Conservation Status
The mantled howler is regarded as "least concern" from a conservation standpoint by the IUCN. Nonetheless, its numbers may be adversely impacted by rainforest fragmentation which has caused forced relocation of groups to less habitable regions. However, the mantled howler can adapt to forest fragmentation better than other species due to its low energy lifestyle, small home ranges and ability to exploit widely available food sources. The mantled howler is important to its ecosystems for a number of reasons, but especially in its capacity as a seed disperser and germinator, since passing through the monkey's digestive tract appears to aid the germination of certain seeds. Dung beetles, which are also seed dispersers as well as nutrient recyclers, also appear to be dependent on the presence of the mantled howler. The mantled howler is protected from international trade under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Read more about this topic: Mantled Howler
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