Coquerel's Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) Fact Sheet: Population & Conservation Status

Population size (Kun-Rodrigues et al. 2014, except as noted)

• No global estimates
  • Minimal historic data
• Ankarafantsika National Park
  • About 47,000 individuals (Kun-Rodgriguez et al. 2014)
  • Represents the largest forested area in northwestern Madagascar

IUCN Status

• Critically Endangered (2018 assessment) (Louis et al. 2020)
  • Habitat loss and hunting have led to population declines of 80% since the late 1980s
• Historical listing
  • 2014 - Endangerd
  • 2008 - Endangered
  • 2000 - Endangered
  • 1996 - Endangered
  • 1990 - Vulnerable

CITES Status

• Appendix I (UNEP 2019)

Habitat loss (from Andriaholinirina et al. 2014)

• Slash-and-burn practices conducted annually
  • Clears land for agriculture and livestock
• Trees cut to produce charcoal
• Limited species range exacerbates the threat

Hunted

• Killed for food
• Among most hunted/consumed vertebrates in Ankarafantsika National Park (Kun-Rodrigues et al. 2014)
• Local taboo forbids hunting, though incoming ethnic groups have no such cultural restrictions (Haring 2012)

Populations within protected areas (Andriaholinirina et al. 2014)

• Ankarafantsika National Park and the Bora Special Reserve
  • Experience threat from hunting and habitat degradation inside reserves

Needed actions

• Incorporate further forest habitat under protected status
  • Anjiamanginana, Anjajavy, the Narinda Peninsula, and Mariarano
• Community-based conservation action (Kun-Rodrigues et al. 2014)
  • Maintain forest connectivity
  • Implement alternatives to deforestation
    • Loss the result of charcoal production, logging, and grass fires
  • Reduce poaching
  • Enable long-term population monitoring

Little is known about the population size for Coquerel's sifaka in the wild.

Large population declines have occured over teh past 5 decades when an estimated 50% decline took place.

Image credit: © F. Vassen from Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Andriaholinirina et al. (2014)
Haring (2012)
Kun-Rodrigues et al. (2014)