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News from the forest
Introduction
Dear funders and supporters,
With this newsletter I hope to inform you on the
progress of the study I am currently conducting on
the population density of Callicebus oenanthe in
Ojos de Agua, a conservation concession in
North-eastern Peru.
We have now collected almost half of our data and
have had numerous encounters with the titis,
tamarins, howler monkeys, snakes, butterflies and most of all mosquitoes.
In this newsletter I will introduce you to the team I am working with and to the two
main collaborators: Proyecto Mono Tocón and ABOFOA. We will tell you about the
research site, the (slight changes in) methodology and what we will be doing during
our next trips (all of which will be accompanied with some pictures!).
Introducing the team
Upon arrival in Moyobamba, the city where the office of Proyecto Mono Tocón (PMT)
is based, the whole team of PMT was waiting to greet me and Dr. Carolina Garcia
Suikkanen in the office. After a few days of recovering from the long trip and jet lag
and meeting the team, it was time for a period full of meetings and practice of our
research methods. Let me introduce you to the most important collaborators and
members of my team (Fig. 1):
Dr. Carolina Garcia Suikkanen: Carolina is from Spain and conducted her
PhD on corridors and habitat connectivity. She will work as a volunteer for the
project for a period of six months. Her first project is a duplicate of my study,
In this newsletter:
Introduction
Introducing the team
Methodology
Pictures from the field
Planned trips
Acknowledgements
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conducted in a different forest type. Numerous meetings and trial sessions in
the field with both research teams have ensured that our methodology is
similar and properly tested.
Eduardo Pinel: Eduardo is 24 years old, comes from Honduras and holds a
licenciate in Biology. For his final project he spent 7 months in the jungle of
Honduras to estimate the population density of Cebus capuchinus. He is one
of my two assistants. He has a lot of experience in working with GIS
programs, which is a very important aspect of our study. Eduardo is highly
motivated and knows his fair share of facts about most of the animals we find
in the forest.
Jaime Sierro: Jaime is the second assistant, 23 years old and comes from
Spain. He has been a volunteer for Proyecto Mono Tocón since January. He
holds a degree in Biology and hopes to start an MSc in Evolution, Biodiversity
and Conservation in September. Even though Jaime has not worked much
with primates before, he makes up for this in his enthusiasm and will to learn
all about the methods we use.
Silvy van Kuijk: I am a 26-year old student on the MSc in Primate
Conservsation at Oxford Brookes University. I have a BSc in Psychology &
Neuroscience and have also studied Veterinary Medicine for a few years. I
have worked as a volunteer on rescue centers in Namibia and Sulawesi and
in a primate park in the Netherlands. This is my first real field work, and I am
enjoying every second of it! I am eager to return to the jungle to conduct more
research as soon as I have finished my MSc!
ABOFOA: The Asociación el Bosque de Futuro Ojos de Agua is a local
association run by a group of farmers from the village of Pucacaca. They
protect conservation concession Ojos de Agua from the pressures of
deforestation and preserve its beauty for future generations. ABOFOA allows
the research team into the area and also provides us with guides that know
the area like the back of their hand. All guides that accompany us are
members of the association. They do not only take us to our listening areas,
but also show us all the beautiful wildlife and flora that the area has to offer.
Their presence and guidance enriches our trips and we are very thankful for
their help and motivation to conserve the area.
PMT: Proyecto Mono Tocón is a young conservation NGO that aims to protect
local wildlife like the San Martin titi monkey. Since the establishment in 2007,
the team of PMT has grown considerably, many collaborations have been
formed and research has been conducted. Working with this young and
dynamic team showed me the possibilities and power of conservation
initiatives run by local people. It is an honour to be able to help PMT in their
conservation efforts for Callicebus oenanthe.
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Figure 1. Introducing from l. to r.: Eduardo Pinel, Carolina Garcia, Tiberio (guide), Arnaldo (guide),
Silvy van Kuijk, Jaime Sierro, Felipe (director ABOFOA).
Methodology
Initially, we were going to study not only the density of C. oenanthe within
Ojos de Agua, but also take a look at their habitat requirements and compare the
results from within the conservation concession to the surrounding habitat, looking
for suitable land for expansion of the protected area. On our first 10-day trip Carolina
joined us and for the first few days, the head of research of PMT joined us as well to
train us in estimating the distance of the vocalisations of the titi monkeys. At the end
of the first trip we had a meeting in the office of PMT with both research teams and
the research department of PMT. We concluded we had put too much pressure on
ourselves. The surroundings of Ojos de Agua turned out to be pretty inaccessible
and most areas were too far away to be able to reach in the afternoon. Also, the
research team, including people that are used to the hard life in the jungle, was
completely exhausted after only the first 10 days. We had to change plans…
In the many conversations I had had with people from the project, I often
heard them say they think the monkeys prefer forest edges, but that this was never
actually tested. Carolina and me decided that it was possible in our timeframe to test
this hypothesis, as well as testing if the monkeys show a preference for either
primary or secondary forest. During our first trip, we felt very certain that we did not
need to repeat the same listening areas five days in a row, but that the singing
frequency would be higher than the 66% used in previous research. We will repeat
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our triangulations in each area on three consecutive days, and a new study will be
developed by Carolina and PMT to test this hypothesis. This increases the number
of data points we can cover from 8 to 15.
Figure 2. With the use of Google Earth Eduardo has made a map showing all the different habitat
types: primary forest (d. green), secondary forest (l. green), agriculture (brown), deforestation (red).
Eduardo has made a map of Ojos de Agua (Fig. 2) in which the most
important habitat types are shown. Using this map, we have calculated the
percentage of primary and secondary forest. With this information we could choose
our listening areas randomly, but keeping into account that the number of data points
in each forest type match the percentage of cover.
So far, we feel confident with our approach and the first data have been
collected successfully. We will keep you updated on our progress!
Figure 3. Poisonous frog, endemic to the area.
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Pictures from the field
The day we arrived in Pucacaca and met the people of ABOFOA, it was 38°C.
One of the guides told us the dry season was only just getting started, so this heat
was nothing yet. As we drove towards Ojos de Agua, the sun gleaming upon us, two
giant hills slowly became visible. For a second I started to doubt myself. Was I really
going to climb these monstrous mountains every day in this heat!? Coming from the
UK, where it had been snowing only two weeks earlier, and I had been sitting behind
a desk for months studying any topic related to primates, I knew I would need some
time to acclimatise… Still, I could not stop smiling. Finally I was going to hear the
monkeys in the wild, explore the forest and put my skills as team leader and young
researcher to the test!
By now, I am used to the climate and the steep hills we climb most days. Also,
the team has grown used to working together, and the guides are accustomed to our
routines. During our time in the forest, we have seen many wondrous animals that I
had never seen before. Below you will find a selection of pictures of the beautiful
creatures we found in the field.
Figure 4. Callicebus oenanthe.
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Figure 5. Three-toed sloth.
Figure 6. We walked for hours trying to reach a stretch of secondary forest where we would situate
our next listening area. Arriving at the destination we found just one tiny tree and in the background
the soil was still smoking. The colours of the late afternoon sky and the full moon complete the story
the picture tries to tell.
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Figure 7. Beautiful boa we spotted after a rainy weekend.
Planned trips
For the first part of this study we have lived in a wooden cabin in the heart of
Ojos de Agua, but as the next areas of interest are too far from the cabin, we will live
with a local family in Pucacaca, the town nearest to Ojos de Agua and hometown of
the people of ABOFOA. I am looking forward to this, as I hope to learn more about
the local customs and culture. Also, it is great to find out more about their
motivations for conserving Ojos de Agua and see their program for teaching the
children about Ojos de Agua with the help of Proyecto Mono Tocón.
The day we first arrived in Pucacaca, we have had a meeting with the people
of ABOFOA. The director of ABOFOA explained us all about the conservation
concession and their association. Next, we explained them the purpose of our study,
the role of the guides and the working schedule. After our last data is collected,
ABOFOA will organize a meeting in which the whole town is invited. We will show
pictures of our trips, explain what we have done, and show a little of the results we
have so far. The people of Pucacaca want to thank us for our stay by cooking us a
local dinner after our presentation. I think this will be a beautiful evening to end a
spectacular trip. We now have two more trips to go.
Once back in the UK, I will update you again on the final weeks of the study
and once the dissertation is finished, a final report will elaborate on the results of the
study. I think the study is a great success so far. This would not have been possible
without your generous funding and support! Proyecto Mono Tocón, ABOFOA, the
research team and I thank you for your support. Together we can make a difference
for the conservation of the San Martin titi monkey!
