Main Threats

Threat #1: Human-Induced Habitat Loss and Degradation

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Habitat loss and degradation is the process in which the natural living environments of the respective wildlife are negatively altered to the point where the natural habitats are unable to support the endemic species present. When habitats are destroyed or man-handled, the population of plants and animals living in those habitats would decline and extinction is a possibility. This is so as the habitats have a reduced carrying capacity which means it is unable to house the whole of the initial population.

Since endemic organisms are unfortunately found only at the respective habitats, and nowhere else in the world, habitat destruction becomes a very grave issue. This is so as once it’s gone, it’s gone, and chances of recovering are very slim.

There are various causes of habitat loss and degradation.

1) Forest exploitation is one of the main reasons. It is the removal of parts of the forests, mainly from trees, for commercial uses such as firewood for charcoal, resins, palm leaves, cycad and rattan. The destruction mainly comes in the form of damaged trees, which equates to lesser homes for the primates. Critics and advocates of such acts might ask, how would the trees be damaged? The human intrusion in the forest is already one reason. The most blatant act of damaging is removing parts of the forests and favoured trees. Such violated trees get weakened, making them vulnerable to termites, harsh weathers and natural disasters, when initially they used to be stronger and almost immune to all of these.

2) Logging is the second prominent reason.

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How logging is different from the previous point is that logging is the extraction of the whole tree, with the barks as the focus. There are two types of logging; legal and illegal. The illegal ones are where the problem is concentrated on. Illegal logging is widespread in Vietnam. Illegal logging happens because of…

A. Desperation for money. Large logging companies earn up to $2-3 million a year, and provide jobs for over 200,000 peasants.

B. Bribes are taken by supposed monitoring staff. The Forest Protection Department is responsible of enforcing stringent punishment on law-breakers. However, with a salary of as low as US$30 a month, corruption is sometimes inevitable.

C. Outnumbered patrol police as compared to loggers. Logging companies usually operates on a huge scale. More often than not, Forest Protection Department would be outnumbered and outgunned when trying to arrest illegal loggers. For example, in February 2005, it was reported in the tabloids that 30- 40 people attacked a forest patrol team of less than 10 people in Bu Gia Map National Park after the patrol team discovered them transporting illegal timber.

3) Agricultural forest clearance is a top reason as well.  It is a process of clearing forested areas to make space for agricultural plantations such as rice, coffeecottonpeanutsrubbersugarcane, rubber, and tea. Approximately 60% of the employed labor force was engaged in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Agricultural products made up for 30% of exports in 2005. Agricultural production is the backbone of Vietnam’s main development and economical strategy. This is why Vietnam invests a lot of land for agricultural use. 

The bar graph below depicts the widespread deforestation in Vietnam over the years. Do direct your attention to the graphs representing the primary forests and plantations. The two variable have a strong negative linear relationship where the decrease of primary forests equates to the increase of plantations.

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This is a picture of the conversion of old-growth forest for a rubber plantation in Northern Laos in January 2009. 

4) Development of habitats for tourism also threaten habitats in multiple ways. For example, at Son Tra, Vietnam, tourism development has cause new roadways to be built which has fragmented habitats. Other than the obvious clearing of forested land, the road-building itself causes hunting, as road crews sometimes take douc langurs to eat which is a point that would be discussed next.


Threat #2: Harvesting Species (hunting/gathering)

Harvesting species means the hunting or gathering of wild animals, including the top 5 langurs on the list. Hunting and trapping of langurs happen even in protected areas. Traps which have been placed for other species threaten douc langurs, as well as traps specifically designed to catch primates including the use of snares.800px-Monkey_in_cage

These are the predominant reasons on why langurs are hunted and gathered. These reasons resonate for monkeys in general all over the world.

1) Unauthorised medical field such as using langurs’ body parts as medicines, and using them for research (examples: to understand and cure parkinson disease, and for psychological experiments)

2) As a source of food. The production and consumption of bush meat is widespread in Vietnam mainly because the monkeys are accessible and abundant. The convenience is caused by the close proximity of humans’ habitats and monkeys’ habitats.

(P.S: Author intended to provide pictures but the sight is unideal and may evoke negative emotional responses. If interested, simple search “bushmeat” up. Viewer’s discretion is advised. Images not for the faint-hearted!)

3) To be kept as pets. Monkeys are undeniably adorable, especially when they are babies. Hence, baby monkeys are usually separated from their parents by force, just to feed the fetish of keeping “exotic” animals at home.


Threat #3: Human Disturbance

Forested areas are usually vast, deep and isolated from the human population. This environment is ideal for military activities. The invasion of humans in forested areas would inevitably inflict negative repercussions on wildlife’s habitats and directly on the organisms. Soldiers clear up forested land for training grounds and for accommodation. It’s simple math; more land for humans equates to lesser homes for these wild animals.

Humans also need to be very cautious and meticulous if they intend to stay within a wildlife environment. Even the seemingly small actions like littering and pollution is unacceptable as they may cause detrimental effects. For instance, picture a soldier irresponsibly throwing away a used can of food. Being intrinsically curious creatures, monkeys might approach it and hurt themselves.

The vivid Vietnam War was a significant factor in the destruction of douc langur habitats in the mid-twentieth century. The habitats to which Agent Orange (a chemical defoliant) were applied during the war no longer contain douc langurs.

Overpopulation by humans is also a potential threat. Humans are generally more powerful as compared to animals. One flaw is thinking that we are entitled to everything the earth has to offer. This justifies individuals resettling in areas that once belonged to wildlife, and often langur’s habitats.

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