Abstract:
Abstract
The Tana River forest patches significantly decreased in
total area by 1875 ha (34.5%), from 5439 to 3564 ha
between 1979 and 2000. The area covered by forests
outside the Tana River Primate National Reserve declined
by 1246 ha (38%) from 3283 to 2037 ha. This loss was
higher than that inside the reserve, where total forest area
reduced by 629 ha (29%) from 2156 to 1527 ha. The
numbers of Tana River red colobus (Procolobus rufomitratus)
and Tana crested mangabey (Cercocebus galeritus
galeritus) groups were significantly correlated with forest
sizes suggesting that both red colobus and crested mangabeys
are likely to be affected by forest loss and fragmentation.
However, comparison of the 1974/75 and
2001 census data did not reveal any significant change in
the number of groups of either the red colobus or crested
mangabey. The two endangered primates may have
developed strategies to cope with a shrinking habitat.
Key words: forest sizes, primate population trends
