Canopy Journal of the Primate Conservation MSc Programme Oxford Brookes University Editors Kelsey Frenkiel (USA) Marina Ramon (Spain) Nicholas James (Australia) Ellie Darbey (UK) Editor in Chief Magdalena Svensson (Sweden) Address Canopy c/o Vincent Nijman Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Oxford Brookes University Oxford OX3 0BP UK Website MSc Primate Conservation: www.brookes.ac.uk/primates Front Cover Design Hellen Bersacola (Switzerland) [email protected] Table of contents Letter from the editors ............................................................................................................................2 Letter from the Course Leader ................................................................................................................3 Modelling occupancy for the Critically Endangered brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps fusciceps) in Tesoro Escondido, NW Ecuador ..........................................................................................5 Behaviour and social networks of rehabilitant mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) ...............9 Tourist-monkey interactions at Iguazú National Park, Argentina ........................................................ 12 An assessment of enrichment strategies for sanctuary housed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) ... 14 Behaviour and ranging patterns of the Endangered and endemic Bolivian titi monkeys (Plecturocebus olallae and P. modestus) ...................................................................................................................... 16 Preliminary study on the effects of a hunting community on the Peruvian black spider monkey (Ateles chamek) ................................................................................................................................................ 20 University Events .................................................................................................................................. 23 New postgraduate courses available starting from September 2017 ................................................. 24 1 Letter from the editors Welcome to the 2017 edition of Canopy, the in-house journal of the MSc in Primate Conservation at Oxford Brookes University. This edition contains a compilation of articles pertaining to the Neotropics. Central and South America are home to the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots, ranging from the woodland-savanna of Brazil’s Cerrado region to the snow-capped mountains of the Tropical Andes. Parts of the Amazon are still untouched. The Neotropics are characterized by high levels of endemic flora and fauna, including about 165 species of New World monkeys. Large howler monkeys’ distinctive call can be heard for miles, while tiny squirrel monkeys are barely distinguishable from the foliage. Unfortunately, 40% of these species are categorized as globally threatened due mainly to hunting and the loss of their natural habitat (IUCN, 2008). Additionally, climate change is affecting both the landscapes and food availability in Neotropical regions, which could severely impact its primate species. Recently, drought conditions have allowed fires to ravage the forests of Peru, with a devastating impact on both primate and human populations. We have included for your enjoyment articles discussing the conservation and welfare of Neotropical primates. It is crucial to understand how primates adapt to both natural landscapes and captive situations so that wild populations can be conserved for posterity. We hope that this edition of Canopy draws your attention to these issues, as it explores some of the most fascinating and threatened mammals in the world. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of this issue, including the organizations that supported the research presented here. Sincerely, The editors Ellie Darbey, Kelsey Frenkiel, Nicholas James, Marina Ramon & Magdalena Svensson 2 Letter from the Course Leader Welcome to volume 17 of Canopy, the official journal of the MSc Primate Conservation at Oxford Brookes University. As the Year of the Monkey comes to a close, many steps forward have been taken to help ensure a future for primates. Several of Oxford Brookes staff and former students took part in IUCN Red List workshops for every group of primates ranging from Neotropics, to African mainland, Madagascar and Asia. Although many taxa are now listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered, it is wonderful to see the network of Oxford Brookes staff and alumni striving to reverse these trends, especially through the creation of active field projects in countries as wide ranging as Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, Madagascar, Nigeria, Kenya, Central African Republic, Uganda, Thailand, India, Laos PDR and Indonesia to name but a few. Primate Conservation staff and students attended some vital meetings this year, including the joint International Primatological Society / American Society of Primatologists meeting held in Chicago, USA, where staff and students also took part in the President’s roundtable on illegal wildlife trade and primates as pets. Oxford Brookes is also now the home to Folia Primatologica, the official journal of the European Federation of Primatology, with myself as co-editor-in-chief, alongside Christophe Soligo from University College London. Combined all of these achievements highlight Oxford Brookes as a Centre for Excellence in Primate Conservation. The MSc course may be entering its 17th year, but many other changes have occurred in the Primate Conservation programme at Oxford Brookes too. Our PhD programme is now flourishing with more than 20 students registered to study aspects of primate ecology, evolution, and conservation issues in general, and we have just validated a new MRes programme in Primatology and Conservation. Our primate conservation lab has moved to the Gibbs Building, where it is a hub of activity, and houses wonderful collections of books donated by Dr David Chivers, and the late Dr Alison Jolly, Cyril Rosen and Tess Lemmon. This issue of Canopy focuses on Neotropical primates. This issue features work by several students who conducted important research on South and Central America’s rare primates. These students follow in the footsteps of some of our alumni who continue to work in the 3 Neotropics, offering continued collaboration for students wishing to work in their areas of expertise. Recently Dr Sam Shanee, who completed both his MSc and PhD at Oxford Brookes University, became a Research Associate of our Faculty. His NGO Neotropical Primate Conservation, co-run with Noga Shanee, also an Oxford Brookes’ alumna, remains a leader in the preservation of Peru’s threatened primates. Fellow alumnus Pedro Mendez is also continuing his efforts to preserve Panama’s primates, and to facilitate this, founded the Panamanian Primate Conservation Society. Bolivian primatologist Jesus Martinez recently published one of a series of papers on Bolivia’s rare titi monkeys – research that had direct impact on the Red List assessment for these species. I hope you enjoy reading the work of our students and feel inspired to visit our lab, attend our Monday evening seminar series (or give a talk yourself), or even consider joining our of our postgraduate programmes. Best wishes for 2017! Professor Anna Nekaris Course Leader, MSc Primate Conservation 4 Modelling occupancy for the Critically Endangered brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps fusciceps) in Tesoro Escondido, NW Ecuador Denise Spaan Cohort 12/13 [email protected] When primates occur in difficult terrain it is Identifying areas of conservation priority is often hard to meet the assumptions set by imperative for this species to enable future traditional sampling methods such as line conservation action, as it is found in several transect sampling. Occupancy modelling is a unprotected areas, including Tesoro presence/absence survey technique that is Escondido, the site of this study. based on fixed point sampling and has been The aim of this investigation was to identify used to study primates living in difficult terrain (lemurs; Guillera-Arroita et al., 2010; Keane et which habitat factors affect the presence of A. al., 2012; gibbons; Neilson et al., 2013; owl f. fusciceps in Tesoro Escondido to aid conservation in the area. Tesoro Escondido monkeys; Campbell, 2010; Sclater’s monkey; Baker et al., 2011). Occupancy refers to the has been identified by previous studies as an number of sites that are being occupied by a area of importance for the survival of these spider monkeys (Moscoso Rosero, 2010; Peck species (Guillera-Arroita et al., 2010). et al., 2011). Additionally, due to the presence Occupancy models both occupancy and detectability (MacKenzie et al., 2006) and by of commercial logging companies in lands modelling detectability eliminates false surrounding the cooperative, the investigators were interested to see the effects of absences that can occur in presence-absence surveys (MacKenzie et al., 2006) when animals sustainably logged areas on the usage of those are not encountered during the survey period areas by A. f. fusciceps. but occupy the survey area. We hypothesized that the spider monkeys would prefer areas of lower elevation We quantified the occurrence and distribution of the Ecuadorian brown-headed spider (Shanee, 2009), and that logging would be the monkey (Ateles fusciceps fusciceps; Figure 1) strongest predictor of presence in an area, as previous studies have shown that spider by using presence