Evaluating threatened primates in Caquetá, Colombia

Javier Enrique Garcia Villalba

The National Parks of Cordillera de los Picachos and Upper Fragua Indi Wasi, and the municipality of Valparaiso are conservation zones of international importance. Here, a number of primate species - Ateles belzebuth (VU), Aotus lemurinus (VU), Lagothrix lugens (CR), Lagothrix lagothricha (VU) and a new species of Callicebus which is endemic to a small area - are threatened by severe hunting pressure and habitat loss. Urgent efforts are required to evaluate primate population densities and threats to their survival so as to estimate the state of their conservation and make recommendations to communities and local/ national authorities for their conservation.