Employing a predictive model, researchers have located two areas in need of protection to ensure the survival of Bolivia’s primate species. The study, published in Tropical Conservation Science, identified the potential distribution of Bolivia’s 22 primates and discovered two priority regions, one in the Pando Department with a number of rare primates, and the other in Western Beni, home to two primate species that live no-where else.
Home to a rich diversity of primates, the Pando department includes three species that are considered high in rarity: the pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea), the emperor tamarin Saguinus imperator , and Goeldi’s monkey ( Callimico goeldii), which is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List.
The western Beni region of Bolivia is important for saving two species that are endemic to Bolivia: the Olalla brothers’ titi (Callicebus olallae) which is listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List and the Beni titi monkey (Callicebus modestus), also listed as Endangered.
In Bolivia the major threats facing primates are habitat loss and fragmentation, along with hunting and illegal trade.
Primates are one of the world’s most threatened animal groups. Currently, the IUCN Red List classifies nearly half (48 percent) of the world’s primates as threatened with extinction.
CITATION: Mercado N.I. and R.B. Wallace. 2010. >. Distribución de primates en Bolivia y areas prioritarias para su conservación.. Tropical Conservation Science Vol. 3 (2):200-217. Available online: www.tropicalconservationscience.org
The emperor tamarin. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
The pygmy marmoset in Colombia. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
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