Habitat and connectivity of the black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) populations in Yunnan: a climate change scenario

During the past 50 years the climate zonation of Yunnan Province, China, has shown a shift towards higher altitude and higher latitudes (Chen et al.2008). In the same time, human population increase led to the encroachment of intensive agriculture and cities on more natural areas. The black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) is an endangered species of China endemic to Yunnan. It has 13 discrete population patches, totaling about 1,500 individuals (Long et al.1994 and 1996). They are distributed across a narrow mountainous region stretching between the Jinsha and Lancang rivers, from Mangkang in Tibet (29°20'N, 98°38'E) to Yunlong in Yunnan (25°53'N, 99°22'E). Based on satellite imagery and field surveys the present study analyzes the spatial distribution of the optimal habitats for this species and their connectivity. Results are compared to the population genetic characteristics (Liu et al. 2007) of the population patches. They indicate that some populations are isolated by highways and road networks, dense arable land, and residential areas. Climate and socio-economics scenarios were used to model land cover changes until 2050, predicting that cultivated land will increase of about 66% until 2050. Suitable habitats for the Snub Nosed Monkey will be reduced by 15%. Patch connectivity is currently under study using a least cost distance approach