Research Results
The monitoring activities conducted by the Earthwatch expeditions helped to collect information on a variety of wildlife populations, which is being used to determine whether the current conservation strategies are successful. In 2008, a review of change occurring over the previous three years found significant improvements at both sites (the Samiria and Yavari River basins) for the wildlife, environment, and local people. Populations of key wildlife species have increased at both sites. In Pacaya-Samiria, woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha), black caiman (Melanosuchus niger), manatees, and turtle populations have all increased. At the Lago Preto Conservation Concession (LPCC) in the Yavari River Basin, the red uakari monkey (Cacajao calvus ucayalii), giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), and paiche fish (Arapaima gigas) have likewise shown significant increases in numbers. Dolphins, macaws, and terrestrial wildlife have increased in both river systems.
Results indicate that local residents living within the reserve generally hold more positive attitudes towards the reserve than people living outside, indicating that the reserve can be effective in conserving biodiversity, while simultaneously including the interests of residents and user communities. The research illustrates the need for greater integration of local communities into long-term resource management plans for protecting and sustaining protected areas in the Amazon. A multi-faceted approach, integrating community involvement, the development of practical economic alternatives, capacity building, and long-term biological as well as social monitoring, is needed to achieve the goal of conserving biodiversity.
Bowler, M., Noriega Murrieta, J., Recharte, M., Puertas, P. and R. Bodmer (2009). Peruvian Red Uakari Monkeys (Cacajao calvus ucayalii) in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve -- A Range Extension Across a Major River Barrier. Neotropical Primates 16: 34-36
Bowler, M. and R. Bodmer (2009). Social Behavior in Fission -Fusion Groups of Red Uakari Monkeys (Cacajao calvus ucayalii). American Journal of Primatology 71:1 -12.
Recharte U., M. and R. Bodmer (2009). Recovery of giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) on the Yavarí and Yavarí-Mirí Rivers: A success story for CITES. Oryx 44:83-88.