The Socioecology, and the Effects of Human Activity on It, of the Annamese Silvered Langur ( Trachypithecus Margarita ) in Northeastern Cambodia
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The Socioecology, and the Effects of Human Activity on It, of the Annamese Silvered Langur ( Trachypithecus margarita ) in Northeastern Cambodia Álvaro González Monge A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Australian National University School of Archaeology and Anthropology Submitted in March, 2016 Copyright by Álvaro González Monge, 2016 All Rights Reserved Statement of originality The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original and my own work, except where acknowledged. This material has not been submitted either in whole or in part, for a degree at this or other university Álvaro González Monge In memoriam: GANG HU JOAQUIM JOSEP VEÀ BARÓ Acknowledgements This project wouldn’t have successfully arrived at its conclusion without the help of an astounding amount of people. I wanted to thank many more but I think two and a half pages of this must be testing for many. I’m forever indebted to my academic supervisors, for steering me towards meaningful research and pointing out my endless flaws with endless patience, for the encouragement and heaps of valuable feedback. Whatever useful information in this thesis is largely due to them: Professor Colin Groves, for accepting me as a student which I think is one of the highest honors that can be given to a person in our field of work, and his unquenchable thirst for all mammalian bits of information I brought to his attention. Dr. Alison Behie, for her patience in greatly helping me focus on the particular topics treated in this thesis and her invaluable feedback on my research. I also want to thank her for the opportunity she gave me to help her run the field school, for which I’m very grateful. Dr. Ben Rawson for his feedback, his encouragement during conferences, invaluable knowledge of the field site and in regards to all things primate in Southeast Asia, as well as for his honesty, advice and conversation. I’m also greatly obliged to Dr. Pauline Ding for her unparalleled help and advice regarding my use of statistics and data analysis. I would like to show my immense gratitude to Conservation International, Greater Mekong Program, for allowing me to undertake this project and giving me the opportunity of living in one of the most incredible places in the world, being able to study a group of animals I have been interested in since before I finished my Bachelor in Biology. I’m indebted to the Conservation International Grants Committee for approving funding that made this study possible. I’m particularly grateful to Bunra Seng and Tracy Farrell for allowing the project to take place, taking an interest in the research and in my wellbeing and helping me in any way I needed. I’m very thankful to Toby Eastoe, for his interest and endless motivation, his feedback and words of support when things were looking bleak. I thank Ridd Prak for his help with arranging my visas. I want to thank Pengly La for his concern, honesty and sense of humor, and for the offer of free durian. I’m greatly indebted to Chanthon Cheb, whose hard work made things incredibly easier from the v moment I stepped out of the plane and helped me not only with my work but with a myriad other tasks that made my life throughout the project incredibly easier. I’m greatly obliged to Noel Rowe and Primate Conservation Inc for granting this project much needed funds, without which it would have been problematic to carry out the needed research. I’m grateful indeed for his candor, feedback, conversation and interest I’m also grateful to the Cambodian Forestry Administration, whose consent of this made this possible. I want to give my greatest regards to Mr. Sopheak Nuon for being my adoptive Cambodian father, providing me with plenty of food, comprehension and the opportunity to maintain conversations in Russian. I’m very thankful to Mr. Nhet for his friendliness and conversation during my stay. I want to thank the rangers as well: Mr. Pheak, Mr. Pisai, Mr. Ra and Mr. Chet. I sadly can’t remember the names of the rest of them, but they are indeed in my thoughts. I want to strongly thank and show my appreciation for the local guides and research assistants at VSSPCA, because without their invaluable help and attention I wouldn’t have been able to get to this point. Not only they were the backbone of the research but they also cooked and transported me whenever I needed to get out of the field site. Mr. Sitha Buntha in particular, but Mr. Soulit Lort as well. Mr. Sitha Tan, Mr. Noy, Mr. Them, Mr. Cheung and other local guides also helped me with my research and Khmer language skills. I also thank Ort Lort for his assistance at the field station. I greatly thank Dr. Jackson Frechette for his invaluable knowledge on the field site and its biodiversity. I’m grateful for his friendship, honesty and valued feedback on work and life. I’m very thankful to Thy Neang, from FFI Cambodia Program, for his invaluable assistance in helping me identify reptile and amphibian images. I thank Shun Deng Fam for his feedback on the research, his friendship and his conversation. I want to thank Eve Smeltzer in particular, but also Camilla Brent and Elizabeth Coombs for their assistance in gathering data. I want to thank Mr. Phalla Sieng for his assistance, help and conversation whenever I visited Phnom Penh. I’m forever indebted to Mr. Kouern Em, because without his selfless help, I literally wouldn’t be here. I owe him more than I can ever pay him back. vi I’m forever grateful to Mr. Selvarajan Thevaraj and Mrs. Kaliany Raman for welcoming me into their family with open arms and for their absolutely endless generosity. I want to thank my parents, José Antonio and Carmen, for their kindling and constant support of my intellectual pursuits; none of this would have happened without them, and I owe them everything good in me. Last but not least, I want to thank Menaga Selvarajan, who helped me throught the darkest times and for whose patience, support, understanding, brightness and honesty are no words. I’m glad that you chose to share your life with me vii Abstract The Annamese silvered langur ( Trachypithecus margarita ) is a colobine species recently recognized as a separate species and considered Endangered by the IUCN. It lives in Indochina, east of the Mekong River. There are some studies on its morphology, distribution and diet. Information on the species’ ranging, social behavior and organization, habitat use and reproduction is scarce. The effects of human disturbance on langurs are unknown, a reason for concern given the current biodiversity crisis in the region. Information on the habitats where the species is found in the wild is scarce, with some sources conflicting. I aim to expand our current knowledge on the socioecology of T. margarita and the effects of human activities on it. Research was done at Veun Sai Siem Pang Conservation Area, Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia, from April 2013 until May 2014. An unhabituated group was followed for five days every week. Group size was estimated and their geographical position was marked every 30 minutes until the end of the day or the group was lost. Canopy layer and forest type were noted every time an individual was seen. When eating, plant part and species were identified to species level. Eight botanical transects of 5x200 meters were set up, classified by forest type and anthropic disturbance. Plants with a DBH of 12 cm or over were identified to species level. Biodiversity and Evenness indices were calculated for the habitat and each transect and compared. Langur visits to a mineral lick were recorded using camera traps. Group size, sex and age classes were counted, and morphological characters analysed for individual variability. Chainsaw numbers, length of logging in hours and distance from logging spots to the group were calculated daily. Mixed evergreen forest is more heterogeneous than mixed deciduous forest and presents more canopy layers and smaller stems. Logging tracks affect habitat structure but not diversity, while intensive logging strongly affects structure and diversity. Vertebrate populations at VSSPCA are resilient to small scale logging. T. margarita at VSSPCA are morphologically uniform. Group size is at least 61 individuals and the social organization is multi-male multi-female. Langurs associate with other sympatric species of primates at the site, especially M. leonina and P. nemaeus . Langurs fed mainly on seeds, (69% of their diet), but also ate other fruit parts; leaf consumption was low. Focus on plant parts, food species and families varied between viii seasons. Dipterocarps were highly consumed, but Willughbeia and oak trees were highly selected. Home range size reached 256 ha, being larger in the dry season than in the rainy season, likely because of different food availability. The high canopy was most frequently used, although juveniles used the mid canopy more frequently. Langurs preferred mixed deciduous forest during the rainy season but avoided it during the dry season, probably for a lack of canopy to hide and feed. Langurs were strongly affected by logging, moving higher in the canopy as intensity increased, and abandoned areas of their home range where it was most destructive. While T. margarita tolerates human disturbance, loggers target key tree groups and law enforcement must be maintained. ix Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... v Abstract .......................................................................................................................