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Madagascar is experiencing some of the most persistent and alarming rates of anthropogenic forest loss, threatening its endemic flora and fauna. Numerous factors contribute to this forest degradation and loss, but in Madagascar it is most often attributed to heavy human reliance on forest products for income and survival. Montagne des Français (MDF) is a forest in northern Madagascar and the last remaining home of the Critically Endangered northern sportive lemur (Lepilemur septentrionalis). We assessed the type and frequency of anthropogenic disturbances observed at MDF, as well as the forest loss and fragmentation in this region over six decades. To assess current conditions, we systematically recorded occurrences of anthropogenic disturbances in ten lemur home ranges and three trails over two field seasons (June to July 2016; February to May 2017). To assess historical landcover change, we analyzed six, classified, 30-m resolution forest cover maps from 1953, 1973, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2014. We recorded a total of 1,412 human-caused disturbances of eight different types in about 15 ha. Felled trees were the most frequently observed disturbance, with Bonaramatsigny (Leucaena leucocephala) the most frequently felled species. Forest cover at MDF drastically decreased from 76% in 1953, to 24% in 2014. Our results indicate that human disturbances are widespread and pervasive, contributing to overall forest cover loss and fragmentation at MDF, which impact the quality, connectivity, and availability of habitat for endemic lemurs of this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The size and composition of primate groups affect dispersal and reproductive opportunities, and thus have implications for the conservation and management of endangered species. Group fissions that increase dispersal options can reduce close inbreeding, particularly in small, isolated populations that are candidates for translocation and other forms of management. While the impact of group size on permanent group fissions has been well documented in matrilocal societies, less is known about the process of permanent fission in patrilocal primates. Here, we use social network analyses of four years of scan-sample data (2011–2014) to retrospectively investigate whether membership in a newly fissioned group of northern muriquis (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) at the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural – Feliciano Miguel Abdala, Caratinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil, could be predicted from prior social relationships. Modularity metrics indicated the start of the Matão group fission during the 2012–2013 mating season, with a distinct subgroup of individuals that formed the new Nancys group being evident. Dyadic associations were significantly stronger and eigenvector centrality values were significantly higher among the individuals that formed the Nancys group than among those that remained in the Matão group. One mother and her four adult sons were among the founders of the Nancys group, but other mother-adult son families did not fission together. Our analyses add to the literature on permanent fissions in patrilocal societies. They also suggest that the modularity metric of social network analyses can be useful in identifying the best timing for implementing management programs that take social preferences into account. Such considerations can contribute to informed decisions about translocations, reintroductions, and the rehabilitation of groups or subgroups in the conservation management of endangered primates such as muriquis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat fragmentation due to human activities is one of the principal threats to all primates and is particularly so for arboreal platyrrhines. Its impact has been extreme in the Brazilian Atlantic forest, where most primate populations have been severely reduced in numbers and their distributions restricted, resulting in low probabilities of long-term persistence. One of the most severely affected species is the northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus), which today has fewer than 1,000 individuals distributed over only a dozen populations and is considered to be Critically Endangered. Most of these populations are isolated and smaller than 50 individuals, including the population inhabiting the Sossego Forest in Simonésia, Minas Gerais. With fewer than 30 individuals associating in one social group, the Sossego muriqui population is doomed to extinction unless emergency management measures are implemented to protect it. We monitored the demography of the Sossego muriquis to evaluate the impacts of the introduction of a reproductive-aged female that was translocated into this population in December 2006. Data were collected on all individuals, identifiable from their natural markings, during 3 to 12 monthly surveys conducted each year from July 2012 to June 2020. They revealed that the population grew from 32 individuals in July 2012 to a peak of 38 in September 2015, but then declined to a low of 22 individuals in September 2017, coinciding with a yellow fever outbreak in the region. As of June 2020, there were 24 individuals present. Four of the surviving individuals were the translocated female and three of her five offspring. One of her daughters was confirmed to have emigrated to another forest fragment and a second daughter has not been seen since March 2019 and is suspected to have emigrated. During the eight years of monitoring, we recorded 17 births (11 females and six males) and 25 disappearances involving 17 females, including the female confirmed to have dispersed, and eight males. Our results emphasize the risks of demographic stochasticity in small, isolated populations. The confirmed emigration of one dispersal-aged female that failed to locate a group to join, and the absence of any immigrants, call attention to the demographic implications of translocation as a potential conservation tool for small, isolated populations of species such as the northern muriqui in which female dispersal and male philopatry are typical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizen Science (CS) is a process that engages members of the public in the collection and interpretation of scientific data in collaboration with scientists. It is especially useful for monitoring biodiversity over extended periods and at larger scales than most researchers can cover themselves. Here we present preliminary insights from a project initiated to evaluate the potential of a systematic CS program to monitor primates in small fragments of Atlantic Forest surrounding the Reserva Particular de Patrimônio Natural Feliciano Miguel Abdala (RPPN-FMA), in Caratinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This region was near the center of a severe yellow fever outbreak that peaked in late 2016 and early 2017, which coincided with steep declines in the known populations of the four species of primates that occur sympatrically in the RPPN-FMA (Alouatta guariba, Brachyteles hypoxanthus, Callithrix flaviceps, and Sapajus nigritus). Nothing, however, was known about the status of these species in the surrounding forest fragments. To gain rapid insights into the status of primates in these fragments and at the same time to assess the feasibility of developing a more systematic CS program in the future, we visited 54 landowners within 6 km of the reserve, 49 of which agreed to participate by sharing their perceptions of primate presence or absence before and after the yellow fever outbreak, and in the subsequent potential recovery period. Consistent with the decline in primate populations in the RPPN-FMA and another region in southeastern Brazil, participants residing around the reserve perceived the greatest declines in populations of Alouatta and Callithrix, followed by Sapajus, with a comparatively small decline in Brachyteles. Participant perceptions, reflected in their monthly reports from June 2018 to June 2020, suggest that the presence of Alouatta (detected significantly more often by auditory cues) and Callithrix returned to pre-yellow fever levels, while that of Sapajus (detected more by visual cues) exceeded pre-yellow fever levels. The only species with seasonal variation in participant perceptions was Callithrix. Although systematic censuses are needed to calibrate participant reports, there is clear potential for the development of a more comprehensive CS program as part of conservation efforts to monitor primate species in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding variation in habitat quality, diet, and behavioral patterns is fundamental for the development of conservation strategies for threatened primates. From June-August 2013, we conducted a preliminary study of four northern sportive lemurs (Lepilemur septentrionalis)-Critically Endangered, solitary-foraging primates living in different forest fragments in Montagne des Français, Madagascar. We sought to obtain the first systematic data on the behavior and feeding ecology of this species in the wild, and identify potential differences in habitat characteristics. The four individuals in our study are estimated to represent approximately 8% of the known population of this species, about which very little else is known. Our data showed that the variety of plant parts consumed did not differ among the four individuals despite differences in habitat as determined by measures of anthropogenic disturbance, tree density, species diversity, total tree basal area, and presence of invasive species. The data suggest, however, that individuals in areas that suffer more anthropogenic threats spent slightly more time feeding, devoted a greater percentage of feeding time to fruit than to leaves, and had larger home ranges than those in areas with fewer different anthropogenic activities. Our results suggest that the ability of the northern sportive lemur to adjust its behavior under different environmental conditions may be beneficial to their ability to persist in degraded habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]