RESUMO
Primates occur in 90 countries, but four-Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)-harbor 65% of the world's primate species (439) and 60% of these primates are Threatened, Endangered, or Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017-3). Considering their importance for global primate conservation, we examine the anthropogenic pressures each country is facing that place their primate populations at risk. Habitat loss and fragmentation are main threats to primates in Brazil, Madagascar, and Indonesia. However, in DRC hunting for the commercial bushmeat trade is the primary threat. Encroachment on primate habitats driven by local and global market demands for food and non-food commodities hunting, illegal trade, the proliferation of invasive species, and human and domestic-animal borne infectious diseases cause habitat loss, population declines, and extirpation. Modeling agricultural expansion in the 21st century for the four countries under a worst-case-scenario, showed a primate range contraction of 78% for Brazil, 72% for Indonesia, 62% for Madagascar, and 32% for DRC. These pressures unfold in the context of expanding human populations with low levels of development. Weak governance across these four countries may limit effective primate conservation planning. We examine landscape and local approaches to effective primate conservation policies and assess the distribution of protected areas and primates in each country. Primates in Brazil and Madagascar have 38% of their range inside protected areas, 17% in Indonesia and 14% in DRC, suggesting that the great majority of primate populations remain vulnerable. We list the key challenges faced by the four countries to avert primate extinctions now and in the future. In the short term, effective law enforcement to stop illegal hunting and illegal forest destruction is absolutely key. Long-term success can only be achieved by focusing local and global public awareness, and actively engaging with international organizations, multinational businesses and consumer nations to reduce unsustainable demands on the environment. Finally, the four primate range countries need to ensure that integrated, sustainable land-use planning for economic development includes the maintenance of biodiversity and intact, functional natural ecosystems.
RESUMO
In the northern Atlantic Forest, hunting and habitat loss have eliminated most large mammals that disperse zoochoric fruits. Due to the decrease in populations of large seed dispersers, yellow-breasted capuchins (Sapajusxanthosternos) are currently one of the largest arboreal fruit-eating mammals in the region. During 26 months, we followed 14-25 capuchins aiming to (1) present data on their dietary ecology, (2) verify the conservation status of plants in the diet, and (3) determine distance and habitat of seed deposition based on gut retention time. Capuchins showed a preference for feeding in old secondary forests in spite of the greater availability of primary forests. They fed on 109 species of fruits (42.7% of feeding frequency) and swallowed 85 species of seeds (mean width: 0.73 ± 0.57 cm; mean length: 1.17 ± 0.83 cm). Capuchins consumed mostly oil palm and manilkara fruits. We observed long distances of seed deposition (median 300-360 m); 36.8-41.7% of these events occurred in a distinct habitat, and seeds of 12 late-stage trees swallowed in the primary forest were deposited in old secondary forests. S. xanthosternos has an important role in the first phase of seed dispersal (seed removal from the parent tree and seed deposition), particularly for 23 endemic and 3 endangered plants.
