HABITAT QUALITY AND INTEGRATIVE CONNECTIVITY ANALYSIS FOR CALLICEBUS OENANTHE IN SAN MARTIN, PERU By

Executive Summary The San Martín titi monkey (Callicebus oenanthe) is a critically endangered primate of north central Peru. As an endemic, C. oenanthe's small geographic range, coupled with some of the highest deforestation rates in South America, highlights its inherent vulnerability. Between 2000 and 2011 alone, San Martín experienced the highest gross forest cover loss of any other department in the country. Moreover, it was recently added to the IUCN's list of the top 25 most endangered primates in the world. To date, there is very little known about C. oenanthe. This is due, in part, to the species' cryptic nature and preference for the forest canopy. The massive deforestation in San Martín threatens C. oenanthe's continued survival because as more forest is cleared, its' habitat is fragmented into discrete forest patches. As more patches are created, patch size will decrease over time. Small, disconnected patches threaten C. oenanthe due to associated negative feedbacks, such as facilitating invasions and hunter access, eliminating certain food sources, shifting environmental conditions, or increasing inbreeding depression. In time, these feedbacks can lead to patch extirpation on a small scale, and eventually species extinction on a large scale. Proyecto Mono Tocón (PMT), a local non-profit established in 2007, works to protect this species through field studies, community engagement, and environmental education activities. However, they have been unable to conduct a landscape scale assessment for this species. Therefore, this study was designed to complement PMT's efforts through a remote sensing and geospatial evaluation of C. oenanthe's remaining suitable habitat. While primates remain one of the most well studied animal groups, most research has not focused on their response to landscape scale changes. Therefore, this study provides a landscape scale analysis in order for PMT to more efficiently and effectively prioritize their conservation decision-making. This was accomplished through the development of the first land cover map for C. oenanthe's entire distributional range using high-resolution satellite imagery. Additionally, a connectivity analysis was conducted to simulate movement and identify areas that both facilitate and impede connectivity across the landscape. Connectivity analysis is becoming a prominent strategy in conservation biology, particularly as deforestation fragments habitats into more discrete patches. Because C. oenanthe prefers to move across the landscape via the forest canopy, any gap between canopy cover effectively isolates this species. As such, protecting or reforesting corridors between remaining habitat patches will be a vital part of any management strategy. …