In today’s post we are talking a bit more about a new research project that Zocay Project is leading in collaboration with the Association of Colombian Primatologist (Asociación Primatológica Colombiana in Spanish) that is focus on the three endemic species present in the piedmont of Colombian Llanos. These species are ornate titi monkeys (Plecturocebus ornatus), Colombian squirrel monkeys (Saimiri albigena) and Brumback night monkeys (Aotus brumbacki). This new project is focused on the design of the Action Plan for the conservation of these three species. Unfortunately these three species are distributed in an area of economic development, which means high deforestation rates throughout their distribution and associated threats such as road killings, increased risk of conflict with local human communities due to crop raiding, isolation of their populations and its possibles consequences in terms of their genetics, more risk of disease from humans and domestic animals, illegal traffic, among others.

Why is so important to design Action Plans for species in any category of threat of extinction? Because this tool helps us to define the priority actions, we need to do to conserve those species and reduce their risk to become extinct. Although a lot of the focus is made on species Critically Endangered, if we start working with species in lower categories such as Vulnerable and Endangered, we reduce the risk that we lose these species. In our case, Brumback night monkeys and Colombian squirrel monkeys are classified as Vulnerable. Ornate titi monkeys as we had mentioned in other posts were recently suggested to be changed to Endangered, a change that was suggested only 11 years after the last revision of its conservation status. This means a rapid change in the conditions in which this endemic primate is found in their natural habitat.

We already are in the preliminary part of this project that includes meetings with experts who have made Action Plans for other monkey species, as well as experts who work with monkeys in Colombia and Latin America, especially with similar species to the one we are focusing on. We are also preparing the main event of this project that includes a workshop with different actors and institutions present in the region in which ornate titi monkeys, Colombian squirrel monkeys and Brumback night monkeys are distributed. This preparation includes multiple meetings, logistic organization and review of the available information from these species, as well as an analysis of the current habitat available for these forest-dependent monkeys. We are excited about this new opportunity to work for the conservation of endemic monkeys in Colombia and I’m personally grateful with the APC for their support. We are also grateful for the financial support of Re:wild and The Little Chalcraft Fund. More news on this in the following months.

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