Deduced Conservation Strategy of the Macaques in China from their Evolutionary Development.

Abstract

Understanding how climate, ecological and environmental changes, and anthropogenic activities have driven animals' development and predicting their prospective distribution profiles are essential to making a tangible conservation strategy. Macaques (Macaca) distributed in China provide an ideal research model for such an effort. We reconstruct their geographic distribution profiles from the last inter-glaciation (LIG, 120,000-140,000 years BP), the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 22,000 years BP), and the present (1970-2000), based on which we deduce their distribution perspective in the 2050s. The results show that their suitable habitats during LIG and LGM were mainly in eastern Southwest, Central, and Coastal China. A noticeable distribution reduction started in LIG and persisted until the present (1970-2000). Their distribution centroid would shift northward to mountainous regions, mainly in Southwest China, where more migration corridors would be available for their prospective development. Also, the results indicate that China's Protected Area currently does not cover more than 94.00% of macaques' potential habitats, which is a dismal situation for their conservation. Finally, this study proclaims that the conservation priority of the macaques in the years to come should focus on Southwest China -their future refuge region.