Community-Based Ecotourism and Primate Watching as a Conservation Tool in the Amazon Rainforest

Community-based tourism is a participatory approach implemented to support the economic and social development of local communities. Here, we present the preliminary results of an initiative of primate tourism in the Mamiraua Reserve for Sustainable Development (Mamiraua SDR), Amazon rainforest, Brazil. Between January and December 2019, we monitored the sighting rate of bald uakaris (Cacajao calvus calvus) by Uakari lodge tourists aiming to identify the main variables influencing the records of this primate that could be used as a baseline for a primate-watching program. During 334 days, tourist guides provided data on 602 tourist outings, with 190 sightings of uakari groups (109 in the morning and 81 in the afternoon). These values correspond to a mean of 0.57 sightings/day and 0.32 sightings/outing while the mean number of uakaris sighted per outing was 6 individuals (+/- 6.6 SD; min = 1; max = 30). Uakaris were mostly traveling (55%) or feeding (35%), and less frequently resting (9%). Uakari sightings varied monthly, with 73.4% of the tourists reporting seeing uakaris at least once during their stay, while 26.6% did not. The marked seasonal variation in the water level, food availability, and the socioecological strategies of uakaris are parameters that may have facilitated the detectability of these primates by tourists in Mamiraua SDR. We concluded that primate tourism in Mamiraua SDR has a high potential to strengthen the synergism between traditional and scientific knowledge and promote social and economic benefits for local communities and new conservation actions for primates.