© 2001 Nature Publishing Group http://neurosci.nature.com letters to the editor

Are Japanese threatened by neuroscience research?

TO THE EDITOR—Your recent editorial, be made available to Japanese scientists The local population of Shimokita has “ research faces extinction,” makes for research. doubled or even quadrupled, and dis- two points: that the Japanese , tribution has expanded. In some cases, Macaca fuscata, may be an endangered Kunihiko Obata such as Mie prefecture, reported increas- species, and that its use for research pur- Neuroscience Society es in numbers may be the consequence poses by neuroscientists in Japan may be Laboratory of Neurochemistry, National of growing dependence on human crops contributing to the danger of extinction. Institute for Physiological Sciences, Myodaiji, with abandonment of deep forest habi- We disagree with both points. Okazaki 444-8585, Japan tat. In this instance, most of the area is There are two subspecies of Japanese email: [email protected] covered by conifer trees, whereas broad- macaques, M. fuscata fuscata, which is leaf forests are small and fragmented; found on the Japanese mainland, and home ranges are very large, about 10–30 M. fuscata yakui, which is found only on TO THE EDITOR—As primate biologists km2. Many populations are living in the island of Yaku. There were 3,500 who advise the Species Survival Commis- extremely disturbed and fragmented individuals of the yakui subspecies sion (SSC) of IUCN-The World Conser- habitats and/or are subject to heavy remaining in 1996, and the Japanese pri- vation Union (International Union for the pressure from trapping and hunting, matologists labeled this subspecies as Conservation of Nature and Natural sometimes resulting in local extirpa- being endangered. Presumably because Resources), we would like to clarify the tions, because of damage to crops. There of the scarcity of the yakui subspecies, status of the Japanese macaque, Macaca are strong indications that the increased the 1996 Red List of threatened species fuscata, which was discussed in your perception of as pests, and classified the Japanese macaque as recent editorial1. consequent attempts to control them, is endangered. In 1998, the Japanese Mam- IUCN produces an ongoing updated rapidly becoming a serious threat to pri- malogical Society agreed that the yakui list of threatened species, the so- mate conservation in many areas subspecies was vulnerable, but also called Red List, which was distributed worldwide, comparable to those posed pointed out that the more common sub- electronically for the first time in 2000. by habitat loss and hunting. Because species, M. fuscata fuscata, had a popu- On the preceding 1996 list, M. fuscata accurate data on M. fuscata fuscata pop- lation of over 100,000 in the wild, and was categorized as endangered (EN) ulation densities are few, the most

© http://neurosci.nature.com Group 2001 Nature Publishing was at no risk. The Japanese macaque based on standardized criteria developed appropriate category, both for this sub- was excluded from the endangered clas- by IUCN (see www.redlist.org for species and for the species as a whole, sification of IUCN Red List in 2000, details). For the 2000 list, the status of would appear to be ‘data deficient’ although it still remains on the list as all primates was reviewed at the subspe- (DD). This change of status is not to be ‘data deficient.’ cific level. In anticipation of this, the construed as a response to protests to Despite the large numbers of wild M. IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group the 1996 listing by ‘Japanese fuscata fuscata in Japan, it is illegal to cap- (PSG) helped to organize a workshop in researchers,’ contrary to the claim in ture and use them solely for research pur- February 2000, to document primate your recent editorial1. One alternative poses. However, farmers in Japan view biodiversity and begin preparation of a to the DD designation would be to rec- these as agricultural pests, and comprehensive of the pri- ognize the species as ‘vulnerable’ (VU) request the local governments to remove mates. As is customary with Red List under criteria A2c, acknowledging con- them. Japanese researchers, including updates, an effort was made to obtain tinuing decline in occurrence and qual- neuroscientists, use a small proportion of the most current information on the ity of habitat; another alternative would these captured monkeys as research sub- status of primate taxa from field prima- be to evaluate the status of the different jects. Those not used for research are tologists in habitat (source) countries. regional populations, as M. fuscata fus- killed immediately under the supervision For the Japanese macaque, the sub- cata does not seem to fit comfortably of local authorities. species on Yaku Island (M. fuscata yakui into the IUCN categories. Despite the availability of monkeys or the Yakushima macaque) was captured as agricultural pests, any wild adjudged to be endangered (EN) fol- Ardith A. Eudey1, David A. Hill2 and population may be subject to change for lowing criteria B2c: the total natural Yasuyuki Muroyama3 unpredictable reasons. We therefore feel range is less than 500 km2 and there is 1 Vice chair for Asia, IUCN/SSC Primate that there is an urgent need for the continuing decline in the quality of Specialist Group, 164 Dayton Street, establishment of breeding colonies that habitat. The numerically dominant sub- Upland, California 91786-3120, USA would produce Japanese macaques for species M. fuscata fuscata proved to be email: [email protected] research purposes. Because it takes about difficult to evaluate. The monkeys’ dis- 2 School of Biological Sciences, University of seven years for newborn monkeys to tribution has expanded over much of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1D 9QG, UK become sexually mature breeders, how- Honshu island; some local populations 3 Field Research Center, Primate Research ever, we estimate that it will take a long are declining, others are apparently Institute Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi time for breeding colonies to be able to expanding in range, but an absence of 484-8506, Japan supply an adequate number of research demographic data makes it impossible monkeys. At present it is crucial that to know in most instances whether pop- 1.Primate research faces extinction. Nat. agricultural pest monkeys continue to ulations are increasing or decreasing. Neurosci. 4, 111 (2001).

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