Conservation planning for non-human primates in Colombia (South America)

Abstract

Primates play an important role in the maintenance and functioning of tropical ecosystems. However, habitat loss due to land use conversion threatens the persistence of primates worldwide. Colombia has a diverse fauna of primates with 12% of its terrestrial territory protected under the country’s national natural park system. However, threats remain, even within protected areas, with important habitats for threatened species remaining underrepresented or unprotected. Indeed, ~53% of species and subspecies of primates are imperiled in Colombia. Here I examined conservation planning for primates in Colombia to identify conservation gaps in and prioritize new sites for protection. First, I developed environmental niche models for 39 primate taxa predicting suitable habitat for each species in Colombia. Second, I used the Zonation conservation planning software to rank conservation priorities within primary and secondary forest across Colombia. I identified thirty-seven potential conservation sites using targets of 17, 22 and 27% terrestrial protection. Irreplaceability and vulnerability ranking of these conservation sites facilitated assessments of socio-economic threats from mining and illicit crops. Conservation gaps and areas of high vulnerability were most common to the Andes region.