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  • Conserving Raffles' banded langur
Conservation of Singapore's own Raffles' banded langur

Conservation of Singapore's own Raffles' banded langur

Singapore

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Raffles’ banded langur

(Presbytis femoralis femoralis)

The IUCN Status

LC Least Concern
NT
VU Vulnerable
EN
CR
EW
EX Extinct
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

The challenge

Preserving a national treasure very few know about
Photo Credit to Nick Baker

In land-scarce and ultra-modern Singapore, it's not uncommon to still encounter monkeys in the wild, which people sometimes deem a nuisance. So how can local residents appreciate the fact that some of these primates are rare and special in our natural landscape?

Unbeknownst to the majority of people in Singapore, the Raffles’ banded langur (formerly known as the banded leaf monkey) is one of only three non-human primates to be found locally. It's so named because it was discovered by Sir Stamford Raffles almost 200 years ago.

Until the 1920s, these monkeys were common in Singapore and could easily be spotted in Changi, Tampines, Bukit Timah, Pandan and Tuas. However, with the city-state’s rapid urban development, forests had to be cleared, leading to habitat loss and confining the banded langurs to only Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve. In the 1980s, the population in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was completely extirpated. In the 1990s, with only 15 to 20 left in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, the banded langurs were thought to be on the verge of extinction.

Thankfully, ongoing field research since 2010 has revealed that an estimated 40 to 60 banded langurs are still left in Singapore. Although its population has slowly increased, being a small and isolated group, the langurs still face a high risk of extinction, with insufficient genetic diversity among them to ensure their survival.

The goal

Identifying its species status and its chances of survival

Preliminary data suggests that this subspecies may likely be a species of its own. If that's the case, then the Raffles’ banded langur in Singapore, and Johor, is a species that merits immediate conservation attention.

Building on past research, National University of Singapore student and primatologist Ms Andie Ang, is leading a study to clarify the species status of the Raffles’ banded langur (Presbytis femoralis femoralis), the biggest extant non-human primate in Singapore.

The project is using non-invasive sampling techniques to obtain genetic information to clarify the species’ taxonomic status in comparison with populations of banded langurs in the northern Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, Indonesia. Another objective of the study is to carry out population, distribution, and ecological studies in Singapore and Malaysia.

Our role

Putting our best intentions into action

We have engaged Dr Ang to set up and chair a Raffles’ Banded Langur Working Group. Over the course of two years, the group will map out a Species Action Plan, which will be used to guide and implement the conservation work for this species in the coming years.

Implementation of the action plan will require close collaboration between all major stakeholders in Singapore and Malaysia. This project will also form the basis of a national conservation action plan to manage and ensure the long-term survival of a critically endangered species in Singapore. It will provide the data necessary for the assessment of whether there's a need for a captive population and conservation translocation in Singapore.

The outcome

Saving our shared heritage
The development of a regional Species Action Plan signifies a first collaboration between Singaporean and Malaysian authorities, universities, and NGOs in the research and conservation of the Raffles’ banded langur. Besides ensuring that the habitat of the banded langur is protected and restored, the collaboration gives the Raffles’ banded langur a chance not only of surviving, but also becoming the revered national treasure it deserves to be.
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