First estimates of primate density and abundance in Siberut National Park, Mentawai Islands, Indonesia

Abstract

In 2011 we carried out the first systematic survey to determine the density and abundance of endemic forest primates in Siberut National Park, in the Mentawai Islands of West Sumatra, Indonesia. Distance sampling was employed to survey 18 transects located systematically throughout the Park, yielding a total survey effort of 192 km and 285 observations of primates for data analysis. From density estimates for the four resident primate species, the Siberut langur Presbytis siberu, the pig-tailed snub-nosed langur Simias concolor, Kloss's gibbon Hylobates klossii and the Siberut macaque Macaca siberu, we extrapolated a total population of c. 51,000 primates within the Park. We conclude that Siberut National Park is of major significance for the continued survival of Siberut's endemic primates, and provide recommendations to help ensure that it will continue to function as a refuge for primates.