ESPECIAL PRIMATES

SELAMATKAN YAKI – SAVE THE SULAWESI MACAQUESHarry HilserField Project Manager for Selamatkan Yaki, Sulawesi, IndonesiaE-mail: harry.selamatkanyaki@gmail.com www.selamatkanyaki.com

The tropical forests of the Indonesian archipelagoare home to an incredible diversity of plant and ani-mal species. However, with a growing population ofover 200 million, pressures on the environment areincreasing with heavy demands for forest resourcesincluding food and timber. Indonesia is now losingits precious forests faster than any other countryworldwide, threatening many of its incredible prima-te species with extinction.

Figure 1. Of the seven endemic macaque species found in Sulawe-si, M. nigra are the most highly endangered. c© Andrew WalmsleyWildlife Photography/Selamatkan Yaki.

Sulawesi, the largest island in the Wallacea bio-diversity hotspot, has the greatest endemism in In-donesia and it is estimated that 25 % of its bird spe-cies and 62 % of its mammal species, are unique tothe island. If we exclude bats, it’s a massive 98 % ofmammals (Holmes and Phillips 1996). Amongst thiswealth of biological diversity resides a rather specialmonkey species. The charismatic Sulawesi crestedblack macaque (Macaca nigra) is one of 7 macaquespecies found only on Sulawesi, endemic to the Eas-tern tip of Sulawesi’s Northern peninsula. Restrictedto small forest fragments in the province of Minaha-sa they live in large, philopatric multi-male multi-female groups, with an alpha male at the top of thehierarchy (Kinnaird and O’Brien 2000). Characteri-sed by their distinctive crest of hair, entirely blackface and body colouration and bright pink, heart sha-ped bottom (ischial callosities) these monkeys are astriking and iconic species.

Figure 2. The iconic and charismatic Sulawesi crested black maca-ques enjoy a grooming session in Tangkoko nature reserve, thoughtto be the stronghold for the last remaining populations of the spe-cies. c© Andrew Walmsley Wildlife Photography/Selamatkan Yaki.

Unfortunately, the populations of these macaqueshave experienced severe declines in recent years, withestimates as high as 90 % in the last 20 years (Mel-fi 2010). Extensive population surveys carried outin the 1970s recorded high densities of around 300individuals/km2 (Mackinnon and Mackinnon 1980).However, over the following years, repeat surveysrevealed dramatic drops in densities, to 76 indivi-duals/km2 (Sugardjito et al. 1989); a further 10 yearslater population estimates were as low as 23.5 ani-mals/km2 (Rosenbaum et al. 1998). Following thesepopulation trends, this species is now classified asCritically Endangered by the IUCN Redlist and facesa high risk of extinction (Supriatna and Andayani2008).

So what has caused such dramatic and rapid de-cline in numbers? Aside from extensive habitat losswithin which, due to their radiation, is an alreadyrestricted range, M. nigra face a more unusual yetdevastating threat to the survival of the species. Theconsumption of macaques in Minahasa, is a long heldtradition which has grown in parallel to human po-pulation expansion, and has thus been identified asthe primary threat to the species’ survival (Lee 2000).The predominantly Christian population in Minaha-sa lack religious constraints over wildlife consum-ption as in other regions of Indonesia, and monkeyis considered a delicacy with a majority of huntingmeeting demands as ceremonial food rather than forsubsistence (Lee 2000). Hunting rates have been de-monstrated to be highly unsustainable (O’Brien andKinnaird 2000; Lee 2000), which has led to local ex-tirpation of other species throughout Minahasa (Bur-ton et al. 2005; Clayton and Milner-Gulland 2000)

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highlighting the strong requirement for immediateconservation action.

Figure 3. Facing accelerating threats from human impacts, conser-vation of the remaining habitat and changes to hunting practisemust be made a priority if these species are to live in infrastructu-re and sustainable development. Long-term. c© Andrew WalmsleyWildlife Photography/Selamatkan Yaki.

Figure 4. Curious and intelligent, monkeys explore their environ-ment with great fascination c© Andrew Walmsley Wildlife Photo-graphy/Selamatkan Yaki.

Despite Sulawesi’s incredible biodiversity and theextinction risks of numerous species, it receives rela-tively little conservation attention, with efforts andresources often centralised in regions containing me-gafauna with greater recognition and popularity (Wil-son et al. 2005). However, a group of researchers haveestablished strong connections within the Minaha-san region and developed a conservation programmewhich may bring hope for the species and their ha-bitat. Selamatkan Yaki (“Save the Macaques”) is anintegrated conservation programme focussed on pro-tecting the last remaining populations of macaquesand mitigating the threats they face. Working part-nerships both in-situ and ex-situ have combined toidentify the anthropogenic threats posed to the cu-rrent population of M.nigra within their native ran-ge, culminating in the production of a ConservationAction Plan for the species. A multitude of approa-ches addressing the conservation objectives comprise

research, education, the improvement of ecotourisminfrastructure and sustainable development. Long-term cooperative efforts will invest resources intoimproving agriculture techniques and sustainabilityand developing alternative livelihood strategies. Co-llaborating with national and international stakehol-ders, raising awareness forms the central motivationof the project, disseminating information to local com-munities, government bodies and universities in theform of presentations and the distribution of educa-tion materials. It is hoped that the species can berecognised with pride as a valuable flagship, high-lighting the wealth and diversity of the flora andfauna in North Sulawesi.

Figure 5. By educating the younger generations, we can bring afresh new hope of support for environmental preservation in the fu-ture c© Andrew Walmsley Wildlife Photography/Selamatkan Yaki..

Figure 6. As Field Project Manager, Harry’s job is to plan, orga-nise and implement appropriate activities to meet the program-me’s conservation objectives c© Andrew Walmsley Wildlife Photo-graphy/Selamatkan Yaki.

These activities, if implemented successfully withcontinued support from all stakeholders, will not onlyensure the future survival of this fascinating prima-te, but also the habitat for some of the richest andmost unique species in the world.

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References

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Holmes D, Phillips K. (1996). The Birds of Sula-wesi. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Kinnaird MF, O’Brien TG. (2000). Comparati-ve movement patterns of two semi-terrestrialcercopithecine primates: the Tana River crestedmangabey and the Sulawesi crested black ma-caque. In: Boinski S, Garber PA, editors. On themove: how and why animals travel in groups.Chicago (IL): Univ Chicago Pr. pp. 327- 350.

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O’Brien T, Kinnaird M. (2000). Differential vul-nerability of large birds and mammals to hun-ting in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, and theoutlook for the future. In: Robinson JG, BennettEL (eds) Hunting for sustainability in tropicalforest. Columbia University Press, New York,pp 199–213.

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