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Effective estimation of wildlife population abundance is an important component of population monitoring, and ultimately essential for the development of conservation actions. Diurnal line-transect surveys are one of the most applied methods for abundance estimations. Local ecological knowledge (LEK) is empirically acquired through the observation of ecological processes by local people. LEK-based methods have only been recognized as valid scientific methods for surveying fauna abundance in the last three decades. However, the agreement between both methods has not been extensively analysed. We compared concomitant abundance data for 91 wild species (mammals, birds and tortoises) from diurnal line transects (9,221 km of trails) and a LEK-based method (291 structured interviews) at 18 sites in Central and Western Amazonia. We used biological and socioecological factors to assess the agreements and divergences between abundance indices obtained from both methods. We found a significant agreement of population abundance indices for diurnal and game species. This relationship was also positive regardless of species sociality (solitary or social), body size and locomotion mode (terrestrial and arboreal); and of sampled forest type (upland and flooded forests). Conversely, we did not find significant abundance covariances for nocturnal and non-game species. Despite the general agreement between methods, line transects were not effective at surveying many species occurring in the area, with 40.2% and 39.8% of all species being rarely and never detected in at least one of the survey sites. On the other hand, these species were widely reported by local informants to occur at intermediate to high abundances. Although LEK-based methods have been long neglected by ecologists, our comparative study demonstrated their effectiveness for estimating vertebrate abundance of a wide diversity of taxa and forest environments. This can be used simultaneously with line-transect surveys to calibrate abundance estimates and record species that are rarely sighted during surveys on foot, but that are often observed by local people during their daily extractive activities. Thus, the combination of local and scientific knowledge is a potential tool to improve our knowledge of tropical forest species and foster the development of effective strategies to meet biodiversity conservation goals.

Contendo em seu território uma das maiores riquezas biológicas do planeta, o Brasil está entre os países com maior potencial para o turismo com fauna silvestre. Neste artigo são discutidos a diversidade, os desafios e as potencialidades do turismo com mamíferos na Amazônia brasileira. Por meio de ampla busca e revisão bibliográfica, é fornecido um panorama da atividade e sugeridas abordagens a serem adotadas para manejar possíveis impactos negativos existentes. Os resultados demonstram que o turismo com a mastofauna amazônica é focado em poucas espécies e desenvolvido em um número reduzido de estados da Amazônia brasileira. Dentre suas potencialidades estão a sensibilização e educação ambiental, a recuperação e conservação das espécies, a geração de divisas e o fortalecimento do turismo científico. Por outro lado, são preocupantes impactos negativos como a habituação e alterações comportamentais das espécies, a manutenção ilegal de animais em cativeiro, a oferta de alimentos que não fazem parte do cardápio natural das espécies e a possibilidade de transmissão de doenças entre os visitantes e a fauna. A intenção do artigo é contribuir na sensibilização de gestores ambientais, pesquisadores, visitantes e operadores de turismo sobre a necessidade de se planejar adequadamente as interações com a fauna que, sendo adequadamente desenvolvidas, podem contribuir para a satisfação dos visitantes, para a geração de renda nas comunidades receptoras e para a conservação das espécies e seus hábitats.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected tourism worldwide. This paper examines the impacts of pandemic on companies and professionals related to ecotourism in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. For this purpose, we sent online structured questionnaire to workers in the sector, whose participation was voluntary and anonymous. We had 44 responses from seven macro-regions in the state, most of which were guides and workers in the market for over 15 years. For 91% of respondents, the pandemic totally affected personal or company turnover. Strategies to minimize impacts were adopted in 97% of cases, such as cancellation or rescheduling. The turnover forecast for the remainder of 2020 was very high for 38.6% of respondents. The budget recovery forecast is of at least two years for 43.2% of the cases. The professionals related to ecotourism in Amazonas had their activities affected and the perspective is for a slow recovery, resulting in vulnerability for the activity. Brazil's current image abroad, referring to the weak implementation of actions to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, represents a risk to the activity in Amazonas. Public policies are of utmost importance to recover the ecotourism and the valorization of the different actors and companies related to this tourist segment. Keywords: Amazon; Coronavirus; Social isolation; Protected area; Tourism.

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 Mamiraua Reserve for Sustainable Development (Mamiraua 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 Mamiraua SDR. We concluded that primate tourism in Mamiraua 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.

Integration between ecology and biogeography provides insights into how niche specialization affects the geographical distribution of species. Given that rivers are not effective barriers to dispersal in three parapatric species of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri vanzolinii, S. cassiquiarensis and S. macrodon) inhabiting floodplain forests of Central Amazonia, we tested whether forest structure and tree diversity may explain species differences in niche specialization and spatial segregation. We sampled 6617 trees of 326 species in three habitats (high várzea, low várzea and chavascal) used by three Saimiri species, and estimated tree species richness in each of them. For each tree, we measured variables known to influence habitat use in primates, such as crown area and presence of lianas, epiphytes and hemi-epiphytes. We used ANOVA to compare these variables and performed multivariate analyses (NMDS, ANOSIM and SIMPER) to evaluate dissimilarities in forest structure among each habitat inhabited by the three Saimiri species. We identified differences in the tree species richness, crown area and presence of lianas, epiphytes and hemi-epiphytes between the three habitats for all Saimiri species. NMDS demonstrated that areas of high and low várzeas occupied by S. vanzolinii were clearly separated from the other species. We also found that different plant species contributed to dissimilarity among Saimiri ranges. Our findings support the hypothesis that tree community structure may promote niche specialization and spatial segregation among primates. We discuss how these patterns could have been favored by historical changes in forest flood patterns, the evolutionary history of Saimiri spp., and past competition.

Seasonal changes in food availability influence the behavior and diet of primates, and an understanding of dietary changes is important for the development of informed conservation plans. Saimiri vanzolinii is a small-bodied, omnivorous squirrel monkey endemic to the floodplain forests in Central Amazonia. It has a restricted distribution of only ca. 870 km2 and is classified as Vulnerable. We examined seasonal variation in this species’ diet. We collected phenological (presence and absence of ripe fruits from 205 tree species) and dietary and behavioral data for unhabituated groups of S. vanzolinii on nine 2-km transects in the floodplain forests of Central Amazonia for 2 years, encompassing the high-water and low-water periods. Fruit availability was higher, and the monkeys traveled less and fed more during the high-water than the low-water period. There were no seasonal differences between the high-water and low-water periods in the time spent feeding on fruits, flowers, or arthropods. S. vanzolinii spent more time consuming fruit than arthropods in the high-water period, but this was not the case in the low-water period. These findings suggest that food selection changed between seasons, and S. vanzolinii focused more on fruit in the low-water period, when fruit was less available, than in the high-water period, when fruit was more available. These results support the predictions of the ecological constraints model.

Federal University of Par? - Campus Castanhal. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Laboratory of Wild Animal Biology and Medicine. Castanhal, PA, Par?, Brazil / Institute of Sustainable Development Mamirau?. Tef?, AM, Brazil. Federal University of Par? - Campus Castanhal. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Laboratory of Wild Animal Biology and Medicine. Castanhal, PA, Par?, Brazil / Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. State University of Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro. Laboratory of Animal Reproduction and Breeding. Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil. Institute of Sustainable Development Mamirau?. Tef?, AM, Brazil. Institute of Sustainable Development Mamirau?. Tef?, AM, Brazil. Federal University of Par? - Campus Castanhal. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Laboratory of Wild Animal Biology and Medicine. Castanhal, PA, Par?, Brazil. Federal University of Par? - Campus Castanhal. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Laboratory of Wild Animal Biology and Medicine. Castanhal, PA, Par?, Brazil. Sperm morphometry can be applied to identify different animal groups and species and to evaluate sperm quality. Furthermore, knowledge on species-specific differences will help to enhance biological information, as well as to develop efficient reproductive technologies. The aims in the present study were to describe sperm morphometry from the recently characterized species S. collinsi and S. vanzolinii, to verify if the morphometric sperm patterns are similar or different between both species, and to determine if the sperm morphometry is affected by the levels of sperm defects using the S. collinsi as a model. Semen was collected from S. collinsi (n = 10) and S. vanzolinii (n = 2) monkeys, and sperm was submitted to morphological analysis. From the 10 samples from S. collinsi, five presented sperm of poor quality and two subgroups were formed for this species, i.e. high and poor quality sperm. Data on sperm motility and vigour were analysed, as well morphometric parameters on sperm head and tail. It was observed the normal morphometry was correlated with high quality sperm. Poor quality sperm presented smaller and 7% more ellipticity in their head, when compared with high quality sperm. Sperm from S. vanzolinii presented larger head than those from S. collinsi, but tail lengths were similar. Sperm morphometry can be used as a complementary tool to predict sperm motility and vigour for the S. collinsi species, and S. collinsi appear as a suitable model for S. vanzolinii.

Tropical landscapes are changing rapidly as a result of human modifications; however, despite increasing deforestation, human population growth, and the need for more agricultural land, deforestation rates have exceeded the rate at which land is converted to cropland or pasture. For deforested lands to have conservation value requires an understanding of regeneration rates of vegetation, the rates at which animals colonize and grow in regenerating areas, and the nature of interactions between plants and animals in the specific region. Here, we present data on forest regeneration and animal abundance at four regenerating sites that had reached the stage of closed canopy forest where the average dbh of the trees was 17 cm. Overall, 20.3 percent of stems were wind-dispersed species and 79.7 percent were animal-dispersed species, while in the old-growth forest 17.3 percent of the stems were wind-dispersed species. The regenerating forest supported a substantial primate population and encounter rate (groups per km walked) in the regenerating sites was high compared to the neighboring old-growth forests. By monitoring elephant tracks for 10 yr, we demonstrated that elephant numbers increased steadily over time, but they increased dramatically since 2004. In general, the richness of the mammal community detected by sight, tracks, feces, and/or camera traps, was high in regenerating forests compared to that documented for the national park. We conclude that in Africa, a continent that has seen dramatic declines in the area of old-growth forest, there is ample opportunity to reclaim degraded areas and quickly restore substantial animal populations.

Population monitoring of endangered species is essential to the improvement of their management and conservation plans. The black-headed squirrel monkey (Saimiri vanzolinii) is a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List and has extreme geographical endemism, exhibiting the smallest known distribution among Neotropical primates (ca. 870 km2 ), over 90% of which occurs in white-water flooded forests within the Mamiraua Sustainable Development Reserve (MSDR), Brazilian Amazonia. To assess the effectiveness of this protected area in conserving the species, we conducted population monitoring of black-headed squirrel monkeys across five consecutive years (2009-2013) on nine trails 2 km each. Each year samples included both low and high river water periods. We used the distance sampling method, recording the distance to each observed social group as well as counting component individuals. We also calculated annual encounter rates based on the number of individuals sighted every 10 km traveled. Densities ranged from 256 individuals/km2 (2011) to 453 individuals/km2 (2013), and no seasonal differences were detected. Population size was estimated to be 147,848 mature individuals. Encounter rates ranged from 100 individuals/10 km (2010) to 179 individuals/10 km (2013); no significant difference among years was found. We found that S. vanzolinii populations remained stable throughout the years, which indicates that the MSDR has been playing an essential role on protecting this species. Due to difficulties of fulfilling assumptions of the distance sampling method, we consider the encounter rate analysis to be more effective for monitoring this and other Saimiri species. Given the critical endemism and worrying conservation status of S. vanzolinii, we suggest that monitoring of the species population should be carried out regularly.

International audience; The rapid disappearance of tropical forests, the potential impacts of climate change, and the increasing threats of bushmeat hunting to wildlife, makes it imperative that we understand wildlife population dynamics. With long-lived animals this requires extensive, long-term data, but such data is often lacking. Here we present longitudinal data documenting changes in primate abundance over 45 years at eight sites in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Complex patterns of change in primate abundance were dependent on site, sampling year, and species, but all species, except blue monkeys, colonized regenerating forest, indicating that park-wide populations are increasing. At two paired sites, we found that while the primate populations in the regenerating forests had increased from nothing to a substantial size, there was little evidence of a decline in the source populations in old-growth forest, with the possible exception of mangabeys at one of the paired sites. Censuses conducted in logged forest since 1970 demonstrated that for all species, except black-and-white colobus, the encounter rate was higher in the old-growth and lightly-logged forest than in heavily-logged forest. Black-and-white colobus generally showed the opposite trend and were most common in the heavily-logged forest in all but the first year of monitoring after logging, when they were most common in the lightly-logged forest. Overall, except for blue monkey populations which are declining, primate populations in Kibale National Park are growing; in fact the endangered red colobus populations have an annual growth rate of 3%. These finding present a positive conservation message and indicate that the Uganda Wildlife Authority is being effective in managing its biodiversity; however, with constant poaching pressure and changes such as the exponential growth of elephant populations that could cause forest degradation, continued monitoring and modification of conservation plans are needed.

Ovarian agenesis is an unusual anomaly with traumatic or congenital origin. In the present case report, we describe our findings in a senile S. vanzolinii female. As this neotropical primate species is listed as vulnerable, with limited geographic distribution in the Brazilian Amazonia, ovarian agenesis may be an important finding to be reported.

Summary Morphological information on the reproductive system allows the understanding of ecological and behavioural aspects of different species as well as supports the development of conservational strategies. Unfortunately, for many species, not enough relevant and precise information is available. In the present study, we describe for the first time the macroscopic and histological aspects of female genital organs and external female genitalia of Saimiri macrodon, Saimiri cassiquiarensis and Saimiri vanzolinii. We perform a comparison between these three peripatric species and investigate the possibility of their reproductive morphology to act as a factor of reproductive isolation. We have found that these species share many similarities in most of the analysed organs. Although some important differences were identified that may play an important role in the evolution of the components of the reproductive system of these species, those differences are not enough to compose a mechanism of reproductive isolation for these three species of Saimiri. The results of this study may be used to support the development of biotechnological approaches of reproduction and strategies for conservation programmes and management of threatened species of this genus, particularly S. vanzolinii, considered to be a vulnerable species to extinction.

This study was supported by the Mamirau? Institute for Sustainable Development (IDSM) (EcoVert-1.3.2011) and National Primate Center (CENP) (project 01/2014), Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior, CAPES (Brazil) (fellowship), and Federal University of Par? (UFPA) (project no 482570/2010-5). Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil / Federal University of Par?. Laboratory of Wild Animal Biology and Medicine. Castanhal, PA, Brazil. Federal University of Par?. Laboratory of Wild Animal Biology and Medicine. Castanhal, PA, Brazil / Utrecht University. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Utrecht, The Netherlands. Federal University of Par?. Laboratory of Wild Animal Biology and Medicine. Castanhal, PA, Brazil. Mamirau? Institute for Sustainable Development. Tef?, AM, Brazil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Centro de Inova??es Tecn?logica. Ananindeua, PA, Brazil. Federal University of Par?. Laboratory of Wild Animal Biology and Medicine. Castanhal, PA, Brazil. Differential phenotypic characteristics for taxonomic diagnosis purposes are well determined in the genus Saimiri (squirrel monkey). However, data on its reproductive characteristics are lacking. Our aim was to determine testicular biometry and correlate with seminal analysis in captive (Saimiri collinsi) and free living (Saimiri vanzolinii, Saimiri cassiquiarensis, and Saimiri macrodon) squirrel monkeys. Testicular length, width, height, circumference, and volume were measured. Testicular biometry showed no differences between right and left testicles within the same species, as well as among species. Semen collected by electroejaculation was constituted of a liquid and coagulated fraction, or only one of them. No significant difference was observed between mean volumes of liquid (49.2?68.9 ?L: S. collinsi; 28.3?59.8 ?L: S. vanzolinii; 5?7.1 ?L: S. cassiquiarensis; and 0 ?L: S. macrodon) and coagulated (65.4?142.1 ?L: S. collinsi; 125.8?142.5 ?L: S. vanzolinii; 175?176.8 ?L: S. cassiquiarensis; and 500 ?L: S. macrodon) fractions within species or when each fraction was compared among the studied species. No correlation between testicular volume and seminal volume was observed when liquid (R = 0.31, S. collinsi; R = 0.69, S. vanzolinii) and coagulated (R = 0.32, S. collinsi; R = 0.37, S. vanzolinii) fractions were evaluated. No sufficient data were obtained for the other two species. Seminal quality was similar among species, and the most common defect was coiled tail. The method of electroejaculation yielded satisfactory results on these species, under field conditions.