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We describe efforts to reintroduce the extinct-in-the-wild Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) within its historical range in eastern Brazil. Twenty captive-reared Spix's Macaws were released, along with 15 Blue-Winged Macaws (Primolius maracana), as heterospecific flocks in two events during the dry and rainy seasons of 2022. We monitored the release groups through daily observation and telemetry tracking from early June 2022 to early June 2023. We documented an overall first-year survival of 58.3% (CI: 37.8–78.7%), with 65% of Spix's Macaws establishing a stable area of activity within 5 km of the release site, excluding any temporary long-distance forays. Eighty-five percent of released Spix's Macaws exhibited flock cohesion, including interactions with and integration into wild Blue-Winged Macaw groups at the release site. Several released Spix's Macaws formed pair-bonds with conspecifics and engaged in nest cavity exploration, breeding behavior, and territorial defense of nest sites, with three females also laying and incubating eggs. One nesting pair successfully hatched and reared chicks in an artificial nest cavity. These releases employed a novel reintroduction strategy using a surrogate species model, the sympatric Blue-Winged Macaw, to "mentor" and facilitate post-release adaptation by the target species and increase the total number of individuals in the release cohort. Lastly, participatory monitoring by local citizens is considered a way to engage and involve local communities in species and habitat conservation and potentially create new employment opportunities in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last half-century, the world's human population has doubled, impacting almost all ocean and land areas. The threats facing primates in the wild have never been greater or more complex. Primatologists have long been aware of these threats and, since the 1970s, have coordinated efforts to safeguard these threatened species, through the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) Primate Specialist Group (PSG). In an effort to stem the threat of extinction to primates, this group of now 700 experts+ has published 17 conservation action plans since 1977. As we look toward the next half-century, we take stock of the history of primate action planning to better understand the costs and benefits of these plans as a conservation tool. Here, we reviewed all plans published by the IUCN SSC PSG. In total, they described USD 246 million in planned primate conservation programming and were cited 1657 times by others. We found that half of the plans had been assessed in regard to their implementation, although these assessments were not standardized. Those that had been assessed, showed evidence of positive impacts on awareness raising, collaboration, fundraising, project implementation and policy, although the impact varied by plan. For example, three of the plans directly resulted in USD 15.92 million in funds raised; four plans quantified implementation rates, which ranged from 38% to 74% of actions partially or completely achieved 5 years after plan publication; and four plans attributed the gazettement of 19 protected areas across 11 countries as indirect successes following the publication of plans. Considered together, we reflect on the 'return-on-investment' for developing these plans and consider a range of 'lessons learned' for future primate action planning efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]