CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba clamitans) is an endemic species of the Atlantic Forest of Brazil and Argentina. It persists at extremely low densities over an area of < 10.000 km² in the central-eastern portion of Misiones Province, and its presence has been confirmed in five small, strictly-protected areas. The species is classified as Critically Endangered for Argentina. The objectives of this contribution are to review our knowledge on brown howler´s status, analyze the main threats and challenges that affect the species in Misiones and recommend some necessary steps for the development of a conservation strategy for this population. Most of our knowledge on the brown howler in Argentina comes from a study conducted at El Piñalito Provincial Park between 2005 and 2007. Following the 2008?2009 yellow fever outbreak, brown howlers have been deci¬mated throughout the region. Brown howlers have been affected by progressive and severe habitat loss in Misio¬nes. In addition, as for all members of the genus, this species is particularly susceptible to epidemic diseases such as yellow fever. Thus, recurrent yellow fever epidemics coupled with the high susceptibility of howlers to this disease may be the most important threat to the persistence of this small population in Argentina. Finally, these two threats, habitat loss and yellow fever, are further compounded by a lack of awareness among governmental, non-governmental institutions and general public. A recent workshop on brown howlers in Argentina that used Population Viability Analysis as a tool indicates yellow fever as the main threat to this brown howler population persistence. The threat analysis, focused on the dynamics of yellow fever outbreaks and their impact on howler populations, led to the identification of gaps in knowledge that helped prioritize objectives and actions for the development of a Species Conservation Strategy in Argentina.