The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the common woolly monkey as Vulnerable (IUCN, 2020), appearing on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. This designation is based on a predicted population loss of 30% or more between 2018–2063, a time period comprising three generations. This is based on data showing forest loss trends throughout the species’ habitat, and the fact that common woolly monkeys are often hunted for meat. Some subspecies are even more at risk. Red woolly monkeys and Geoffroy’s woolly monkeys are both considered Endangered and are predicted to undergo a 50% population reduction over the next 45 years.

Like most threatened species, the major threat against common woolly monkeys is habitat loss. Over the last 50 years, an astounding 17% of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed, most of it to clear space for cattle ranching. This is a staggering loss to global biodiversity, considering that the Amazon is the most biodiverse place on earth. This loss directly impacts millions of species, including woolly monkeys. Unfortunately, this loss is only expected to continue in the coming decades. Forest cover data from the Global Forest Watch shows a predicted 10–15% loss of forest habitat in parts of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador over the next 45 years.

Another threat against common woolly monkeys is hunting pressure. They are the single most frequently hunted primates in the Amazon region and one of the most intensely hunted primates in South America, mainly due to their large size resulting in their being relatively easy targets. The meat of woolly monkeys has been eaten by Amazonian communities for thousands of years. Traditionally, the meat was consumed mainly during festivals, although the meat is becoming increasingly popular in the illegal bushmeat trade throughout the region. As hunting technology improves, human population density increases, and Amazonian communities become more sedentary than nomadic, woolly monkey populations become increasingly threatened in areas near human settlements. As a result, some Amazonian people make expeditions into national parks and reserves to hunt and supply meat for festivals. In these protected areas, the unusually peaceful monkeys are unaccustomed to human encounters and are less cautious and easier to hunt, sometimes not reacting to human presence or even coming closer in an attempt to threaten hunters. Unfortunately, woolly monkeys are not uncommon in the pet trade. To collect infants, the mother must first be killed. It has been estimated that for every live common woolly monkey that reaches the pet trade market, at least 10 adult females have been killed.

Climate change also poses a potential threat to woolly monkeys. The changing climate may cause trees to flower and fruit at different times of year. Woolly monkeys, who are extremely dependent on fruit availability, move around to follow the fruiting of different trees at varying elevations. The desynchronization of fruiting cycles may cause significant stress to members of the species as they struggle to find adequate amounts of food. As climate change progresses and more research is conducted, we may find more ways that common woolly monkeys are impacted by this global phenomenon.