Does population increase equate to conservation success? Forest fragmentation and conservation of the black howler monkey

Abstract

The Community Baboon Sanctuary (CBS) in Belize is a community reserve for the endangered black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra). This study assessed the performance of the CBS as an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Category IV protected area through deforestation and forest fragmentation of the CBS and 500 m river buffer, and impacts on black howler monkey habitat over 15 years (1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004). Using satellite imagery remote sensing and landscape metrics, this study helps fi ll the gap in our understanding of forest fragmentation processes and habitat provision, using the black howler monkey as a specifi c example. Increased fragmentation resulted in decreased forest cover by 33% within both the CBS and river buffer. However, connectivity between habitat patches has remained high, indicating that dispersal and colonising potential between most forest patches has not been jeopardised. We conclude that conservation within the CBS may be more complex than simply equating forest conservation with black howler monkey conservation. One could say the CBS has been successful at black howler monkey conservation, as documented by population increases over the past 20 years. However, if the conservation objective is forest preservation, one could conclude conservation failure and may signal that the CBS should not be managed for a single outcome as assigned by an IUCN Category IV designation.

Measuring Success in a Community Conservation Project: Local Population Increase in a Critically Endangered Primate, the Yellow-Tailed Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix Flavicauda) at La Esperanza, Northeastern Peru

“…Success in conservation projects is commonly measured by quantifying outputs and, preferably, outcomes [22,23], often measured in non-biological terms. Quantifying success in biological terms in conservation projects can be difficult, as the time frames involved are often longer than many projects, and they can be cost dependent, putting them out of reach of smaller projects [22][23][24][25][26][27]. In community conservation projects, several previous studies have tried to quantify success in biological terms using measures such as deforestation rates and growth in local species populations, each showing varying levels of success [25,28,29].…”