Research and in situ conservation of owl monkeys enhances environmental law enforcement at the Colombian‐Peruvian border

Abstract

This study reports on impacts of illegal trade in owl monkeys (Aotus nancymaae, A. vociferans) for the biomedical research market in the Colombian‐Peruvian Amazonian border. Through freedom of information requests and interviews with hunters we found that 912 owl monkeys, including A. nancymaae captured in Peru, were trapped over a 3‐month period in 2012 to supply a malaria research facility based in Leticia, Colombia, which had trapping permits for the use of only 800 A. vociferans annually yet experimentation took place using A. nancymaae. High levels of extraction in Peru have had population‐level impacts with significantly lower densities of Aotus spp. (3–24 individuals/km2) compared to Colombian sites with low hunting pressure (26–44 individuals/km2). Post‐experimental release of this species in Colombian territory has created a new distribution whose status and impacts on resident populations of A. vociferans remain unknown. The trapping method has also had environmental impact, with loss of over 65,000 trees (including sleeping sites), annually. As Aotus species are registered under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II, international trade requires official permission and evidence that extraction does not impact wild populations. However, no official records exist and CITES legislation has failed, due principally to a lack of appropriate monitoring by national authorities responsible for compliance. Of further concern is that we had previously documented and reported the illegal trade to the appropriate governmental authorities yet still no action was taken—as demonstrated by the continuing trade in 2013. Enforcement eventually occurred when a non‐governmental organization initiated legal action against organizations responsible. A successful second instance ruling by the Colombian State's Council in 2013 revoked trapping permits. Using the trade in owl monkeys as a case study we consider implementation, compliance, and enforcement of CITES in the border area to identify mechanisms to improve enforcement of environmental legislation. Am. J. Primatol. 76:658–669, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Disappearing in the Night: An Overview on Trade and Legislation of Night Monkeys in South and Central America

“…Investigative research conducted in countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Brazil suggests significant cross-border trade that is not captured in the official international trade registers [Maldonado et al, 2009;Rojas Briñez, 2011;Ruiz-García et al, 2013;Maldonado and Peck, 2014]. This illegal trade is not easily captured under CITES, and it is imperative that domestic legislation extends to address and strengthen illegal in-country activities more efficiently, as well as implement cross-border cooperative efforts involving border officials and environmental authorities.…”

“…When trade became regulated, captive breeding programmes were started in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the USA, Peru, Panama, and Germany [Gozalo and Montoya, 1990;Rappold and Erkert, 1994;Málaga et al, 1997;Obaldía, 2001]. Despite the availability of captive-bred animals, several researchers have found evidence that the international trade of night monkeys for biomedical research is continuing illegally from at least part of their range [Maldonado et al, 2009;Rojas Briñez, 2011;Ruiz-García et al, 2013;Maldonado and Peck, 2014].…”

“…Until 2015, permits for malarial research in Colombia allowed the capture of A. vociferans [Maldonado and Peck, 2014]. However, due to overextraction it became hard to source the species, which led to the biomedical laboratory Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC) requesting permits to capture A. nancymaae as well [FIDIC, 2015].…”

“…Exports of wildcaught night monkeys were principally to the USA and Europe. Trade of night monkeys and other primates from South and Central America occurred at an alarming rate, leading to national bans being implemented on exports of primates in the mid- 1960s and 1970s in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, and Panama, with official licenses being issued for limited numbers of night monkeys allowed to be exported in any given year [Brazil, 1967;Mack and Mittermeier, 1984;Maldonado and Peck, 2014]. When trade became regulated, captive breeding programmes were started in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the USA, Peru, Panama, and Germany [Gozalo and Montoya, 1990;Rappold and Erkert, 1994;Málaga et al, 1997;Obaldía, 2001].…”

“…Partially due to their cryptic nature, nocturnal species have often been excluded from studies on trade [Nekaris and Nijman, 2013;Svensson and Friant, 2014]. Recent work has, however, found them to be increasingly threatened by both domestic and international trade [Shepherd et al, 2005;Maldonado and Peck, 2014;Nijman and Nekaris, 2014;Svensson and Friant, 2014;Shanee et al, 2015b;Svensson et al, 2015].…”