tyler Roe
Roloway Monkey (copyright: Alex Sliwa)
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed a total of 142,577 species. Of those assessed, there are more than 40,000 (28%) listed as threatened with extinction. Of the mammals assessed, 26% are characterized as threatened. One such mammal listed is the Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus roloway), an African monkey currently listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered (“IUCN Red List of Threatened Species”). As humans, we have a duty to preserve the planet, which includes maintaining and reestablishing Roloway monkey populations.
Roloway monkeys can be found in West Africa. These monkeys typically live in groups of six to 22 members within mature forests, especially mangrove trees. Groups typically have one dominant male with several females and their offspring. They are larger monkeys that possess a dark grey body with a crimson lower back, a beige-colored chest, and grey to black face (Johnson, 2015). The lifespan of the Roloway monkey is unknown, but the oldest in captivity lived for 31 years (Napier and Napier, 1967). They are considered omnivores with a diet consisting mostly of insects but also fruits and leaves.
Several factors, either directly or indirectly, have led to the endangerment of this species. Two of the most influential factors are hunting and habitat destruction (Wiafe, 2014). While these monkeys are hunted for bushmeat, which is a vital source of protein and crucial to many residents’ income, this practice is not sustainable as most large mammal species that are hunted are already at dangerously low populations (Ampadu-Agyei and Adomako, 2002). Deforestation in this region is also affecting the Roloway monkeys’ populations. It has been due to the increase in “clear cutting of mature rainforest for the cultivation of cocoa, rubber, and palm oil” (Osei, Horwich, and Pittman, 2015:25).
In order to prevent the extinction of this species, both factors must be addressed. To combat the decrease in population due to hunting for bushmeat the Conservation International- Ghana’s Program (CI-Ghana) has launched a campaign to raise public awareness nationally. This has allowed older wildlife laws to come under review (Ampadu-Agyei and Adomako, 2002). In order to reduce further deforestation and its effects on the primate population, Ghanian law could be used to grant the Kwabre Rainforest protected area status. This would allow the Kwabre Rainforest, the Ankasa Conservation Area in Ghana, and Tanoé Forest in Cote d’Ivoire to be managed under an integrated conservation plan (Danquah and Tetteh, 2016).
Preservation of this species is important to the ecosystem that they inhabit. As omnivores whose diet consists mostly of insects, Roloway monkeys are able to help control invertebrate populations within the forests that they live. By eating fruit, Roloway monkeys play a key role in the dispersion of fruit seeds (Lussier, 2021). Without these particular monkeys, many aspects of the ecosystem in which they live could go unchecked leading to detrimental disruptions in that ecosystem.
While there are numerous species listed on the IUCN’s endangered species list, mammals particularly primates, such as the Roloway monkey, are especially important. Primates are the closest animal group to humans. They serve countless roles within the ecosystems that they live. Through the study of primates, particularly those that live in groups, researchers are able to learn more about basic and naturalistic human interaction. It is crucial for diminished primate populations to be preserved and then reestablished. This can be done through campaigns to bring awareness to hunting and deforestation as well as review old wildlife laws and create new ones that preserve those populations (Ampadu-Agyei and Adomako, 2002).
In conclusion, the Roloway monkey serves an integral part of their ecosystems. Due to deforestation and hunting for bushmeat, the populations have declined resulting in the Roloway monkey being listed as Critically Endangered on IUCN’s Red List. By protecting their rainforest with conservation laws, we can increase their population. This would help preserve the species long-term and allowing the Roloway monkey to continue to contribute to its ecosystem.
References
Ampadu-Agyei, O., & Adomako, E. (2002). Bushmeat utilisation, human livelihoods and conservation of large mammals in west Africa2. Links between Biodiversity Conservation, Livelihoods and Food Security: The sustainable use of wild species for meat, 45.
Danquah, E., & Tetteh, E. H. (2016). Logging activity adversely impacts primate diversity and density in the Kwabre Rainforest of Ghana. International Journal of Ecology, 2016.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (2021). Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://www.iucnredlist.org/
Johnson, K. (2015.). Cercopithecus Roloway (Roloway Monkey). Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cercopithecus_roloway/#7975F311-7339-11E4-826A-002500F14F28
Lussier, Z. (2021, June). Roloway Monkey. New England Primate Conservancy. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://www.neprimateconservancy.org/roloway-monkey.html
Napier, J. R., & Napier, P. H. (1967). A Handbook of Living Primates: Morphology, ecology and behaviour of nonhuman primates. Academic Press.
Osei, D., Horwich, R. H., & Pittman, J. M. (2015). First sightings of the Roloway Monkey (Cercopithecus diana roloway) in Ghana in ten years and the status of other endangered primates in Southwestern Ghana. African Primates, 10, 25-40.
Wiafe, E. D. (2013). Status of the critically endangered roloway monkey (Cercopithecus diana roloway) in Dadieso Forest Reserve, Ghana. African Primates, 8, 9-16.
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