The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : HEY PRESTO, A NEW MACAQUE

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Tuesday, Dec 21, 2004

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HEY PRESTO, A NEW MACAQUE

NATURE'S INFINITE BOOK of secrecy, to use Shakespeare's phrase, continues to yield treasures. The discovery of a primate species, Macaca munzala (the Arunachal macaque), in the forests of western Arunachal Pradesh by a dedicated team of Indian researchers is one such exalting moment for the world of science. The genus Macaca comprises 20 well-characterised species. `Discovery,' it has been suggested, may not quite be the right word for the latest find since the large heavyset monkey with a short tail has apparently been familiar to the inhabitants of the region, and is even sporadically hunted. Macaques, which are among the largest genera of Old World monkeys, display, in the words of an expert, "a remarkable ecological versatility and evolutionary success." Only Homo sapiens, the human race, has a more extensive geographical distribution. Two scientific expeditions undertaken in August-September 2003 and April-May 2004 led to the discovery of a thriving population of these previously undescribed high-altitude dwelling macaques in Arunachal Pradesh's westernmost districts of Tawang and West Kameng. A paper (by Anindya Sinha, Aparajita Datta, M.D. Madhusudan and Charudutt Mishra), which will soon be published by the International Journal of Primatology, promises to bring international scientific attention to the Arunachal macaque and incidentally to the rich biodiversity of the forests of the Indian sub-continent. Above all, the discovery should lead to the collection of data that will help institute protection measures.

The Arunachal macaque's high rank in the evolutionary ladder makes its morphological characterisation, identity in relation to other closely related Macaca species, and field habits scientifically exciting. Late last year the journal Nature reported the discovery of Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis, a frog in the Western Ghats so unique that it led to the creation of a new family of species that may be related to similar amphibians found as far away as Seychelles. Another landmark was the finding of the Calayan Rail, a bird species, in a remote area of the Philippines earlier this year. These successes are a morale booster to naturalists who celebrated the rediscovery of the long-legged warbler in Fiji, 109 years after it was thought to be extinct. There is evidence to show that in comparison with the Western Ghats, the Northeast is suffering from a lack of conservation, widespread hunting, and loss of wildlife habitat. The low-elevation moist forest ecosystem of the Brahmaputra basin is considered to be the most threatened, having to sustain several species of primates in small, fragmented forests. Assam's Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary has an extent of only a few hundred hectares and hosts seven well-populated species of primates.

The Arunachal macaque is a symbol of hope, a rallying point for wildlife scientists and enthusiasts. Its discovery serves as a humbling reminder to environment managers that attempts to weaken laws and license the exploitation of natural resources in protected areas in the name of economic progress are horribly misconceived. The find is also reward for non-governmental initiatives by highly motivated scientists. Government departments tend to rebuff bona fide non-government organisations, societies headed by well-known scientists, and universities when they seek permission to conduct studies. This official attitude creates apprehension that there is an attempt to cover up illegal activity such as logging, poaching, and encroachment in protected areas. Hide-bound bureaucratism must give way to a more transparent system under which bona fide scientists and conservationists have the freedom and the access needed to pursue their projects of cataloguing and conserving the priceless biodiversity of India.

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