Of monkeys and men

Abstract

Brazil and Costa Rica, two of the most biologically diverse countries in the world, are facing unique environmental, social, and economic pressures influencing the conservation of habitats supporting a variety of species. This research aimed to explore two distinct habitats threatened by increased development and large scale agriculture that are both inhabited by wild capuchin monkeys. By integrating global positioning system (GPS) coordinates documenting capuchin monkey home range, historical and current satellite imagery, and a geographic information system (GIS) to characterize and spatially assess the scenes, these analyses produced quantitative information to strengthen policy and management decisions in Brazil and Costa Rica. Results improved understanding of: 1) use of a time series of medium resolution satellite imagery to model risk of rapid land use/land cover (LULC) change on bearded capuchin monkey habitat in Brazil; and 2) assessment of white-faced capuchin monkey habitat in Costa Rica using high resolution satellite imagery.