Abstract
Community-based tourism is a participatory approach implemented to support the economic and social development of local communities. Here, we present the preliminary results of an initiative of primate tourism in the Mamirauá Reserve for Sustainable Development (Mamirauá SDR), Amazon rainforest, Brazil. Between January and December 2019, we monitored the sighting rate of bald uakaris (Cacajao calvus calvus) by Uakari lodge tourists aiming to identify the main variables influencing the records of this primate that could be used as a baseline for a primate-watching program. During 334 days, tourist guides provided data on 602 tourist outings, with 190 sightings of uakari groups (109 in the morning and 81 in the afternoon). These values correspond to a mean of 0.57 sightings/day and 0.32 sightings/outing while the mean number of uakaris sighted per outing was 6 individuals (± 6.6 SD; min = 1; max = 30). Uakaris were mostly traveling (55%) or feeding (35%), and less frequently resting (9%). Uakari sightings varied monthly, with 73.4% of the tourists reporting seeing uakaris at least once during their stay, while 26.6% did not. The marked seasonal variation in the water level, food availability, and the socioecological strategies of uakaris are parameters that may have facilitated the detectability of these primates by tourists in Mamirauá SDR. We concluded that primate tourism in Mamirauá SDR has a high potential to strengthen the synergism between traditional and scientific knowledge and promote social and economic benefits for local communities and new conservation actions for primates.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Ayres, J. M. (1989). Comparative feeding ecology of the uakari and bearded saki, Cacajao and Chiropotes. Journal of Human Evolution, 18(7), 697–716. https://doi.org/10.1016/0047-2484(89)90101-2.
Garber, P. A., & Bicca-Marques, J. C. (2021). Call-to-Action to protect the nonhuman primates and indigenous peoples of Amazonia. ASP Action Letter, 2(1), 1–8.
Peralta, N. (2012). Ecotourism as an incentive to biodiversity conservation: The case of Uakari Lodge, Amazonas, Brazil. UAKARI, 8(2), 75–94. https://doi.org/10.31420/uakari.v8i2.133.
Queiroz, H. L. (2011). Protected Areas of sustainable use, involvement of social actors, and biodiversity conservation in the Várzea: the case of the Mamirauá Reserve—sharing conservation benefits in Central Amazonia, Brazil. In M. Pinedo-Vasquez, M. L. Ruffino, C. Padoch, & E. S. Brondízio (Eds.), The Amazon Várzea (pp. 239–257). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0146-5_17
Russon, A. E., & Wallis, J. (2014). Primate tourism as a conservation tool. In A. E. Russon & J. Wallis (Eds.), Primate tourism: A tool for conservation? (pp. 313–332). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139087407.024.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the following institutions: Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) (process numbers: 200502/2015-8, 302140/2020-4, 300365/2021-7, 301407/2021-5, 201475/2017-0); International Primatological Society—Conservation grant; The Rufford Foundation (23117-2); Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation (SMA-CCO-G0000000023); and Primate Action Fund (SMA-CCO-G0000000037).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
CL and LMVR originally formulated the idea, developed methodology, conducted the fieldwork. HREB and CL analyzed the data. All authors contributed to the manuscript writing.
Corresponding author
Additional information
Handling Editor: Joanna Setchell.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lebrão, C., Rosa, L.M.V., Paim, F.P. et al. Community-Based Ecotourism and Primate Watching as a Conservation Tool in the Amazon Rainforest. Int J Primatol 42, 523–527 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-021-00226-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-021-00226-2