As we mentioned before Zocay Project is doing new collaborations and reinforcing some of its field areas of study. As part of our new collaborations, we visit Zocay Land (Tierra del Zocay) a series of community owned sites that through nature tourism are trying to reduce deforestation and protect forest remnants where dusky titi monkeys (Plecturocebus ornatus) lives.
Despite of how deforested the whole area is, mainly because cattle ranching and agriculture, especially in the past decades, there are still some forest remnants close to Macarena mountain range. However, if deforestation rates continues as in the past two years it is possible that dusky titi monkeys can disappear despite their resilience and adaptation to live in secondary forest.
Zocay Land (Tierra del Zocay) is not only an alternative to wonderful people strongly hit by violence that are changing their ways of life but also an opportunity for the biodiversity in the region.
This region is particularly important because it is close to two National Parks, Tinigua and Serranía de la Macarena, which are the only two National Parks in which dusky titi monkeys can be found.
For me this visit was full of memories of my beginnings studying monkeys at Tinigua National Park and a gift because I was able to see spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth) after a decade.

Walks were easy and we were fortunate to have sunny days all the time. There are beautiful cascades and rivers to see in the area (although we didn’t visit any cascades, we will try in our next visit). Forest in la Corcovada farm and Santo Domingo are in a good conservation state. Beautiful murals with monkey’s paintings and a delicious chocolate are found in la pielroja farm and comfortable loggings at Palmarum Lodge and la corcovada farm will give you incredible resting nights
So if you love nature tourism visit Zocay Land (Tierra del Zocay) and support local communities to protect dudky titi monkeys habitat for future generations: @cesarangeltrips, @finca.lapielroja, @palmarumlodge, @lacorcovada
If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with as at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities
© Copyright Disclaimer. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website. Thank you. This post have pictures from Cesar Angel, please contact him to use his pictures.

In today’s post, we are going to talk about what you need when you are looking for new places and new topics of research? Unfortunately, this is something we not always learn during our studies at the university, but for those who want to dedicate their life to research it is necessary.
Over the past weeks we started our logistic arrangements to start new research topics and new field sites. This search implies a series of logistic tasks, searching for new funding opportunities as well as talks and readings about those new topics in which we want to expand our research and understanding of how primates survive in fragmented landscapes.
Although we still continue doing research, specially collecting demographic data on primate populations in San Martin and Villavicencio. We are expanding our sampling to cover new areas of importance for the endemic primates of Colombian Llanos.
In a country like Colombia, finding new places for research implies a careful search of places where monkeys are present, but also places where we can do research without social unrest and basic conditions for logging, transport and food.
New topics also implies careful reading of methodologies and research done on those topics, as well as talking with people who knows more about those topics than yourself.
Depending on the topics it also implies careful review of current and old maps. Contact local people to find out how to arrange for each field trip needs and to find better places to find what we are looking for. And looking for funding to cover those field trips. Sometimes when we do our undergrad thesis, all those previous steps are already done and we don’t appreciate what it implies to have all that logistics and funding done. So next time appreciate that effort and try to involve yourself on those previous steps
If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with as at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities
© Copyright Disclaimer. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website. Thank you.