Sulawesi's endemic monkey in Tanjung Peropa: 56 individuals in four groups

Image: article cover, from Zsa Zsa and Abdul (2017), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

A research team from the Faculty of Forestry at Bogor Agricultural University recorded 56 individuals of the Sulawesi endemic monkey (Macaca ochreata), divided into four groups, in the Kalobo Block of the Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Sanctuary, South-East Sulawesi. The study, conducted from February to March 2017, estimated the population density of this endemic species at 22.4 individuals per square kilometre. This primate lives only in South-East Sulawesi, so monitoring the condition of its population is important.

The results show that this monkey depends on trees in the forest. A total of 33 plant species from 17 families were recorded as food for Macaca ochreata at the study site. The three tree species with the highest importance values were Pangium edule, Artocarpus elastica and Meliostoma nitida, all of which are food plants for the monkey. The animals were found in trees of canopy layers B and C, that is, the middle to lower canopy of the forest.

For communities living around the forest, these findings confirm that the conservation of food trees is key to sustaining the population of this endemic monkey. The study also provides a basis for population monitoring in the Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Sanctuary, a conservation area in South-East Sulawesi that is one of the last remaining habitats of this distinctive regional primate.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article Habitat Characteristics and Population of Booted Macaque (Macaca ochreata) in Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Reserve , Southeast Sulawesi by Zsa Zsa Fairuztania Zsa Zsa and Abdul Haris Mustari Abdul, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 4 No. 2 (2017). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Zsa Zsa, Z. Z. F., & Abdul, A. H. M. (2017). Habitat Characteristics and Population of Booted Macaque (Macaca ochreata) in Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Reserve , Southeast Sulawesi. Jurnal Wasian, 4(2), 97–108. https://doi.org/10.62142/fs73jf88

If you use these findings in coursework, a thesis or other writing, cite the original article above, not this news story. The original article is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.