Sooty mangabey
Cercocebus atys
This sheet covers the "sooty mangabey" (C. a. atys) and the "white-naped mangabey" (C. a. lunulatus)
CONSERVATION STATUS
CITES: Appendix II
(What is CITES?)
IUCN Red List: C. atys: VU
(What is Red List?)
Key: VU = Vulnerable
(Click on species name to see IUCN Red List entry, including detailed status assessment information.)
Photo: Kathelijne Koops
The IUCN Primate Specialist Group lists the white-naped mangabey (C.a.lunulatus) as one of the world's
25 most endangered primates for the years 2004-2006 (Mittermeier et al. 2006). In general, C. a. lunulatus
is in far worse shape than C. a. atys. In eastern Ivory Coast and western Ghana, it has been almost
completely eliminated (WS McGraw pers. comm.).
CONSERVATION THREATS
Threat: Human-Induced Habitat Loss and Degradation
Habitat destruction and hunting are the two most profound threats to the survival of the sooty
mangabey (McGraw 2007b). Deforestation continues rapidly in many cases, averaging a decline between 1990 and 2000
at a yearly rate of between .2% and 3.1% of the total forest in the nations in which the
sooty mangabey is found. This deforestation is especially bad in Serra Leone and the Côte
d'Ivoire, which both averaged around a 3% yearly decline in forest cover (FAO 2001).
Threat: Harvesting (hunting/gathering)
In a
study of primate hunting in and around the Taï National Park, the current hunting harvest rate
of sooty mangabeys is more than three times that which would allow the species to reproductively
sustain itself (Refisch & Koné 2005a). For example, in 1999 the primate
bushmeat cull from the
Taï area was around a quarter of a million kilograms, mostly taken by professional hunters
(Refisch & Koné 2005b). In recent years, the area has seen a rise in hunting due to
four factors; an increase in the demand for wild meat, large scale commercial hunting increasing as
a viable income source, hunting technology improved resulting in more efficient hunting, and
finally, human immigration to the area has diluted former taboos against hunting primates in the
region (Refisch & Koné 2005a). Also, due to a lack of domestic animals, often bushmeat
is the only source of animal protein in local diets (Refisch & Koné 2005b). Some
suggested solutions to the threats to the sooty mangabey include joint anti-poaching patrols with
community members and park rangers working together, implementation of programs to help increase
the use of domestic animals and reduce the demand for bushmeat, a complete ban on hunting including
practical measures for enforcement, the curtailment of farming within protected areas and more
guards for protected habitats (Herbinger & Tounkara 2004; Refisch & Koné 2005a, 2005b).
LINKS TO MORE ABOUT CONSERVATION
CONSERVATION INFORMATION
CONSERVATION NEWS
Content last modified: December 2, 2008
Written by Kurt Gron. Reviewed by W. Scott McGraw.
Cite this page as:
Gron KJ. 2008 December 2. Primate Factsheets: Sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys) Conservation . <http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/sooty_mangabey/cons>. Accessed 2013 May 20.
