Geographic Distribution of the Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin, Leontopithecus chrysomelas: Implications for Its Management and Conservation
1997; Brill; Volume: 68; Issue: 3-5 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1159/000157244
ISSN1421-9980
AutoresLuiz De Paulo, S. Piulo, B. Rylands,
Tópico(s)Amphibian and Reptile Biology
ResumoThe geographic distribution and conservation status of the golden-headed lion tamarin, Leontopithecus chrysomelas, were studied during a survey carried out through an area of about 37,000 km 2 in southern Bahia from March 1991 to March 1993. The survey involved interviews of local people and direct censusing in 33 forest patches using playback recordings of a male and female lion tamarin long-call. Populations were found to occur in 94 localities. An Appendix provides a full gazetteer of these localities and a further 28 localities recorded in previous studies. The distributional limits were found to agree closely with the ranges described by previous authors, except for its absence in the extreme north-east of its range, from the south of the Rio de Contas to the Rio Almada, where it might have become extinct. The total geographic range was estimated to cover approximately 19,462 km 2 , including two distinct regions in terms of land use and forest cover. The forests in both regions are severely reduced and fragmented. Unlike the other three species of lion tamarins, L. chrysomelas evidently still occurs throughout a large part of its historic range, but the fragmentation and rapid rate of forest destruction clearly indicate that the species is endangered. The Una Biological Reserve is the only protected area within its range, and is believed to be too small (7,059 ha) to maintain a genetically viable population. The conservation status of L. chrysomelas is discussed, particularly in terms of the socioeconomy of the region where it occurs, as well as the need for further ecological research.
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