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Golden-headed lion tamarins (GHLTs; Leontopithecus chrysomelas) are endangered primates endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, where loss of forest and its connectivity threaten species survival. Understanding the role of habitat availability and configuration on population declines is critical for guiding proactive conservation for this, and other, endangered species. We conducted population viability analysis to assess vulnerability of ten GHLT metapopulations to habitat loss and small population size. Seven metapopulations had a low risk of extirpation (or local extinction) over the next 100 years assuming no further forest loss, and even small populations could persist with immediate protection. Three metapopulations had a moderate/high risk of extirpation, suggesting extinction debt may be evident in parts of the species’ range. When deforestation was assumed to continue at current rates, extirpation risk significantly increased while abundance and genetic diversity decreased for all metapopulations. Extirpation risk was significantly negatively correlated with the size of the largest patch available to metapopulations, underscoring the importance of large habitat patches for species persistence. Finally, we conducted sensitivity analysis using logistic regression, and our results showed that local extinction risk was sensitive to percentage of females breeding, adult female mortality, and dispersal rate and survival; conservation or research programs that target these aspects of the species’ biology/ecology could have a disproportionately important impact on species survival. We stress that efforts to protect populations and tracts of habitat of sufficient size throughout the species’ distribution will be important in the near-term to protect the species from continuing decline and extinction.

Seed dispersal by small primates may be particularly relevant in areas where populations of larger frugivores have been reduced or extinguished by hunting and/or habitat disturbance. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the golden-headed lion tamarin Leontopithecus chrysomelas as a seed disperser in Atlantic forest remnants in Brazil. To this end, we opportunistically collected feces deposited during observations on the feeding behavior of two groups of golden-headed lion tamarins ranging in the degraded areas of the Una Biological Reserve, Bahia, Brazil, from February 2006 to January 2007. We collected 587 fecal samples, of which 524 contained seeds from 24 plant species, distributed over 13 families. Disregarding seeds of < 3 mm, the majority of seeds recovered were bromeliad seeds. In general, ingestion of seeds by golden-headed lion tamarins did not improve the germination proportion or decrease the germination delay of seeds, with the exception of Aechmea spp. seeds. The tamarins encountered different habitats during their daily activity period, while feeding and defecating. Consequently, some seeds were transported to different habitats including disturbed areas. Thus, the role of seed dispersal in combination with the daily movement pattern of L. chrysomelas contributes to the persistence of fruit plants and epiphyte species and to the natural regeneration process within Atlantic forest remnants.