Zanzibar Red Colobus
(Procolobus kirkii)
The Zanzibar red colobus (Procolobus
kirkii) is one of the world’s most endangered primates.
Endemic to the island of Unguja, Zanzibar it is estimated to
number less than 2000 individuals and is now found in only a
fraction of its historic range (the entire island of Ungua).
The Zanzibar red colobus is also an excellent flagship
species, thus by protecting just this one species and its
habitats, we are also protecting all of Zanzibar’s unique
flora and fauna.
The Zanzibar red colobus and
all terrestrial wildlife species on Unguja are dependent
upon the island’s single ground-water forest (in Jozani
Chwaka-Bay National Park-JCBNP) and a patchwork of
coral-thicket forests from Kiwengwa-Pongwe Forest Reserve (KPFR)
in the north to Mtende Village Forest on the southern tip of
the island. The majority of these coral-thicket forests are
small fragments, located outside of government protected
areas, and are threatened by some of the
highest human population
densities in Africa (>400 individuals/km2). The
vast majority of Zanzibar’s human population is dependent
upon shifting cultivation and forest products such as
building poles, firewood, and charcoal. Due to the high
price of electricity, even Zanzibar’s urban population is
heavily reliant on firewood and charcoal for cooking.
Cutting to supply this demand continues to be a major threat
to Zanzibar’s wildlife. Zanzibar is currently loosing an
estimated 1.2% of its forest each year. Thus, in order to
conserve the Zanzibar red colobus and ensure the genetic
viability of this species into the future, all of the
remaining forest patches containing red colobus must be
identified, protected and linked by functional corridors in
a comprehensive Protected Areas network of community and
government forests.
WCS Work
The process of designing a
Protected Area (PA) network on Zanzibar is underway. The
developing PA network consists of Zanzibar’s two main
protected areas, Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park (JCBNP) and
Kiwengwa-Pongwe Forest Reserve (KPFR), as well as a series
of forest patches and proposed corridors that occur on
community lands. Most community lands are either currently
zoned or in the process of being zoned into high protection
zones, low impact use zones, or higher impact use zones such
as agricultural and settlement zones. This zoning process
is part of the development of a Community Forest Management
Agreement (CoFMA) which is a legally binding document giving
the community the mandate to manage the area. Through the
analysis of aerial photographs and ground truthing via
reconnaissance surveys and camera trapping, we will ensure
that the developing Zanzibar PA network will contain all of
the remaining critical habitat for Zanzibar red colobus in
either government protected areas or community high
protection zones, and will be best designed for the
continued survival of this endangered species.
While developing the PA network, WCS-Zanzibar
has worked in partnership with the Zanzibar Department of
Commercial Crops Fruits and Forestry (DCCFF) and Village
Conservation Councils (VCCs) to establish ecological
monitoring programs in JCBNP, KPFR, on Uzi and Vundwe
Islands and in each community’s high-protection zones once
the community has signed a CoFMA. The monitoring programs
are proving to be crucial to the conservation of Zanzibar’s
wildlife, including the Zanzibar red colobus, in that they
serve as an early warning system for detecting changes in
threats and population status, and guide law enforcement
activities.
It is not enough, however, to
ensure that all critical habitat is within the protected
areas network, and that all habitats and populations are
being monitored. Effective law enforcement must be
established in government and community-managed areas in
order to protect against the major threats to the continued
survival of the Zanzibar red colobus - agricultural
encroachment and illegal timber/firewood harvesting. To
this end, in 2009 WCS began to work with DCCFF and 29
communities around JCBNP and KPFR to establish and
strengthen law enforcement in government and community
protected areas by training, equipping, and deploying
government and community colobus guardians.
Throughout all our work in
Zanzibar we continue to strive to build the capacity of
Government staff and Village Conservation Councils to
conduct effective wildlife law enforcement, wildlife
surveys, and long-term
wildlife monitoring programs.
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