The Distribution and Present Status of Primates in the Northern Region of Lao PDR

Abstract

In the northern Lao PDR, threats to the future existence and well-being of non-human primates are increasing as forests are extensively cut open and the cycle of shifting-culture has become shorter so as even the secondary forests cannot recover. We therefore surveyed the distribution and status of primate fauna in the northern region of Lao PDR in May 2006. Big and small lorises (Nycticebus bengalensis and N. pygmaeus), three species of macaques (Macaca arctoides, M. assamensis, and M. mulatta), and a species of langur (Trachypithecus phayrei) were reported at approximately half of all sites surveyed. Gibbons, though not identified to species, were reported at one third of all sites, and in two National Biodiversity Conservation Areas (NBCAs) Nomascus concolor and N. leucogenys were distributed. Pig-tailed macaques (M. nemestrina leonina), although previously suspected to be absent in the northern region, were in fact found to be present at 15% of all the surveyed sites. Francois’s langur (T. francoisi) was reported with certainty only at the Phou Loei NBCA.