Distribution and conservation status of Rhinopithecus strykeri in China

Abstract

This paper summarizes the results of 358 interviews we conducted on Rhinopithecus strykeri in the Gaoligong Mountains, northwest Yunnan, China, between April 2011 and December 2012. Based on our interview records and selective field surveys (47 days of field survey for seven possible distribution areas), we suggest that there may be up to 10 groups of R. strykeri occurring in China between the Salween River and the border with Myanmar, and that the total population of R. strykeri in China should be between 490 and 620 animals. According to interviewees, Rhinopithecus strykeri tends to use conifer and mixed conifer-broad-leaved forest, predominantly between 2,600 and 3,100 m above sea level. To better protect this globally threatened species, classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), we suggest extensions to current nature reserve boundaries to better include the home ranges of China's remaining population.