Yunnan snub-nosed monkey  (Rhinopithecus bieti)

Numbers of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys have declined principally in response to habitat loss and hunting pressure (6). The human population in this remote corner of China has exploded in recent decades and forests are being cleared, both for timber and to make way for agriculture (5). The populations of snub-nosed monkeys that remain are isolated in fragments of the former forest (8). Hunting of this primate was banned in China in 1975, but lack of funds and staff means that this law is hard to enforce, and hunting persists (2). Monkeys are also accidentally trapped in snares set out for other wildlife (6).

The Government of China banned the hunting of snub-nosed monkeys in 1975, although this has proven difficult to enforce (2). Around half the population of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey occurs within protected reserves such as Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve where wardens are trying to work closely with the local people to secure the future of this species (5). In 1998, a national logging ban on all remaining old-growth forests came into force, which will help to preserve some of the monkey's precious habitat (5). Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys are a vital part of the mountain ecosystem, preventing the accumulation of lichen in these ancient forests of the foothills of the Himalayas (5).