Primates of the Jamanxim National Park: richness, distribution and threats

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Jamanxim National Park (Jamanxim NP), located in the southwest of Pará, was created in 2006 and extends over ca. 858,000 hectares. This Park has an important role for the conservation of the region's biodiversity, because it provides connectivity between the protected areas in the Terra do Meio and those in the Tapajós river basin in the Tapajós-Xingu interfluvium, a region with considerable primate richness, including species that are threatened. Besides the road BR-163 (Cuiabá-Santarém) already traversing this park, there are plans for the construction of a railroad and hydroelectric dams inside the area, making urgent the need to know more about the local biota. The objective of this study was to survey the primate community of the Jamanxim National Park primate community and to describe the main threats to these populations. Primate richness was determined through three separate inventories: i) Integrated Project MCT-Embrapa (PIME) in the Amazon (2008-2010); ii) Rapid Ecological Assessment of the Terra do Meio protected areas (2009); and iii) an inventory conducted as part of the ICMBio's project (2012) on the Primates in Protected Areas of the Amazon (PUCA). Seven of the eight species previously registered for the site were observed: Mico leucippe, Sapajus apella, Aotus infulatus, Plecturocebus moloch, Chiropotes albinasus, Alouatta discolor and Ateles marginatus. Local residents reported the presence of the goldenbacked squirrel monkey, Saimiri ustus. The two atelid species are threatened, the white-frontedspider monkey (Ateles marginatus) is "Endangered" (EN), and the howler (Alouatta discolor) is "Vulnerable" (VU). The latter species was quite often seen on the banks of the Rio Jamanxim. Mico leucippe was recorded on both sides of the Jamanxim. The limits of the ranges of Plecturocebus moloch and Plecturocebus vieirai need to be more precisely defined. The possible occurrence of Mico emiliae in the south of the area should also be investigated. In addition to the extant threats, the recent paving of the BR-163 highway and the projected building of large hydroelectric dams along the Rio Jamanxim are the main threats to the future of this important protected area and its primate community.