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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 a Fauna & Flora International biologist discovered a second, 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.

Download the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey conservation project profile.

The total known global population is difficult to estimate but is believed to be about 200 individuals found only in Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang Provinces. FFI’s ongoing monitoring of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey in Khau Ca suggests this population contains roughly 60 individuals and is growing.

The main threat to the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey is habitat disturbance. A socio-economic survey carried out among local communities highlighted several other potential threats to the species and its habitat locally, including commercial exploitation of forest timber, hunting, exploitation of a range of non-timber forest products, shifting cultivation, fuel wood collection and grazing of livestock in the forest.

FFI and its local partners have provided immediate on-the-ground protection through the establishment and training of community patrol groups. The groups are combating the threat of hunting by helping the Provincial Forest Protection Department to confiscate guns from households in the villages surrounding the monkey’s habitat. The community rangers also have an integral role in increasing appreciation of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey as well as organising village meetings. FFI staff members provide them with training and awareness materials.

The project has begun to raise awareness among local communities and encouraged them to take pride in this Critically Endangered species. We have established a school-based environmental education programme for grade 6 pupils in 3 schools. FFI is also conducting research on the feeding ecology of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey, in parallel with other research activities.

The community rangers have an integral role in informing local people about the species and the project as well as organizing village meetings. Fauna & Flora International staff support them directly by providing training and awareness materials. Video footage of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey in Khau Ca forest serves as a useful awareness tool. A school-based environmental education programme has also been developed, focusing on the monkey as well as activities with local unions.

To date, the project appears to have succeeded in reducing short-term threats to the monkey’s habitat. FFI is now taking steps to provide the highest level of national protection to the monkey’s habitat through the establishment of a protected area, which is supported by the Ha Giang Provincial People’s Committee.

Download the Vietnam Primate Conservation Status Review 2002. Part 2: Leaf Monkeys (2003)

Learn more about Vietnam's beautiful landscapes with FFI's nature tourism map.