The western purple-faced langur is a Sri Lankan endemic listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world. The extremely endangered status of Sri Lanka's endemic langur, found nowhere else on earth, is due to the fact that it is primarily a tree-dwelling, leaf-eating monkey, the range of which includes the most densely populated areas of the country. In these areas of high human density, forests have been intensively exploited for several decades, and deforestation has adversely affected its preferred habitat and sources of food. During a recent survey, the western purple-faced langur was found most often in small and widely scattered groups, indicating that it is declining and has been extirpated in a number of areas within its range. This tendency, if left unchecked, would ultimately lead to extinction throughout its range. Although it faces a perilous future, certain facts uncovered during the survey indicate that it is still possible to prevent this monkey from disappearing forever. For instance, the largest forests where it can be found today are around two reservoirs that supply water to the 1.2 million inhabitants of Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital. Because of their importance to people and relatively large size, these forests represent the last strongholds for maintaining viable populations over the long term. Furthermore, the Forest Department, responsible for these forests, has indicated interest in replanting its pine plantations with native species exploited by these langurs, and thereby increasing its preferred habitat. Another encouraging fact is that most people living within its current range are Buddhists who have a strong aversion to killing animals. The cultural sentiments of people inhabiting the range of the western purple-faced langur provide an opportunity to create awareness of this monkey's highly endangered status, and help promote its conservation. Prospects and recommendations for conserving the western purple-faced langur are also discussed in this paper.