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Assessment of Habitat Fragmentation and Corridors for an Isolated Subspecies of the Sichuan Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey, Rhinopithecus roxellana hubeiensis

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Abstract

Understanding habitat quality and landscape connectivity and exploring corridors connecting habitat patches are crucial for conservation, particularly for species distributed among isolated populations. The Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus roxellana, is an Endangered primate species endemic to mountainous forests in China. Its easternmost distribution lies in the Shennongjia area, which harbors an isolated subspecies, R. roxellana hubeiensis. Unfortunately, it has experienced significant habitat loss, fragmentation, and dramatic population decline in recent decades, primarily due to increased human disturbance. To quantify habitat quality, identify suitable habitat patches, and detect possible linkages among these patches for R. roxellana hubeiensis, we conducted habitat suitability assessments and landscape connectivity analyses in the Shennongjia area based on a set of environmental factors. We created a habitat quality model and a movement cost surface for the Shennongjia area based on a habitat suitability index, graph theory, expert knowledge, field experience, and information from the literature. Our results show that suitable habitat for R. roxellana hubeiensis in Shennongjia is fragmented and limited, and that this is particularly true for highly suitable habitats. We detected six core habitat patches and six least-cost paths and corridors. Our study does not provide accurate distributions of the monkeys and their habitat use. However, it identifies the most feasible and traversable habitats and corridors, which should be conservation priorities for this subspecies, and provides valuable guidance for reevaluating habitat conservation plans.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Open Ended Design Project of the Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for the Shennongjia Golden Monkey (2013SNJ001), the Key Projects in the National Science and Technology Pillar Program (2013BAD03B01-05), and the State Forestry Administration of China. We thank the staff of Shennongjia National Nature Reserve for their assistance during countless hours of field surveys and GIS work. We are also grateful to the experts for their opinions on the environmental parameters and appreciate the kind assistance from Joanna M. Setchell, editor-in-chief of International Journal of Primatology, and the editors and anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430079, Hubei, China

    Zhenhua Luo, Mian Zhao & Hua Wu

  2. Hubei Conservation and Research Center for the Golden Monkey, Muyu County, Shennongjia Forestry Region, 442421, Hubei, China

    Huiliang Yu, Jingyuan Yang & Daxing Wang

  3. Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Shennongjia Golden Monkey, Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, Muyu County, Shennongjia Forestry Region, 442421, Hubei, China

    Huiliang Yu, Jingyuan Yang & Daxing Wang

  4. Wildlife Conservation Station of Hubei Province, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430079, Hubei, China

    Yunhai Pu, Hao Mei & Zhaoquan Zhu

Authors
  1. Zhenhua Luo
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  2. Huiliang Yu
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  3. Yunhai Pu
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  4. Jingyuan Yang
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  5. Hao Mei
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  6. Daxing Wang
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  7. Zhaoquan Zhu
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  8. Mian Zhao
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  9. Hua Wu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hua Wu.

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Luo, Z., Yu, H., Pu, Y. et al. Assessment of Habitat Fragmentation and Corridors for an Isolated Subspecies of the Sichuan Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey, Rhinopithecus roxellana hubeiensis . Int J Primatol 37, 438–459 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-016-9910-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-016-9910-4

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