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spent their days in the forest and their nights at Senior Feliciano's
own home. Despite his legendary hospitality, he recognized that
field research is an arduous undertaking, and by donating a house
with easier access to the forest, he facilitated the researchers'
work. The inauguration of the Biological Station, marked a major
advancement, for it provided an essential infrastructure for long-term
studies, like the Muriqui Project, to be maintained.
In 2001, due to the initiative of the Abdalla family and support
from scientists and conservationists, the EBC was declared a Private
Natural Heritage Reserve by IBAMA. In becoming the RPPN-FMA, it
consolidated the efforts initiated more than 30 years by Álvaro
Aguirre.
The significance of the RPPN-FMA extends beyond the sanctuary it
provides for muriquis and other endemic Atlantic Forest fauna and
flora, for it also symbolizes an ongoing commitment to the value
of long-term research efforts. Surveys have spanned both plant and
animal kingdoms, confirming the presence of a unique diversity of
life forms, several of which are restricted to only a few Atlantic
forest fragments. From amphibians to birds, from mollusks to insects,
and from moss to large trees, the species inventory of the RPPN-FMA
will continue to grow as new research endeavors are launched.
The RPPN-FMA has already gained an International reputation as a
center for field science, with the tong-term studies on its primate
inhabitants largely responsible for its fame. The first systematic
studies ever conducted on the Buffy-headed marmoset, brown howler
monkey, and northern muriqui were initiated here in the early 1980s.
All three of these primates are endangered and endemic to Brazilian
Atlantic forest, yet the behavior and ecology of these primates,
like so much else in this forest, were previously unknown. Celio
Valle and his students were the first to bring the forest and its
primates into the public domain, but the list of researchers who
followed them is now too long to name. Since Aguirre's first publication,
there have been 22 independent research projects, four undergraduate
monographs, 24 Masters' dissertations, 10 PhD theses, and one post-doctoral
study.
The Muriqui Project of Caratinga, now in its 24th year and still
the longest-running study of its kind, represents what can be accomplished
when the goals of scientists and conservationists coincide. Scientific
discoveries about the muriquis include their exceptionally peaceful
social lives and their ability to find the food they require in
a forest that is limited in size. Monitoring the muriquis' remarkable
reproductive system has revealed how small populations can recover
when they and their forests are protected, and helped to stimulate
new research initiatives into the ecological conditions responsible
for their success.
The RPPN-FMA is also extremely important in the context of research
on habitat fragmentation, a critical subject in conservation biology.
The RPPN-FMA is an island of about 1,000 hectares of Atlantic forest,
surrounded by deforested areas, and the research on the forest is
highly relevant to understanding the effects of habitat fragmentation
on biodiversity. The long-term studies conducted at the RPPN-FMA
provide information on the dynamics of populations and ecosystems
that cannot be obtained from the kinds of short-term studies that
have often been conducted in other areas.
In addition to its support of basic science, the RPPN-FMA has facilitated
international cooperation. It also serves another function, for
it provides a training ground for students to learn what fieldwork
is all about. In its first two decades, more than 30 Brazilian students
have participated on the Muriqui Project alone, and many have gone
on to develop related research that contributes to conservation
efforts elsewhere. Such long-term international collaborations are
not as common as one might think, yet those forged at the RPPN-FMA
have been successful because of our shared commitment to the dual
importance of research and conservation here.
The research at the RPPN-FMA has adhered to the highest standards
of ethical scientific conduct, with the conservation of the forest
and its inhabitants the top-most priority. The Muriqui Project has
expanded to other parts of the forest, where systematic ecological
studies involving forest phenology and primary productivity are
underway, and to include non-invasive investigations into the genetic
variability of the entire population. The inclusion of the RPPN-FMA
in Conservation Internationals new TEAM program marks the beginning
of a new phase in its history by bringing the scientific value of
the research station into comparative perspective. As research efforts
expand, the primary scientific function of the RPPN-FMA will continue
to reflect its contributions to conservation and the role that science
can play in securing not only the future of this forest and its
inhabitants, but also as a model that is applicable to other sites.
Karen Strier
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