Project China 2000
Hongliang Du
In Guangxi, there are 15 main habitat patches, 4 of which survive a population of more than 100 each, and others survive < 50 each (Liu, 1995). There are 4 patches located in Chongzuo and the habitat is fragmented into amoeba patterns in these patches. This indicates a severe situation of the langur's survival status, and a better conservation management is urgently needed. Habitat fragmentation may causes serious effects on animals' living space, food availability, and thus the number, and increases the chance of edge effects as well as the intergroup gene flow blocking. For the time being now, only a few reports are available on the langur's general ecological habits (Huang et al., 1983; Wu et al., 1987; Li and Ma, 1989). They do not provide options for an effective conservation management but have provided a good basis for further intensive study. Thus we propose this project, in an attempt to study the impacts of habitat fragmentation on the Francois' langur. The objective is to collect data on for measuring the impacts of habitat fragmentation on the langur's population density, group structure and social interactions. Recommendations will be made for the conservation management. This fieldwork is intended to be completed in two steps:1. Mapping of habitat fragments.2. Locating langur groups. Project CHINA' 2000 is a joint initiative of conservationists form Southwest Forestry University, Guangxi Forestry Department and Guangxi Normal University. The project will carry out a survey on the Francois' langur, one of the first protected animals of China and most endangered primates listed by IUCN, in southwest Guangxi, China. The China 2000 team will research the current distribution, population number, population structure, density, habitat use and conservation status of the Francois' langur, as well as the current status and future trends of the habitat fragmentation - one of the most serious menace to the existing of animals. The project will also collect the essential information of the local people's socio-economic activities for evaluating their effects on the Francois' langur as well as the habitat. This data will be used to produce conservation-management recommendations to the relative administration and the local government for more effective conservation and management of the Francois' langur as well as the endemic wildlife in this area.