Saving golden-headed lion tamarins: linking research, conservation breeding and conservation planning at the Centre for Research and Conservation/Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp

Golden-headed lion tamarins, small primates endangered by deforestation and degradation, serve as flagship species for the Atlantic Forest of South-Bahia (Brazil), a region of particularly high biodiversity and endemism. Since 1988, the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp supports conservation of this species and its habitat, through research in and ex situ, management of the captive population and participation in conservation planning. Research at the RZSA´s Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC) addresses issues related to conservation breeding (e.g. breeding success, contraception, genetic diversity, founder relatedness). The CRC also coordinates Project BioBrasil in South-Bahia, aiming to contribute to the safeguarding of wild populations and their habitat by assisting the development and implementation of a science-based conservation strategy. The project´s primary contribution is high-quality multidisciplinary research, providing critical scientific information to develop efficient conservation actions, and contributing to local capacity building. Further, the project seeks to catalyse conservation actions for the species, through 1) strategic support for a local NGO centralizing conservation planning and coordinated implementation, 2) community actions informing local communities on environmental issues and encouraging participation in conservation planning and implementation, and 3) providing expertise to Workshops and Steering groups developing species and/or habitat conservation plans.