Annual Report 2013

©Proyecto Mono Tocón

First published 2014

Jr. Reyes Guerra, 422

Moyobamba, Perú

Text by Jan Vermeer

Design and composition by Jan Vermeer and Antonio Bóveda

Photography by Proyecto Mono Tocón

All rights reserved. Information from this publication may be reproduced, but

preferably with the prior permission of the Proyecto Mono Tocón association.

T he year 2013 has again been a year with much expansion of the activities of Proyecto Mono Tocón.

Despite all efforts by local communities, authorities and non-governmental organisations, the situa-

tion of the San Martin titi monkey (Callicebus oenanthe) is critical. There is an ever increasing hu-

man pressure on its habitat and little of its forest remains. We are supporting several local communities with the

conservation of their forest, home of the San Martin titi monkey. But the question that keeps us occupied is if

this is enough to safe the species from extinction. Without more political involvement, it will be very difficult to

create safe havens for viable populations of titi monkeys. The Regional Government of San Martin will have to

review their intentions for the territory and decide if it would not be better to change the designation of many

thousands of hectares of production forest into in conservation areas.

Our conservation work concentrates on the Central Huallaga area, as this is the region where we still can find

the titi monkey’s habitat and maybe even more important, local communities that want to protect their forest.

To better understand the needs of the titi monkeys, we have started in 2013 several long term research pro-

grammes, focussing on titi monkey densities in different types of forest and on (feeding) behaviour. These studies

will be continued in 2014 for comparisons.

Although the conservation of the San Martin titi monkey remains our principal goal, we conducted additional

studies on the other primates of the San Martin Region, including the critically endangered yellow-tailed woolly

monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda), and the San martin mountain uakaris (Cacajao calvus ssp.). We even made an

expedition to central Peru, to study the taxonomy and distribution of titi monkeys and other primate species

that live in that region. The results are important to understand the evolution of all primate species in Peru and

will help other organisations with the conservation of primates.

Local interest for forest conservation is increasing. Communities hear about the work Proyecto Mono Tocón is

doing with their neighbours, and come to us to ask for support. We were pleased to see how many zoos and other

organisations have joined in 2013 Proyecto Mono Tocón in our struggle to protect the wildlife of Peru. Their mor-

al and financial help is indispensable if we want to continue to support local communities and the (regional)

government with the conservation of San Martin’s nature.

In this report we summarise our activities of 2013. Please do not hesitate to contact us for additional infor-

mation.

Thank you all for your continuing support.

Jan Vermeer, Project Director

Vicky Pérez Tello, President

Administration

Local team in 2012 (left to right)

Julio C. Tello Alvarado

Victoria Pérez Tello

Eder Murrieta Villabos

Margarita Del Aguila Mejía

Alexander Amasifuén Pérez

Mercy Del Aguila Pinedo

NGO-D

Since September 2010 the Proyecto Mono Tocón is registered as a

NGO-D(evelopment) in the registers of the Peruvian Agency for

International Cooperation (APCI). In February we held the annual

meeting of the board, with four of the five board members being present.

All employees of Proyecto Mono Tocón that are not part of the board

were also invited. During the meeting we reviewed the preceeding year

and approval de plans for 2013.

Financial administration

Our new external accountant continues to help us with the improvement

of our financial administration. The full financial reports are available to

organisations that financially support Proyecto Mono Tocón.

Research permits

In 2012 we received a research permit for a period of five years, there-

fore no time had to be invested in making a new application, as had to

be done in the preceding years. .

In August we also received the new permit to study primates in the

Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo, a project tin collaboration with Conser-

vation International Peru.

Office and House

Due to the large number of volunteers and students the office is on

some days, when few are in the field, almost too small. A good improve-

ment is that we now have “fast” internet, which safes us much time. For

our different projects, especially for the behavioural studies, we need the

help of students and volunteers. They work for free, but those that do

not live nearby need lodging. Therefore we rented a spacious house

with several rooms. Some of the foreign volunteers pay for the room.

Personnel

Victoria Pérez Tello is heading the Conservation department. She is also

the President of the NGO. Julio C. Tello Alvarado continued coordinating

our Research department and is the treasurer of the NGO. Alexander

Amasifuén Pérez is leading our Education department. Mercy Del Agui-

la Pinedo works with Victoria and Alexander on the Education and Con-

servation departments, and is responsible for tasks as communication,

sustainable development and volunteers. Eder Murrieta Villalobos joined

Julio on the Research department and is responsible for the ICAM pro-

ject.

Although we have organized the association in three departments, all

team members collaborate in the execution of our projects, each of them

often including education, research and the initiation of conservation

measures.

As mentioned before, Proyecto Mono Tocón has a large group of stu-

dents and volunteers that help our team with their activities.

The project is coordinated by Antonio J. Bóveda Penalba, since the be-

ginning involved in the project. To make his work for the Proyecto Mono

Tocón possible, he founded the Spanish NGO Sugkamat. His work is

Administration

partly remunerated, but much additional voluntary time is invested in the

project. Further help with the coordination comes from Noelia Venegas

Martin, also member of NGO Sugkamat.

Audrey Gaultier, employed by Le Conservatoire pour la Protection des

Primates, assists us in preparing funding applications.

Jan Vermeer, Director of the Proyecto Mono Tocón and President of Le

Conservatoire pour la Protection des Primates, coordinates the project

on a voluntary basis and has the final responsibility.

Volunteers

Through the years, the numbers of requests of people who wanted to

volunteer for the project has increased. This year we implemented a vol-

unteer programme for Peruvian and foreign volunteers. Foreign volun-

teers that stay shorter than three months will have to pay a fee, which is

used to pay the rent of the house. We always try to have a mix of paying

and free volunteers, to have minimal rental costs. Volunteers are not

just a help to our team, but some of them have special skills and

experiences that increase the professional development of our team

members and other volunteers.

Organisational chart for 2013

Conservation areas

Morro de Calzada

Since 2009 the Morro de Calzada has been the focus of our conserva-

tion initiatives. Forest is rapidly disappearing in the Alto Mayo Valley and

conservation is very difficult due to the high number of people living in

the area. Earlier surveys showed that there are many San Martin titi

monkeys living in the forest on the Morro de Calzada, and its protection

is very important for their survival. The site is also popular with tourists,

as it offers a great viewpoint over the Alto Mayo Valley. Since Mai

2012 Morro de Calzada is officially registered as a “Zona de Pro-

tección y Conservación Ecológica (ZOCRE)”. The total protected area is

1.247 hectares and includes primary and secondary humid rainforest.

The management is in hands of the local authorities, and Proyecto

Mono Tocón supports as a member of the working group, the manage-

ment of the area.

View of Morro de Calzada

Conservation Areas Alto Mayo region

In the lower Mayo region we work with two communities that want to

protect relics of the rare dry forest that once was more common in Peru

but that has almost disappeared. The dry forest habitat is home many

uncommon animal species (especially birds, plants and amphibians)

and San Martin titi monkeys (Callicebus oenanthe). Titi monkey are

elsewhere mostly encountered in humid forest and it is interesting that

they can also survive in this habitat where many trees are deciduous.

Conservation Concession Ojos de Agua – El Bosque del

Futuro

This Conservation Concession was created in 2010 and covers 2,400

hectares. In 2013 our activities for Ojos de Agua involved a density

study and environmental education, including the work with the youth’s

nature club. This club, with the name “Jóvenes Pucacaquinos Em-

prendedores para Conservar el Ambiente”(JOPECA) will come together

twice a month, and will organise several activities connected to nature

conservation.

Conservation Concession Pailayco – Villaneuva

With the members of the local conservation association that is managing

CC Ojos de Agua we discussed the need to expand our conservation

work to the neighbouring communities, to increase the protected area

and to decrease the human pressure on Ojos de Agua. Thanks to the

association we came into contact with the “Asociación de Conservación

Ecológica Comunal los Bosques de Pailayco” in the small town of Villa-

neuva. They were in the process of creating a conservation area of

some 800 hectares, connected to Ojos de Agua, but needed technical

and financial support from Proyecto Mono Tocón.

Our team organised several workshops to train the members of the as-

sociation in all matters concerning nature conservation and the manage-

ment of a conservation concession.

There were some boundary conflicts, but these have all been resolved.

Meanwhile the application for the Conservation Concession has been

presented to the regional authorities and we are waiting for the final ap-

proval. Once that has been done, we can start on the management plan

for the area.

Conservation Areas Bajo Mayo region

Conservation Areas Bajo Mayo region

Conservation Concessions Shitariyacu and Tres Que-

bradas

In 2012 we assisted the communities of Ricardo Palma and Bagazán

with the creation of the two connected Conservation Concessions

Shitariyacu and Las Tres Quebradas. These areas, almost completely

covered with primary forest, are together approximately 6.000 hectares.

The areas was approved at the end of that year and in 2013 we contin-

ued our support.

Now that the Conservation Concessions (CCs) have been approved we

need to compile the management plans. All the necessary surveys and

meetings were executed to collect the information for the management

plans. With the members of the local association we defined the activi-

ties that have to be developed in the next five years.

To increase support for the conservation of the area we continued with

our educational programme and started with a sustainable development

project. After discussions with the local community, local authorities

and travel agents, it was decided to focus on ecotourism and the manu-

facturing of handicrafts. Proyecto Mono Tocón helps the communities

with the promotion of the sites, and the people are trained to receive

tourists. Itineraries have been determined, leading to waterfalls or other

interesting sites. The tourists will also learn about the daily life in the vil-

lages and the production of cacao. Handicrafts are being produced to

sell to visiting tourists. At the same moment Proyecto Mono Tocón nego-

tiates the selling of these handicrafts in souvenir shops in nearby towns.

The work in the area was not always easy. Although the community had

requested our help for the creation of the conservation concessions, the

participation to the workshops was not always good, especially in the

beginning of the year. After a good discussion on this subject, participa-

tion improved much. Another problem that we encountered was a con-

flict on the boundaries of one of the CCs. The land of the CCs is officially

owned by the government, but each communities claims ownership of

certain areas. As this ownership is not official, boundaries are not de-

fined on official papers, and rely on the assumptions of local habitants.

While discussing with the neighbouring community of El Eden the crea-

tion of a conservation concession, we found out that the area that they

wanted to protect was already within CC Shitariyacu, as the villagers of

Conservation Areas Central Huallaga region

Ricardo Palma believed that the area “belonged” to them. After several

meetings we managed to get an agreement on the management of the

area, but it shows how careful we need to be when creating a new con-

servation concession.

No olvidar fotos de artesenia y talleres

Conservation Areas Central Huallaga region

Nuevo Chimbote

The community of Nuevo Chimbote approached us in 2012 with the re-

quest to help them with the protection of the forest. Although they

claimed that they had 80.000 hectares, we quickly found out that most of

is was designated in the zoning of San Martin (Zonificación Ecológica y

Económica, ZEE) as forestry concessions which cannot be changed in

conservation area. Potentially only 2240 hectares could be changed into

a protected area, and we quickly found out that half of that area was

claimed by the neighbouring community, Marisol. The situation is com-

plicated, but we try to make a conservation concession that is managed

by both communities. Much time has been invested in creating a good

partnership with this community and the first educational activities have

been executed.

Sanchima

Sanchima is a community that has forest bordering the existing CCs of

Shitariyacu and Tres Quebradas. With the creation of a protected area

in Sanchima we could expand the protected forested area in this zone

with another 1000 hectares.

Alto el Sol

This community also requested our help for the creation of conservation

concession. However, when visiting the site we noticed that there was

very few forest to protect, and most of it was fragmented due to agricul-

tural activities. Furthermore we had the impression that there was little

support for nature conservation, and we decided that we should not in-

vest our time and money in a project with Alto el Sol.

Conservation Areas Central Huallaga region

Research

Distribution of the San Martin titi monkey (Callicebus

oenanthe) in central San Martin, Peru.

Thoiry-Peaugres Conservation supports since 2011 a project to conduct

a study on the distribution of C. oenanthe focussing on areas where con-

servation measures could lead to the establishment of nature re-

serves for viable population of the San Martin titi monkey.

A total of seven fieldtrips were organised. The study showed once more

that the situation for the species is critical. Although titi monkeys were

heard or observed in several areas, deforestation is continuing as high

rates and most titi monkeys live in small, isolated populations. There is

not much future for these populations, and the connection of some of the

larger protected areas and forested areas is necessary to safe the spe-

cies from extinction. Our team encountered the species also on the

southern side of the Huayabamba River. We thought that that river

served as a geographical boundary for the species, and we need to in-

vestigate how for its distribution extends southwards. Considering the

topography of the area we expect that this is just a small enclave, just

like we have seen before on the eastern side of the Huallaga River.

A full report of the study is available on request.

Research San Martin titi monkey distribution

Until 2013, research had mainly focussed on the distribution and taxono-

my of the San Martin titi monkey, Callicebus oenanthe. That was a delib-

erate choice: if you do not know where a species lives, you cannot pro-

tect it. Now that the distribution range of the species is rather well known

(we still have some gaps in our knowledge to fill), we want to study the

ecology and ethology of the species, as this could help us in our conser-

vation work.

Carolina Garcia-Suikkanen (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador)

conducted with the help of volunteers and students an extensive study

on the density of San Martin titi monkeys on and around the Morro de

Calzada. Density was measured at areas with different forest types and

varying grades of human disturbance. The results of this study are cur-

rently being analysed.

Silvy van Kuijk (Oxford Brookes University) conducted a comparable

study in the dry forest of the Ojos de Agua Conservation Concession.

Assisted by two volunteers and members of the local association she

followed for a period of more than two months the titi monkeys in this

rare forest type. The study showed that density of titi monkeys is highest

on the borders between primary and secondary forest, and that the ani-

mals use both types of forest. Density is high (26 groups/km²) on these

borders, but low (3.6 groups/km²) in primary forest. This complicates the

conservation of the species, as the borders around areas of (protected)

primary forest are also the most at risk for human disturbance. Silvy es-

timated that there may be between 500 and 1000 individuals living in

Ojos de Agua. However, the number may decrease considerably during

the next few years, as the secondary forest around the borders of the

concession is rapidly being converted into farmland.

Danica Schaffer-Smith and Jennifer Swenson (Duke University) started

their study on the possibilities to create corridors for the San Martin titi

monkey, in order to secure genetic exchange between the population on

the Morro de Calzada and neighbouring forest fragments. For this study

they analyse high-definition satellite images, but field studies are neces-

sary to compare the images with the actual situation on the ground.

Finally Rosario Huashuayo Llamocca started with a study on the behav-

iour of the San Martin titi monkey which will be continued in 2013 and

expanded to other groups of titi monkeys in different forest types.

Research San Martin titi monkey behaviour

ICAM Project

In 2011 Proyecto Mono Tocón started to cooperate with Conservation

International Peru to do research for their conservation project

“Iniciativas de Conservación del Alto Mayo” (ICAM). For this study, we

have to conduct base-line studies around six important water sources

in the Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo (BPAM).

The study was continued in 2013, with the addition of one locality and

the monitoring of the primates in the areas where studies had been done

before. The species most often encountered is the yellow-tailed woolly

monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda).

The distribution of mountain uakaris (Cacajao calvus ssp.)

in north-eastern Peru

This is a continuation of the study we conducted in 2010. A population of

red uakaris was discovered by us in Cahuapanas mountain range of

San Martin, at a distance of almost 400km from the known population in

the eastern lowlands of Peru.

To investigate the extend of the distribution of the new species, we con-

ducted surveys in the lowlands north of the Cahuapanas, more precisely

between the mountain range and the Maranon River. As uakaris were

known to have a preference for lowland forest, we were expecting the

presence of the species in that area. Although our expeditions were

made difficult by bad weather and inhospitable native communities, we

were able to determine that the uakaris do not live in the lowland forest

between the Cahuapanas and the Maranon River and have not lived

there in recent time. Therefore we can conclude that they are probably

restricted to the mountains of San Martin. The study has been complete-

ly finished, but we have not yet been able to get permission to enter on

the native territories to continue our research.

During our visit in one of the areas it became clear that a native commu-

nity made a deal with a oil company, which will be a threat for the water

quality in a large area. The federation of native communities was not

pleased with this news, and has planned to take measures.

After our visit to the area we sent 2000 comic books of “Carlos and the

tropical forest”, in the local Awajun language, to the federation. During

our meeting with one of the communities we noticed that there was

much distrust to conservation organisations, but after the reception of

the comic books we were invited to discuss how they could develop con-

servation actions. However, considering the large distance from

Moyobamba, with the resulting high travel costs, Proyecto Mono Tocón

is not able to offer any help. However, we hope that we have prepared

the path for other conservation organisations. The area is of much inter-

est, there is still much forest cover and the rivers and lakes are full of

manatees and river dolphins. Unfortunately there is also a huge problem

with unsustainable hunting. We encountered only squirrel monkeys and

tamarins, all larger bodied primates seemed to have become extinct.

A full report of the study is available on request.

Research Primates of San Martin

Presence of San Martin titi monkeys in the Cordillera

Escalera Regional Conservation Area

The organisation responsible for the compilation of the management

plan of the above mentioned regional conservation area requested our

help for a short survey on the presence of San Martin titi monkeys in its

southern and central parts. Unfortunately no evidence of its presence

could be found, and we can conclude that no titi monkeys live in these

parts of the protected area.

The distribution of Callicebus in the Atalaya region,

central Peru.

The Atalaya region in Central Peru is very interesting for primate distri-

bution studies, as the four rivers that join each other here could be im-

portant geographical barriers for several primate species. At least

three Callicebus species have been reported from here, that were identi-

fied as being Callicebus discolor, C. cupreus and C. brunneus. In No-

vember and December we conducted six weeks of surveys in the area,

on foot and by boat. We indeed encountered three species of titi mon-

keys. One was identified by us as being Callicebus toppini, a species

that has been described in 1914 but has been neglected since then.

This species has its distribution range in the area where according to the

literature either C. cupreus or C. brunneus would live. We also encoun-

tered brownish animals that had been identified as C. brunneus (a spe-

cies living in Brazil), but we think that this is an undescribed species.

Finally we encountered titi monkeys with a white frontal band and a

brownish back. Animals of this phenotype have been described in 1917

as C. subrufus, but since then they have been synonymized with C. dis-

color. The results of our study will change our thoughts about titi mon-

key taxonomy and dispersion. We also observed several other species

of primates, and collected evidence on sympatry between two species of

woolly monkeys. The area is still covered with vast areas of lowland for-

Research Titi monkeys of Central Peru

Environmental Education

It is very important to accompany conservation activities with an environ-

mental education programme. We do not only need to create aware-

ness for the importance of nature conservation, but also assure a

continuing support for the activities. Therefore our educational team is

active in all communities that we help with the creation and manage-

ment of their conservation areas.

Theoretical programme in Calzada and Yantaló

Practical programme in Calzada and Yantaló

Nature club JOESUCNA

The education programme in Bagazán and Ricardo Palma

During 2013 our education team has organized with both local

associations “Asociación Desarrollo Sostenible y Conservación Ricardo

Palma” and “Asociación Área de Protección y Conservación las Tres

Quebradas” activities for sustainable development, focussing on the

appreciation of traditions and the nature resources around the villages.

The people should learn to take a critical position towards practices that

harm nature and take action to conserve their environment.

Nature education is an important part of the ecotourism project. As the

main attraction of the villages is nature, local guides need

to learn about biodiversity and nature conservation and

need to be trained to share their knowledge with the tourists.

The activities were finished with an environmental festival.

Librito del toçon

Comic book

Just like in the preceeding years, thousands of comic books and othe

reducational materials were distributed in villages and schools.

Theoretical programme of Environmental Education

Publicity and participations

Theses

One of the important goals of Proyecto Mono Tocón is to educate a new

generation of Peruvian conservationist. Therefore we always offer stu-

dents the possibility to do their theses work or internships with the pro-

ject. In 2013 we rented a house to be able to receive also students from

other regions in Peru. These students are an indispensable help for the

execution of our projects.

This year we had the following thesis students:

Juanita……..: Participate strategies for the management of the Conser-

vation Concessions Shitariyacu and Las Tres Quebradas, Pachiza Dis-

trict, Mariscal Cáceres.

Ricky………: Reinforcement of environmental and organisational capac-

ities for the creation of a conservation concession in Nuevo Chimbote,

Pachiza District, Mariscal Cáceres.

Facebook

Through the year we have communicated several times per week our

activities on our Facebook page. The page is very well visited, with more

than 2600 “likes”.

Newsletter

One English and one Spanish newsletters were produced and distribut-

ed in 2013.

Website

Our webside is constantly updated: http://www.monotocon.org/

Regional Environmental Committee

Regional Conservation System

Participation to External Events

Members of Proyecto Mono Tocón were present at a large number of

events, workshops, meetings and courses:

The Environmental Ministry organized a workshop on capacity build-

ing for the conservation of forest and preventing climate change

(February).

Proyecto Mono Tocón was present at a meeting about environmental

education, organized by the Regional Educational Authorities of San

Martin (February).

A workshop on the administration of biodiversity information was or-

ganized in Tarapoto (February).

Proyecto Mono Tocón participated to a march through the streets of

Moyobamba to celebrate “Water Day”. Educational materials were

prepared and distributed (March).

We participated to a meeting of the Environmental Committee of

Moyobamba (March).

We had several meetings with the GIZ (German Society for Interna-

tional Cooperation) and other organisations about the creation of cor-

ridors for wildlife in San Martin.

Our team attended several meetings of the Provincial Environmental

Education Committee.

We participated to the Community Conservation workshop, organized

by NPC and AMPA. Members of all local associations that have a

conservation concession where we are active have also participated.

We want to thank our supporters and partners for their continuing

The work of Proyecto Mono Tocón is only possible thanks to the generous financial support of:

We want to thank our partners for their collaboration.