Forest loss and overhunting are eroding African tropical biodiversity and threatening local human food security, livelihoods, and health. Emblematic of this ecological crisis is Africa's most endangered group of monkeys, the red colobus (genus Piliocolobus). All 17 species, found in forests from Senegal in the west to the Zanzibar archipelago in the east, are threatened with extinction. Red colobus are among the most vulnerable mammals to gun hunting, typically disappearing from heavily hunted forests before most other large‐bodied animals. Despite their conservation status, they are rarely a focus of conservation attention and continue to be understudied. However, red colobus can act as critical barometers of forest health and serve as flagships for catalyzing broader African tropical forest conservation efforts. We offer a plan for conservation of red colobus and their habitats and discuss conservation and policy implications.

中文翻译：

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为了保护非洲热带森林，投资保护最濒危的猴类红疣猴

森林丧失和过度捕猎正在侵蚀非洲热带生物多样性，并威胁当地人类粮食安全、生计和健康。这种生态危机的象征是非洲最濒危的猴类——红疣猴（属毛球菌属）。从西部的塞内加尔到东部的桑给巴尔群岛的森林中发现的所有 17 个物种都面临灭绝的威胁。红疣猴是最容易受到枪杀的哺乳动物之一，通常先于大多数其他大型动物从遭到严重猎杀的森林中消失。尽管它们处于保护状态，但它们很少成为保护关注的焦点，并且仍然没有得到充分研究。然而，红疣可以作为森林健康的关键晴雨表，并作为促进更广泛的非洲热带森林保护工作的旗舰。我们提供了红疣猴及其栖息地的保护计划，并讨论了保护和政策影响。