The Golden-bellied Mangabey <i>Cercocebus chrysogaster</i> (Primates: Cercopithecidae): distribution and conservation status

During the period 1994 through 2007, three intermittent and discontinuous surveys were conducted which documented the presence or absence of Cercocebus chrysogaster (Golden-bellied Mangabey). The three surveys were performed within the forest block areas of: (1) the region including the southern sector of the Salonga National Park (SNP) to the Sankuru River, (2) the region between Lokoro and Salonga-Looto Rivers inside the SNP, and (3) the region between the Kwa-Kasai and the Lulonga Rivers, west of Lake Maindombe. The results indicated that C. chrysogaster currently inhabits a very restricted range of approximately 70,000km2; the species is now absent in more than 37% (25,000km2) of its presumed historical range. Classification of the habitat using satellite images indicated that the species occupied a region where 58.15% was swamp forest. Patterns of the species distribution and its conservation status lead to the conclusion that the species is highly threatened. The principal threats are the result of human pressure, particularly hunting for bushmeat and pet commerce. Logging constitutes a further potential threat because almost the entire range of the species is within logging concessions