Where Is the Tamarin?: Locating Monkeys in the Politics of Land and Conservation in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
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City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2014 Cadê o mico? Where is the tamarin?: Locating monkeys in the politics of land and conservation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Analía Villagra Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/310 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Cadê o mico? Where is the tamarin?: Locating monkeys in the politics of land and conservation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by Analía Villagra A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2014 © 2014 Analía Villagra All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. John Collins ___________________________ Date Chair of Examining Committee Gerald Creed ___________________________ Date Executive Officer Murphy Halliburton Louise Lennihan Paige West Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract Cadê o mico? Where is the tamarin?: Locating monkeys in the politics of land and conservation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by Analía Villagra Advisor: John Collins The golden lion tamarin is a small, endangered monkey found in only a few municipalities in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This dissertation explores the project to conserve this rare primate, a project that links together agrarian reform, forest restoration, agroforestry, and conservation biology. Informed by Brazil‟s social and political history, and drawing from 12 months of fieldwork conducted in 2008 and 2010, this dissertation argues that by looking carefully at and for the tamarin, we discover the interrelated political, social, and animal relationships that weave together to produce conservation in southeastern Brazil. iv For Mom, Papi, and Erin, who have always been unfailingly enthusiastic about my academic pursuits even when I myself had doubts. v Acknowledgements The members of my committee have all been immensely influential throughout my graduate school experience, even before they were part of the committee. Murphy Halliburton‟s “Science and the Politics of Knowledge” class in my first semester at the Graduate Center shaped my approach to anthropology and introduced me to an exciting literature on science and animal studies that, I can say without exaggeration, changed everything. As both department chair and the leader of a dissertation development seminar, Louise Lennihan watched my project develop from the start and provided important suggestions that have helped me think about my work as part of a broad and global field. Paige West first inspired me through her fantastic ethnography and later was kind enough to let me take her “Culture and Consumption” seminar at Columbia. Last but not least, my advisor, John Collins. Each and every meeting with John yielded voluminous notes, insights, and new literature to explore (equal parts daunting and exciting). Without his insightful feedback and patience through my occasionally frenzied e- mails and phone calls I cannot imagine what this dissertation would look like. I was incredibly fortunate to be the recipient of a Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council. My thanks to Janet Browne and Harriet Ritvo for organizing the Animal Studies DPDF group and to my fellow participants, especially Shari Wilcox, for her boundless energy and passion. As our interdisciplinary group mulled the overlaps between human and animal worlds, Shari, with strength and humor, reminded us to take our work seriously, but not ourselves (too much). A student travel stipend from the Graduate Center at CUNY also helped me visit Brazil and get the lay of the land in Casimiro. The bulk of my fieldwork was supported by grants from the Wenner- Gren Foundation, the National Science Foundation Science, Technology, and Society section, and the Fulbright Commission. In Brazil, Marcus Pedlowski at Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense supported my visa and introduced me to important regional literature. There are not enough words to thank the staff and collaborators of the Golden Lion Tamarin Association (AMLD), some who are still there and others who vi have moved on to other projects. Throughout this dissertations I have used pseudonyms, but my thanks to: Denise Rambaldi, Maria Inês, Gabriel, Carlos Ruiz-Miranda, Carlos Alvarenga, Nino, Patricia Mie, Gustavo, Juliano, Aline, Nandia, Thiago, Andréia Martins, Junior, Nelson, and the whole reintroduction team. I was also fortunate to meet and talk with Louann Dietz, an American conservation educator and founder of Save the Lion Tamarin, the U.S.-based NGO that supports the AMLD‟s work in Brazil. Cristiane Benevenuto and Anselmo Nazare at CEDRO were unfailingly generous with their time and friendship. With them I visited numerous small agricultural communities in the area. Residents of these communities, both assentados and acampados, were also very open and willing to share their experiences with me. Special thanks to Dona Denise, Elsemiro, Gilda and Gilberto (oh to have had the skill to match wits with you two!), Bigode, Gaucho, and Dona Alice (you will be missed). With Cristiane I was able to spend long hours talking not just about work but about life, and I will forever admire her strength and spirit. It is hard to return from the field and leave such good friends behind. Finally, Claudioneia Muller da Silva and her family opened their home to me and were my “family away from family” while I was in Brazil. Funny, frank, and compassionate, Neia taught me about life in Casimiro, and made me feel that I truly had a part in it. Back in New York, Ellen DeRiso, the Anthropology Department APO-of-wonder, keeps the department sane and organized. I can‟t imagine where any of us would be without her. I will never forget the welcoming cup of coffee I had with Melissa Zavala and José Vasquez as I stumbled, wide- eyed, out of my very first class at the Graduate Center. Melissa has continued to be an incredible correspondent, and took time away from her own writing to provide me with detailed and remarkably insightful comments on a draft of this dissertation. Without her feedback the draft would have stagnated at “almost done” for much longer before throwing itself over the finish line. Professor Alfred Rosenberger at Brooklyn College was kind enough to read chapters 3 and 5, offering me the invaluable perspective of a primatologist. I am grateful to my grandfather, Duane Fitzgerald, for reading a draft of the last chapter and providing comments that helped me finish it. My thanks to Katy for her helpful insights into approaching vii travel alone and far from home, and to Erin who, since we were eleven years old, has countered my wariness with enthusiasm. My family has always been my rock: Raquel, who has grown from baby sister to closest confidante and whose wonderful correspondence made me feel less lonely while I was in the field; Nick‟s thirst for adventure and experience has inspired and challenged my timid inclinations; Ben has never failed to meet my occasionally melodramatic or wild worry with calming practicality; and, of course, my parents, Linda and José. Among their infinite parental talents, they have so resolutely believed in our abilities, encouraged and supported our interests, that I will always owe them an incalculable debt for whatever accomplishments I may stumble upon in life. Finally, my husband Aaron. He was a damn good sport when I spent most of our first year of marriage on a different continent and when I finally dragged him on his first trip out of the country to spend time in sleepy Casimiro de Abreu, where little children pointed and stared at his novel American-ness. He has remained unfailingly patient as I have worked through the both arduous and exciting process of writing this dissertation. viii Table of Contents Prologue Places unknown: Locating conservation on a map 2 Chapter 1 Finding our way 11 Chapter 2 Forest restoration: Chasing equilibrium, perfecting nature 34 Chapter 3 Tamarins 65 Chapter 4 Agriculture in the politics of land and conservation 96 Chapter 5 Locating tamarins in the forest (or, cadê of mico?) 129 Conclusion Too close for comfort 149 Appendix A Acronyms and terms 172 Appendix B The banana letter 173 Bibliography 174 ix List of Figures Figure 1 Original and actual distribution of the golden lion tamarin 1 Figure 2 Looking at the map 3 Figure 3 Casimiro, statue in front of the Casa de Cultura 13 Figure 4 Boulder by the forest trail 25 Figure 5 The morro (hill) 44 Figure 6 Capim (grass) 54 Figure 7 Standing at the top of a steep hill to be reforested 56 Figure 8 Plastic sacks for mudas (seedlings) 58 Figure 9 The golden lion tamarin 66 Figure 10 Reforestation project 70 Figure 11 Lion tamarin distribution 74 Figure 12 The doorway 83 Figure 13 Metapopulation map 87 Figure 14 Community workshop 107 Figure 15 Ready for planting 117 Figure 16 The Serra Mar region delegation 122 Figure 17 Corn cake 123 Figure 18 On the road to Autaz-Mirim 126 Figure 19 Out with the antenna 130 Figure 20 Getting closer 130 Figure 21 Setting the traps 140 Figure 22 Taking measurements 141 Figure 22 Public phone booth decorated with tamarin 142 x Figure 1. Original and actual distribution of the golden lion tamarin.