Goals
Photo by Devra Kleiman
In the nearby hills above the bustle and music of Rio de Janeiro, high-pitched whistles pierce the air. Small islands of forest grow in an ocean of pastureland. Up in the tress a brilliant orange-gold flash leaps from one branch to another. Trapped in a narrow strip of forest alongside the interstate highway, the calls of the golden lion tamarins, GLTs, can be heard. The last few hundred on earth.
The Countdown Has Begun
A Race against Extinction. About 1,500 golden lion tamarins survive in the remaining patches of Atlantic Coastal Forest, Mata Atlantica, in eastern Brazil. Once a household pet prized for its beauty, elegant lion-like mane and fiery fur, GLTs are now among the most endangered animals in the world. But in Poço das Antas, a biological reserve about two hours from Rio de Janeiro, wild GLTs are being protected. In 1974 rescue efforts to save the species were begun and the extinction clock slowed. What has become all too obvious is that the last hour is drawing near. We have until 2025 to save the golden lion tamarins, one of the world's most endangered primate species, from the finality of extinction.
Golden lion tamarin. Leontopithecus rosalia
Photo by Devra Kleiman
Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Program
Few animals are given a second chance. This program is doing just that for the GLTs. Against all odds, Brazilian primatologist Adelmar Coimbra-Filho set out in the 1960s to save this species. The Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Program began in the early 1970s as a collaboration between the United States National Zoological Park/Smithsonian Institution, Instituto Brasileiro Desenvolvimiento Florestal (IBDF) and the Centro de Primatologia do Rio de Janeiro (CPRJ), Brazil. Today that Brazilian commitment has grown into a multi-disciplinary, international effort to preserve, protect and study GLTs and their forest habitat. The mission of the GLT Conservation Program is to ensure the continued viability and survival of wild GLT populations in their natural habitats through conservation, education and research. Scientists, conservationists, and educators work together to understand the biology of the animals and the ecology of their habitat, enhance captive well-being, and conduct public education programs within and outside of Brazil.
The GLT Conservation Program is a model program. Among the many accomplishments to its credit are:
- Training young Brazilians in scientific studies and conservation at Poço das Antas.
- Educating local Brazilians about the natural history of GLTs and the need to conserve them.
- Contributing to our understanding of the biodiversity of Atlantic coastal forest plant and animal species.
- Reintroducing captive-born GLTs to the wild.
- Restocking private forests near Poço das Antas with zoo-born GLTs and involving local landowners in forest conservation.
- Studying the ecology of the Poço Das Antas reserve and promoting its reforestation.
- Recognizing the national patrimony of the approximately 550 captive GLTs living in 120 zoos worldwide and symbolically "returning" them to the people of Brazil.
- Coordinating the elected International Management Committee to advise and manage captive and wild GLT populations.
The GLT Conservation Program is supported by international conservation organizations including the Smithsonian Institution, World Wildlife Fund, Friends of the National Zoo, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Preservation Trust International, the Frankfurt Zoological Society and Canadian Embassy in Brazil, and Brazilian organizations including Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renovaveis (IBAMA), Fundaçào Estadual de Engenharia do Meio Ambiente (FEEMA) and Fundaçào Brasileira para a Conservacao da Natureza (FBCN), the oldest conservation organization in Latin America.
Reintroduction
Few of us ever have the chance to give something back to nature. Unique to the GLT Conservation Program is a long-term reintroduction program that returns animals to the wild from zoos, placing them in areas where they would normally live today if not for overexploitation of their native range. Since species must maintain genetic diversity to survive, detailed family histories are kept on all captive and wild GLTs to avoid inbreeding, which may naturally occur in small, isolated populations. Cooperative agreements among nearly 120 zoological parks in the world enable the GLT Conservation Program to identify and reintroduce tamarins who can contribute to the diversity of the Poços das Antas gene pool. A team of Americans and Brazilians work together to ready the animals for their journey and monitor them as they adjust to their new home in the Atlantic Coastal Forest.
Golden lion tamarins are provisioned while
learning about the wild.
Photo by Devra Kleiman
Atlantic Coastal Forest
Not too long ago, lush green rain forests met the sandy edges of the beaches along the Atlantic coast of Brazil. A distinctive rain forest system, the Atlantic Coastal Forest was bursting with life. Unique species of mammals, plants and other life forms evolved to live in this tropical realm thousands of miles away from the rich Amazonian rain forests up north. The development of this diverse flora and fauna took millions of years. And in just a few tens of years—barely a dash in the continuum of evolutionary time—urban life has taken over, nearly erasing a flourishing ecosystem from earth's natural treasures.
Investing in the Future
Once teetering on the verge of extinction, the GLTs seem to be doing well. Each new birth is celebrated. But as their numbers grow, they will need more room. More land with habitable forest is crucial to accommodate a population that needs to be four times its present size to protect itself from inbreeding, disease, unpredictable natural disasters and human interference. Safe haven large enough for 2,000 animals, the minimal population size for self-sustaining wild species, must be available by the year 2025 if their growth trends continue.
Golden-headed lion tamarin. Photo by Carlo Dani
The GLT Conservation Program is helping to reverse a once disastrous situation by securing the future for golden lion tamarins. In the countdown to 2025, several objectives must be met to ensure Brazilian tamarins at risk.
- Expand protected forested habitat from its present size of about 5,300 hectares to 23,000 hectares (60,000 acres).
- Help the GLT population grow to 2,000 individuals, the minimum naturally sustainable size.
- Accelerate forest regeneration in the Poço das Antas reserve, partially destroyed by fire in 1990.
- Reduce illegal purchase and human-related mortality, e.g. hunting and capture, of GLTs.
- Improve management of captive and wild GLT populations to guarantee genetic diversity.
- Apply the model GLT program to other lion tamarin species, which are equally endangered.
- Expand research to include the Atlantic coastal forest ecosystem as a whole.
- Broaden training programs for Brazilian students interested in conservation and biology.
- Increase awareness of the need for conservation worldwide.
Dr. James M. Deitz (GLT Conservation Program)
and Dr. Adelmar F. Coimbra-Filho (CPRJ)
Photo by Devra Kleiman
It is not enough simply to rescue the GLTs from the brink of extinction. It is now the 11th hour and the extinction clock still ticks. Although they are secure, protected by the GLT Conservation Program for the moment, we need to insure the survival of the golden lion tamarins well into the 21st century and beyond. For those who have considered giving something back to nature and saving what is left for future generations, this program has shown that it can deliver. It is a worthwhile investment.
Illustration: Stephen Nash
Written by Alies Muskin
