#atlantic forest

Deep in the Atlantic Forest of São Paulo

Striped Owl 

"There are now more golden lion tamarins bounding between branches in the Brazilian rainforest than at any time since efforts to save the species started in the 1970s, a new survey reveals.

Once on the brink of extinction, with only about 200 animals in the wild, the population has rebounded to around 4,800, according to a study released Tuesday by the Brazilian science and conservation nonprofit Golden Lion Tamarin Association.

“We are celebrating, but always keeping one eye on other threats, because life’s not easy,” said the nonprofit’s president, Luís Paulo Ferraz.

Golden lion tamarins are small monkeys with long tails and copper-colored fur that live in family groups led by a mated pair. Usually, they give birth annually to twins, which all family members help to raise by bringing them food and carrying them on their backs.

The monkeys, which live only in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, are still considered endangered.

The population survey was conducted over roughly a year. Researchers went to specific locations and checked whether monkeys responded to recordings of the tamarins’ long call, which basically means “I’m here. Are you there?” said James Dietz, a biologist and vice president of the U.S.-based nonprofit Save the Golden Lion Tamarin.

The new population figures are notable because the species had experienced a sharp decline from a yellow fever outbreak. In 2019, there were 2,500 monkeys, down from 3,700 in a 2014 survey.

Scientists intervened by vaccinating more than 370 monkeys against yellow fever, using shots adapted from a formula for humans — a fairly novel approach for conservation.

Scientists “cannot pinpoint a single exact cause for the recovery,” but believe several factors may be at play, said Carlos R. Ruiz-Miranda, a State University of Northern Rio de Janeiro biologist who advised on the population study.

Firstly, the yellow fever outbreak has subsided, perhaps due to a combination of the virus’ natural cycle and the vaccination campaign.

The animals may also be benefiting from an increase in forest habitat, said Dietz, who is also a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution’s Conservation Biology Institute. Between 2014 and 2022, the amount of connected forest habitat increased 16%, mostly through forests regrown on converted cattle pasture, he said.

Currently about three dozen farmers and ranchers in the Atlantic Forest region participate in such reforestation programs.

“It makes me so happy to see the tamarins playing free on my farm. They don’t only live in protected areas,” said Ayrton Violento, a farmer and entrepreneur in the small city of Silva Jardim. His family’s Fazenda dos Cordeiros has planted native fruit trees and also manages a tree nursery for native Atlantic Forest seedlings to plant on other farms.

“Recently, every year I see more tamarin families, more frequently,” he said."

I live in the Northeast region, there are 4 different bioms here: Amazon, Cerrado, Caatinga and Atlantic Forest (the one I live in).

And as you can see per this graphic, there is a huge distance between the Atlantic Forest and the Amazon.

Data from the Atlantic Forest Deforestation Alert System (SAD) indicates a 55 percent drop in deforestation within the biome during the first half of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. Between January and June, 21,401 hectares were deforested, a significant decrease from the 47,896 hectares recorded last year, according to a survey released by the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation in collaboration with MapBiomas.

Despite the reduction, the foundation emphasizes that the impact of deforestation remains alarming and unacceptable, particularly in this highly threatened and heavily degraded biome. It acknowledges that achieving the goal of zero deforestation in the Atlantic Forest is feasible but remains a significant challenge.

The decline in deforestation is largely attributed to strengthened enforcement measures, the suspension of credit for illegal deforesters, and the implementation of remote embargoes—restrictions applied to deforested areas identified through remote monitoring, effectively preventing their commercial exploitation.

“The reduction in deforestation reflects the strengthening and enforcement of Brazil's environmental policies, particularly the resumption of environmental inspections and the bolstering of the Ministry of the Environment and Ibama,” stated Luís Fernando Guedes Pinto, executive director of SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation. While he acknowledged that the current data offers a temporary reprieve, the agronomist emphasized the ongoing need for vigilance and sustained action.

In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, Mauricio Ruiz has turned his love for nature into action by working with the community to reforest a critical stretch of the nation’s most endangered forest, and by using drones to help him reach his goal of planting 15 million new trees.

Mauricio created the Institute for Environmental Preservation, ITPA, when he was just 14 to fight back against rampant deforestation. With government and private funding, and a law in place that protects the remaining forest, Mauricio shows us what 25 years of civilian-led action looks like. Locals are paid to extinguish illegally set fires and to operate a nursery that grows 100,000 trees a year. They raise 58 native species critical for biodiversity and convince private landowners to reforest their land.