DIAGNÓSTICO PRELIMINAR DE LA PRESENCIA DE PRIMATES QUE HABITAN EL PIEDEMONTE DE LA RESERVA BIOLÓGICA COLONSO-CHALUPAS

Abstract

Mammals, especially primates, have an important role as dispersers of seeds and as engineers of the ecosystem they occupy. The status of primate populations may be determined by the distribution of their food, population density and interaction with other species, but may also be highly conditioned by human impact. This study collected behavioral and distribution information on primate populations and their threats in three 3km long trails, in the foothills of the Colonso-Chalupas Biological Reserve, adjacent to Kichwa communities in Ecuador. The study was carried out through linear transects and interviews during a period between September 2016 and May 2017. The results confirmed the presence of three species of primates, Cebus yuracus, Leontocebus nigricollis, and Lagothrix lagothrica poeppigii, through observation. direct, and other species such as Aotus sp. and Cebuella pygmaea were reported in interviews with the community. Although the low rate of sightings of primates does not seem to be related to a high intensity of hunting today, this could be due to their sensitivity to human activities such as noise or selective felling of trees by Kichwa communities in the buffer zone or Historical hunting in the past. The present study establishes the bases to elaborate effective action plans that help the sustainable use of the resources in the buffer zones and conservation plans of the primate species in the protected area that improve the state of their conservation.