Conserving Colombia’s cotton-top tamarins
Using the Conservation Standards to improve conservation practice in Colombia
by Fundación Proyecto Tití
One of the smallest primates in the world and one found only in the tropical forests of Northern Colombia, the critically endangered cotton-top tamarin faces deforestation and the pet trade as its main challenges to survival. This important species helps promote biodiversity among the tropical forest where it lives by dispersing the seeds from the fruits that it eats through defecation.
Proyecto Tití works to protect the cotton-top tamarin through scientific research, protection of the forest, restoration efforts to replant large sections of their forest, education programs for community partners, develop programs to support alternative income sources for communities in cotton-top tamarin range, and develop conservation agreements.
The Conservation Standards have helped Proyecto Tití by helping them design realistic and achievable goals through better project design.
“The Conservation Standards are a very useful tool to plan your actions, to plan your goals, and the Conservation Standards help you build the steps or the road to get there. It took a lot of effort in the beginning, but then it becomes like second nature, and everything in your organization starts revolving around the strategies, the results chains, the indicators, and the goals you want to achieve.” – Rosamira Guillen, Executive Director
Cotton-top tamarin
This one-pound tamarin gets its name from the large white tuft of hair on top of its head.
Colombian rainforest
The cotton-top tamarin lives in tropical forests in Northern Colombia which are challenged by deforestation.
Wildlife research
Proyecto Tití uses various research methods to study the species, including radio telemetry which allows them to better understand their dispersal patterns in the forest.
More about Proyecto Titi
Since its inception in 1985, Proyecto Tití has been committed to raising public awareness to the plight of the cotton-top tamarin through a variety of projects involving numerous individuals and organizations. The field program began in Colosó in 1987 and in 1999 the field program was moved to Santa Catalina at Hacienda El Ceibal. The field staff is composed of Colombian biologists and field assistants who are responsible for the daily operations of both the field and educational aspects of the program managed under our Colombian non-profit organization Fundación Proyecto Tití. Latin American students are also provided with training in field biology and grass-roots conservation methods.
