CONSERVATION STATUS
CITES: Appendix II (http://www.cites.org)
IUCN Red List: M.
fuscata:DD; M.f.fuscata:DD; M.f.yakui:EN B1+2cde (http://www.redlist.org)
According to the IUCN Red List,
the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) is listed as Data
Deficient. This listing is given to a species when there is inadequate information to make a direct,
or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution and/or population
status. In the case of the Japanese macaque however, the species was listed by the IUCN in 1996 as
being Endangered but the listing was challenged by some scientists. As the issue is still
unresolved, the Japanese macaque status is currently listed as being Data Deficient
(http://www.redlist.org). While the encompassing Macaca
fuscata and the mainland subspecies Macaca fuscata fuscata are listed as Data
Deficient, the Yakushima island subspecies M.f.yakui is listed as being endangered (EN
B1+2cde). This designation means that the subspecies is facing a very high risk of extinction in
the wild in the near future. Their extent of occurrence is estimated to be less than 5000 km²
(1930.51 mi²) or their area of occupancy estimated to be less than 500 km² (193.05 mi²). Further,
a continuing decline is, inferred, observed or projected to occur in the area, extent and/or quality
of habitat, number of locations or subpopulations, and in the number of mature individuals
(http://www.redlist.org). The Japanese macaque has been listed
in Appendix II by CITES which means that they are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but
that trade in the species must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their
survival (http://www.cites.org).
Photo: Marilyn Cole
CONSERVATION THREATS
Threat: Human Induced Habitat Loss and Degradation
The Japanese macaque has arrived at somewhat of a crossroads in relation to its conservation and the
threats to its survival. Since the Second World War, traditional threats to the species such as
slash-and-burn agriculture, use of forest woods for construction and fuel, and hunting decreased
significantly, mainly due to social and economic changes in Japan (Sprague 2002). In this regard,
the outlook for conservation of the Japanese macaque looks significantly brighter. On the other
hand, with such a shift from traditional threats, new conflicts with the species have emerged. The
two most serious of these new threats are the replacement of natural forests with lumber plantations
and the rise in crop-raiding by the Japanese macaque (Sprague 2002). The lumber plantations cannot
be used as habitat by the monkeys and the rise in crop-raiding has resulted in the species being
considered a nuisance. Behind wild boar and deer, the Japanese macaque is the third worst
crop-raider in Japan (Sprague 2002). As a result, they have less appropriate habitat in which to
live coupled with yearly culling of the species as a pest in excess of 10,000 individuals per annum
(Watanabe & Muroyama 2005).
Apparently, the range of the species is expanding but whether or not the total number of Japanese
macaques is expanding or contracting is unclear. The range expansion is attributed to behavioral
changes within the Japanese macaque population in which they have lost their fear of humans and do
not actively avoid people (Watanabe & Muroyama 2005). This lack of fear has resulted in a Japanese
macaque presence in not only rural and agricultural areas, but an increasing presence in urban
areas. In one extreme case, a female was living in central Tokyo for several months (Fukuda 2004).
In 1993, part of Yakushima island, the habitat of M.f.yakui, was designated a Natural World
Heritage Site by UNESCO which has proven to have had mixed results for conservation at that locale
(Hill & Maruhashi 1996/1997). The designation, while raising awareness of a need for conservation,
has brought additional tourists to the threatened habitat and has not as of yet proven adequate for
protection of the Japanese macaques of Yakushima island (Hill & Maruhashi 1996/1997).
LINKS TO MORE ABOUT CONSERVATION
CONSERVATION INFORMATION
CONSERVATION NEWS
Content last modified: April 26, 2007
Written by Kurt Gron. Reviewed by Sarah Turner.
Cite this page as:
Gron KJ. 2007 April 26. Primate Factsheets: Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) Conservation. <http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/japanese_macaque/cons>. Accessed 2008 May 16.
