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Brazil, South America: Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Project

Conservation at a Glance

• Golden lion tamarins (GLTs) are one of the most critically endangered primates in the world. They have lost most of their forest habitat to nearby Rio de Janeiro, home to millions of people. Thanks to a multi-faceted conservation program that includes research, captive breeding, reintroduction, translocation, reforestation and community education, GLT populations are now growing.
• Dr. Andy Baker, the Zoo’s chief operating officer, has been studying GLTs in the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve for more than 20 years.
• In addition to Andy’s work, the Zoo has financially supported other aspects of the GLT conservation project. Two major areas supported have been the translocation of tamarin family groups from doomed forest fragments to a large, newly protected reserve and a collaborative effort to plant 50,000 native trees to create an 18-mile-long forest “corridor” (pathway) linking tamarins in the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve to those on protected privately owned land. This corridor will help maintain the genetic diversity of wild tamarins by connecting  populations that are currently isolated from each other.
• The Zoo has also supported the Rio Primate Center in Brazil – the most important captive research and conservation center for tamarins and marmosets in the world.