Deforestation is leading the San Martin titi monkey to extinction. The expansion of agriculture has already eliminated 60% of its habitat, forcing the remaining populations to live in isolated patches with limited resources of food and habitat. This locally-managed fund will allow the reforestation of critical areas for the species, contributing to its survival and benefiting almost 18,000 local people with the many associated forest ecosystem services such as pollination, or climate stability.
With one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, biodiversity in the San Martin region is in danger. Deforestation threatens the survival of the San Martin titi monkey, the most endangered primate in Peru. The expansion of agriculture has reduced its habitat to small, scattered fragments of forest in a landscape dominated by crops and stockbreeding. Deforestation has other negative impacts, too, such as increased erosion and decreased soil fertility.
This project involves local people in the restoration of the most critical areas for the San Martin titi monkey, training villagers in sustainable agriculture and raising awareness of the importance of the ecosystem services provided by the forest. This fund helps Proyecto Mono Tocon (a local NGO) to implement a forest nursery which will produce around 5,000 seedlings. When grown, the trees will provide food and shelter for the San Martin titi monkey and help to restore the forest.
The project will recover degraded and lost areas of forest and provide a community biological corridor. The reduction in the deforestation rate will not only help preserve the San Martin titi monkey; it will preserve biodiversity and protect other endangered species, too, as well as contributing to improving the quality of life of local populations, diversifying their income sources and reducing the damage from pests to their crops.
