CONSERVATION STATUS
CITES: Appendix II
(What is CITES?)
IUCN Red List: G. rondoensis: CR; G. orinus: NT; G. alleni, G. thomasi, G. senegalensis, G. moholi, G. matschiei, G. granti, G. gallarum, G. gabonensis, G. demidoff, G. cameronensis, G. zanzibaricus: LC; G. nyasae: DD
(What is Red List?)
Key: CR = Critically endangered, NT = Near threatened, LC = Least concern, LC = Least concern, LC = Least concern, LC = Least concern, LC = Least concern, LC = Least concern, LC = Least concern, LC = Least concern, LC = Least concern, LC = Least concern, LC = Least concern, DD = Data deficient
(Click on species name to see IUCN Red List entry, including detailed status assessment information.)
Galago moholiPhoto: Gerald Doyle
Generally, bushbabies are considered adaptable and some species may be able
to cope with some habitat degradation (Butynski et al. 1998; Ambrose 2006;
Butynski et al. 2006). In some cases, bushbabies are still found in
agricultural areas mixed with forest remnants (Butynski et al. 2006). G.
demidoff, for example, is able to live in secondary habitats and near areas of
human disturbance and G. gallarum is present in habitats which are significantly
degraded by the overgrazing of livestock (Ambrose & Perkin 1999-2000;
Butynski & de Jong 2004). Another example is G. alleni, which is sometimes
found near roads and cultivation and in recently logged forests (Ambrose 2003).
However, some species are extremely threatened. This is the case with the Rondo
dwarf bushbaby (Galago rondoensis), which is listed as one of the
world's 25 Most Endangered Primates (Mittermeier et al. 2007).
CONSERVATION THREATS
Threat: Human-Induced Habitat Loss and Degradation
As with most primates, habitat degradation, disturbance and loss are the most
serious threats to many species of bushbaby (Butynski 1996/1997; Butynski et al.
1998; Ambrose 2006; Mittermeier et al. 2007). While bushbabies in general are
quite widespread, some have more restricted ranges and are correspondingly, more
susceptible comparable amounts of habitat loss and degradation (Bearder 2007).
In Tanzania, for example, in addition to habitat destruction occurring as a
result of logging, montane forest is cleared for agriculture and lowland forest
is removed for rice, sugar, and rubber agriculture (Butynski et al. 1998). One
of the most endangered bushbabies, G. rondonensis is threatened by the expansion
of agriculture, charcoal manufacturing and logging (Mittermeier et al. 2007).
Elsewhere, species in Uganda are threatened by the clearance of forest for
gardens (Ambrose 2006).
In forests that have been logged, bushbabies are found at lower densities
than in primary forests (Weisenseel et al. 1993).
Threat: Harvesting (hunting/gathering)
In Tanzania, bushbabies are not actively hunted and elsewhere in central and
west Africa, are only very rarely found in bushmeat markets (review by
Bowen-Jones & Pendry 1999; Jørgensbye 2007). However, even one of
the smallest bushbabies, G. demidoff, is reported eaten on Bioko Island, West
Africa (Albrechtsen et al. 2006). This may mean that even though they are
diminutive, bushbabies are not immune from threats posed by hunting and the
bushmeat trade.
Threat: Accidental Mortality
Galagos have been found in traps designed to capture birds in Equatorial Guinea
(Garcia & Mba 1997).
LINKS TO MORE ABOUT CONSERVATION
CONSERVATION INFORMATION
CONSERVATION NEWS
ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN Galago CONSERVATION
Content last modified: December 8, 2008
Written by Kurt Gron. Reviewed by Leanne Nash.
Cite this page as:
Gron KJ. 2008 December 8. Primate Factsheets: Lesser bushbaby (Galago) Conservation . <http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/lesser_bushbaby/cons>. Accessed 2013 May 24.
