An Initial Summary of Diurnal Primate Status in Laos

Since the 1940ís, very little information has been available on the status of wildlife in Laos. In 1992, wildlife surveys began as part of a protected area system development project headed by the Lao governmentís Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry with help from IUCN and a Swedish-funded forestry project. Eighteen areas have been officially designated as National Biodiversity Conservation Areas (NBCAs), and twelve others are proposed for protection, together covering over 15% of Laosí total land area (Berkmuller et al., 1995). The wildlife surveys aimed to assess human pressures, identify areas of high conservation importance, and provide management recommendations for these NBCAs. The surveys conducted thus far have focused on areas within the Annamite Mountains and Mekong Plains of central and southern Laos. This paper provides an initial summary of diurnal primate records during this period. The data were first presented at the 1996 joint IPS - ASP meetings in Madison, Wisconsin (Timmins and Ruggeri, 1996). The status and conservation of all species in Laos will be covered in greater detail in forthcoming papers.

Depending on the taxonomy used, between 14 and 18 species of primates are known from Laos, including two species of loris (Nycticebus), five macaques (Macaca), three Trachypithecus langurs, the Douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus), and at least four species of gibbon (Hylobates). Eleven of Laosí 13 diurnal species have been recorded during the last four years of surveys.