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 Proyecto Tití is a multi-disciplinary
in situ conservation program that combines field research, education
programs and community programs to make the conservation of natural
resources economically feasible for local communities in Colombia.
Proyecto Tití (Project Tamarin) is working to establish
the first protected area/national park for cotton-top tamarins
in northwestern Colombia. To do this a habitat assessment and
complete population census is needed. A habitat assessment has
been completed and the remaining population of cotton-top tamarins
must now be determined. A survey plan has been developed using
methods able to count animals that are difficult to visualize
in a tropical environment.
Two teams of observers will walk transect
lines and play vocalizations of “intruding” animals
using a Bose Acoustic Wave Music System which has been shown
to not distort the playback vocalizations and to travel the farthest
in the dense forest (>200 m). Playback studies are remarkably
effective in eliciting territorial responses from cotton-top
tamarins making them highly visible and easy to count.
In January 2005, the first phase of the census in the Departments
of Bolivar and Atlantico will begin. The goal is to complete
the initial census of these areas within six weeks.and census
the six other departments within the historic distribution of
the cotton-top tamarin throughout the year during the dry season.
The goal is to complete the census by the end of 2005. This data
combined with the habitat assessment will allow project members
to select the most appropriate areas for protection and long-term
conservation while providing the first estimate of the current
population of cotton-top tamarins in Colombia. This data will
also be used to review the IUCN status of cotton-top tamarins
and provide a determination of its conservation status.
The Minnesota Zoo’s Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program awarded “Proyecto
Tití (Project Tamarin)” $2300 in 2005 for the purchase
of equipment and supplies for their census of the remaining cotton-top
tamarin population in its historic range in Colombia. Staff champion
for this project is Maria Reedstrom, Tropics Zookeeper.
Photograph courtesy of the Brookfield Zoo.
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