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Yunnan monkey reserve faces tourism dilemma

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A Yunnan sunb-nose monkey foraging at the Baima Snowy Mountain National Nature Reserve. [File photo]

Zhu Pingfen, a graduate student with the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is conducting field research at the site."Some tourists smoke while observing them and others take pictures with their camera flash on," she said. "You can easily see the conflicts between human and monkeys here."

But Zhu also acknowledged that, without the development of tourism, fewer people will know about the endangered species in the remote area.

She added she is hoping tourism will bring in sufficient funding to relocate human residents of the nature reserve.

Over 20,000 people live in the 220,000-hectare area, further complicating efforts to protect the monkeys.

"The dwellers cut down the trees for firewood or for wood panels to build their roofs," according to Yu Jianhua, an inspector for the reserve.

"Dwellers and monkeys are fighting for the forest," said Yu, who has worked at the site for 20 years.

Zhongtai Tsering said it is currently financially impossible to relocate the residents, although "maybe when more people know about the rare monkeys, there will be means to address the problem."

Although visitors to the reserve generally want good access to get up close and view their quarry, many are aware of the potential danger to the animals.

Roz Mauro, an American tourist, said she would be glad to see more trails built in the reserve so that the black-and-white creatures would be more accessible.

"That would be better for tourists," she said. "But it would not be better for the monkeys."

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