Primates at the newly established Camaquiri Conservation Initiative, Limon, Costa Rica

Abstract


 
 
 In Costa Rica, Geoffroy’s spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi ornatus) is classified as ‘Endangered’ according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Given the threats it faces, this spider monkey was included in the most recent ‘Top 25 Endangered Primate Species’ list published by the IUCN (Schwitzer et al. 2019). The newly established Camaquiri Conservation Initiative (CCI) site, located on 200 ha in northeastern Costa Rica in Caribbean lowland rain forest, harbors a population of these monkeys that has yet to be studied. The population size of these primates and the extent to which their habitat may be fragmented is unknown. We conducted transect surveys of spider monkeys, mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata) and Panamanian white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator) at Camaquiri in 2019, 2020 and 2021 over the course of 13.5 days, covering 32 km total, to establish baseline information important for this new reserve’s conservation management plan, and for providing a rough estimate of the number of study subjects available for potential researchers. We recorded, minimally, 10 different individual spider monkeys in at least one community, at least three different howling monkey groups and at least one capuchin monkey group resident at CCI. Given that large patches of healthy, intact tropical forest are rarely conserved in Central America, Camaquiri provides an opportunity to conserve endangered primate species and to contribute to our knowledge of these animals. Additionally, its proximity to other field stations provides opportunities for studies of patch connectivity, habitat quality and other characteristics that influence primate populations in this region.