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Tonkin snub-nosed monkey

The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus avunculus, found only in Vietnam, is one of the 25 most endangered species of primate in the world. It was believed extinct until its rediscovery in Na Hang District in Tuyen Quang Province in the early 1990s. In May 2002,  Fauna & Flora International discovered a vitally important population in a small patch of limestone forest known as Khau Ca in the buffer zone of Du Gia Nature Reserve in Ha Giang Province. In 2007, another population was discovered further north in the province.

Download the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey conservation project profile.

The total known global population of this species is difficult to estimate but is believed to be about 200 individuals found only in Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang Provinces. The population at Khau Ca is about 90 individuals and ongoing monitoring suggests that it is growing.

The main long-term threat to the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey at Khau Ca is the limited area of the forest. Socio-economic surveys and land-use mapping carried out among local communities highlighted several potential threats to the species and its habitat locally, including exploitation of forest timber, hunting, exploitation of a range of non-timber forest products, shifting cultivation, fuelwood collection and grazing of livestock in the forest.

FFI has established and is supporting a community patrol group to protect the Khau Ca forest under the supervision of FFI's main partner, Ha Giang Forest Protection Department. The community rangers also have an integral role in increasing appreciation of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey among local communities. They are supported by a team of local research assistants who collect data from the monkey's habitat, which are used by a primatologist to understand the behaviour and ecology of this rare species.

The project has raised awareness among local communities and encouraged them to take pride in this Critically Endangered species. Recently, we have established a school-based environmental education programme for grade 6 pupils in 3 schools.

To date, the project appears to have succeeded in reducing short-term threats to the monkey’s habitat. Just recently, Ha Giang Provincial People’s Committee approved the establishment of a 2,000 ha protected area, which was planned through support of FFI. This strengthens the long-term prospects for the survival of this species.

In 2008, FFI and Ha Giang Provice began to take measures to protect the newly-discovered population in Quan Ba District close to the Chinese border, furher adding hope for the survival of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey.