PROJECT
Black-Faced Lion Tamarin Conservation Program
 
STUDY SPECIES
Black-Faced Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus caissara)
 
       
 
SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BLACK-FACED LION TAMARIN
 

• They are small primates that on average measure 30 centimeters in length (excluding the tail, which is the same length as the body) and weigh around 600 grams.

 

• It is estimated that only 400 individuals exist in the wild, divided between two populations: one on the island of Superagüi and another in the continental region of the Rio dos Patos valley (PR) and Ariri plains (SP).

 

• They feed on fruits, insects, mushrooms, small vertebrates, and, less commonly, tree sap and floral nectar.

 

• They live in family groups usually consisting of five individuals and defend a territory of approximately 250 hectares.

 
• The family group consists of the mother-father and their offsprings. Usually the female gives birth once a year to a set of twins, that are then looked after by the entire group.
 

• They inhabit low plain regions covered by forest, sandbank, or 'varzea', as this flooded ecosystem is known in Brazil.

 
• At night, the group takes shelter in hollow tree trunks or in clusters of lianas and bromeliads, where they can be comfortable and protected.
 
OBJECTIVES
  The project's objectives are as follows:
 

• To work in a continuous basis in order to change the tamarins' critically endangered status through the implementation of an adaptive integrated management program;

 
• To maintain the quality and quantity of habitat necessary for the long-term survival of the species;
 
• To turn these tamarins into conservation symbols or as "umbrella species" for the conservation of one of the largest continuous tracts of Atlantic rainforest in the world and its wildlife.
 
• To turn the tamarins into a "flagship species" for an extensive environmental education program that is to occur together with the development of sustainable economic practices.
 
DESCRIPTION

The black-faced lion tamarin (Leontopithecus caissara) was discovered in 1990 (Lorini & Persson) and is among the world's 25 most endangered primate species. It is estimated that only 400 individuals exist in the wild, distributed in a narrow coastal strip, which stretches from the south of the state of Sao Paulo to the extreme north of the state of Parana, consisting of approximately 300 km² in area.

Aiming to ensure their permanence in nature, in 1995, IPÊ initiated the "Black-faced Tamarin Conservation Program" with the objective of gathering the necessary information for the creation of a management plan that would reflect the true reality of the species in nature. Over the past 10 years, diverse research programs have been implemented to better define the management scenario, such as, aspects of feeding ecology, geographic distribution, temporal budget, daily movement and habitat use patterns, territory area, behavior, demographic density, population health and availability, and habitat quality.

In parallel with this research, since 1997 IPÊ has implemented an environmental education and community involvement program together with the communities of Superagüi and the surrounding regions. The program has the objectives of sharing the scientific information that is gathered through accessible language that can be understood by everyone. The program also aims to strengthen the abilities and aptitudes of the local people, through sustainable practices that focus on the region's nature. In this way both human beings and nature in general benefit, and conservation can thus be enhanced.

Currently, IPÊ is monitoring groups of black-faced lion tamarins in the continental portion of their area of distribution. The results of this study will be compared with those from the study previously conducted of groups on the island of Superagüi. This will help make future management decisions that take into account their needs in relation to their habitat. IPÊ is also assessing the main threats to the species and its habitat on the continent with the objective of identifying the management steps that can be taken in the future, as translocations for example. This assessment also aims to define the environmental education and community involvement program for the continental region, which has different social and cultural realities from those found in Superagüi.

 
TEAM

Alexandre Amaral
Contact : alexandre@ipe.org.br

Lucia Agathe Juliana Schmidlin
Contact: lucia@ipe.org.br

Cristiana Saddy Martins
Contact: ipecristi@ipe.org.br

Claudio Valladares Padua
Contact: cpadua@ipe.org.br

 
 
SUPPORT
  Current sources of funding:
 

• The Lions Tamarins of Brazil

 

• Margot Marsh Foundation

 

• Fundação Biodiversitas

 

• The Whithey Fund for Nature
 

Past sources of funding:

 

• Fundação o Boticário de Proteção a Natureza
  • FNMA - Fundo Nacional do Meio Ambiente
  • Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust International
  • Wildflife Preservation Trust International Canadá
  • IBAMA (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis)
  • Lion Tamarin Fund
  • Primate Conservation
  • American Primatology Society
  • The Zoological Society
  • Durell Wildlife Trust
  • Jonathan D. Wry

 
 

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