PROJECT
 

Every Monkey In Its Own Branch - Population dynamics of buffy tufted-ear marmoset (Callithrix aurita ) and black-fronted titi (Callicebus nigrifrons) and landscape ecology in areas of water protection in the State of Sao Paulo

 
STUDY SPECIES

Black-fronted titi ( Callicebus nigrifrons ) and buffy tufted-ear marmoset ( Callithrix aurita )
 
     
 

Some features of the black-fronted titi (Callicebus nigrifrons):

 

• Belongs to the second most diverse gender of neotropical primates and is still not well known;

 

• Lives in groups of up to five individuals, composed of a monogamous couple and youngsters of several generations;

 

• If one member of the couple dies, a new reproductive pair is established;

 

• The male takes care of the offspring;

 

• Feeds on leaves and fruits and occasionally on insects;
 
• Sleeps in trunks and entangled branches of trees: tails get twisted and individuals are piled up with other group members to spend the night;
 
• Protects its territory and interacts socially by means of vocalizations, forming a sounding board which amplifies the sound.
 
Some features of buffy tufted-ear marmoset (Callithrix aurita)
 

• Is a primate that has been little studied;
 

• Is more concentrated in the South of the country;
 

• Lives in groups with, on average, six individuals;

 

• Is monogamous, but if one of the partners dies, another couple is formed; besides, the couple can vary in different reproductive periods;

  • Concerning reproduction, twins are common, and the group shares the responsibility with offspring;
  • In territorial terms , and according to IPÊ's research, it can associate with black-fronted titis;
  • It is believed that its presence can be increased after a more detailed study in the areas of the Serra do Mar mountain range.
 
DESCRIPTION

The project "Every Monkey In Its Own Branch" investigates how primate species respond to the landscape fragmentation process and provides data to inform landscape management and conservation of natural resources in the region of Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo State.

Research is conducted in the area of influence of the Atibainha River reservoir, near the town of Nazaré Paulista. This reservoir composes the Cantareira System, responsible for daily water supply for about 12 million people (approximately 50% of the population of the Great São Paulo, besides the city of Campinas and surroundings). The area is in the overlapping of the Environmental Protection Areas (APAs) of the Cantareira System and the Piracicaba-Juqueri-Mirim - established in 1986 to preserve local water sources. From an ecological point of view, this region is strategic also because it contains important remnants of the Atlantic Forest and is located between the Cantareira and the Mantiqueira mountain ranges. It is, however, marked by one of the more common environmental problems in the country: inadequate land use, which leads to scarcity of water resources and to landscape fragmentation. These are determinant factors for the extinction of species, biodiversity loss, and the breaking of ecological cycles.

In this context, "Every Monkey In Its Own Branch" assesses how local primate species (black-fronted titi Callicebus nigrifrons; buffy tufted-ear marmoset, Callithrix aurita; and brown howler monkey, Alouatta guariba) respond to landscape fragmentation, and identifies strategies and actions which can minimize the effects of this process on these animals' populations. Understanding how primates survive in fragmented landscapes is important because their communities are among the most threatened in tropical forests.  As all primates have powerful ecological demands, they are important seed dispersers, live in groups according to their specific territories , and display social behaviors that directly their interaction with the environment.

This project research was launched in 2003, with the study of the use of space by black-fronted titi in small and human impacted fragments. As early as 2004, IPÊ carried on a survey of the occurrence of this species related to aspects of the landscape ecology of the Atibainha River reservoir. Together with this survey, the institution produced a social and an environmental diagnosis of the region, which delineated a profile of the owners of the areas under study. IPÊ is soon starting a study of the use of space by black-fronted titis in a large and little disturbed fragment, in order to be able to compare the results from the use of space in small fragments, some under great anthropic pressure.

Thus far, research shows that even small fragments and recovering areas are important for the maintenance of populations of black-fronted titis and buffy tufted-ear marmosets. Concerning brown howler monkey, it is restricted to fragments in better state of conservation.

Results from the survey of species related to landscape ecology point to some priority areas for conservation and recovering in the regions surrounding the Atibainha River reservoir. Therefore, we seek to move forward in the consolidation of a conservation program for Nazaré Paulista municipality, one that can be expanded and applied to the whole region of the Cantareira System.
 
OBJECTIVES
  In their current stage, IPÊ’s studies have the following objectives:
 

• To relate the occurrence of primate species to aspects of the landscape ecology in the area of influence of the Atibainha River reservoir;

 

• To observe the effect of fragmentation on the way the black-fronted titi ( Callicebus nigrifrons ) uses the space;

 

• To provide information for environmental education actions in the region, and to identify priority areas for the protection and recovering of the landscape under study.

 

• To improve the state of degradation of the Atlantic Forest in the region of Nazaré Paulista.

 
TEAM

Alexandre T. Amaral
researcher/coordinator
alexandre@ipe.org.br

Fernanda Zimbres Silva
researcher
fernanda@ipe.org.br

 
 

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