The fate of one of the world’s most threatened primates will be on the line in the coming months when Brazilian authorities decide whether to incorporate the pied tamarin into the urban planning policies of Manaus.
Conservationists say the inclusion is crucial not just to protect the critically endangered monkey but as an indicator of the Amazonian city’s willingness to create green spaces that will benefit the lives of its people.
The pied tamarin – which has a small, fluffy white upper body and a black, hairless face – has one of the narrowest ranges of any primate and is found only around the borders of the city.
In recent decades it has been squeezed out of much of its home by the sprawl of Manaus, which is the most densely populated metropolis in the Brazilian rainforest with more 2.2 million residents. Unregulated growth has increased the area of the city by 60% since 1985. To feed its people, nearby farms have more than doubled in size, now covering 56,000km/s. Transport systems are also expanding, and roadkill is a major threat to wildlife in this biodiversity hotspot.
The population of the pied tamarin has shrunk rapidly to an estimated 22,000 and they are predicted to lose 80% of the number in the next 20 years. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature rates it as critically endangered, which is the final category before extinction.
Various efforts have been made to save the species, including a national action plan, the federal government’s establishment of a Pied Tamarin Wildlife Refuge and rescue centres, and the construction of wildlife bridges across roads.
But with numbers continuing to decline, conservationists say a more comprehensive strategy is needed. On 21 November detailed proposals were submitted to city authorities during a public debate. Advocates of the pied tamarin are now awaiting a decision.
“This monkey’s habitat has been steamrollered. Many live in fragments of forest, where they are effectively in captivity. This creates genetic bottlenecks” said Dominic Wormell, the founder of the Tamarin Trust. “We must integrate its conservation into urban planning by creating more green spaces. This can bring public health benefits. This tiny monkey needs the lungs of the city to survive and so do the residents’ children.”
In early 2025, this will be a central topic of discussion at a series of meetings among city authorities, Manaus university biologists, conservation groups, local and state environment departments and the two main federal environment bodies – Ibama and ICMBio.
Diogo Lagroteria, chair of ICMBio’s pied tamarin species committee, says it is crucial for politicians and local government to commit to policies that preserve, restore and protect green spaces: “Children and the elderly, in particular, would benefit from a cooler, more welcoming city with opportunities to connect to nature.”
“We really need a joined-up plan,” Wormell said. “The fight to save the pied tamarin is a fight to save the Amazon rainforest itself. If we can secure a future for this tiny monkey by planting trees and showing that conservation of the forest creates a better future for us and the primates that live along side us, then maybe people will start to see how truly valuable the Amazon is to them and the whole world.”
This article by Jonathan Watts was first published by The Guardian on 1 January 2025. Lead Image: A pied tamarin at the Sauim Castanheira Wildlife Refuge in Manaus. Photograph: BRAZIL/REUTERS.
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