Tití Tours and the Cotton-top Tamarin. James Stewart July 2011 Managing Director, Eco-Touring Consortium

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1 Tití Tours and the Cotton-top Tamarin James Stewart July 2011 Managing Director, Eco-Touring Consortium

2 Saving the Earth is Important... species count Category Species Totals Vertebrate Animals Mammals 5,500 Birds 10,000 Reptiles 10,000 Amphibians 15,000 Fishes 40,000 Total Vertebrates 80,500 Invertebrate Animals Insects 5,000,000 Arachnids 600,000 Molluscs 200,000 Crustaceans 150,000 Echinoderms 14,000 Others 791,830 Total Invertebrates 6,755,830 Plants Flowering plants (angiosperms) 352,000 Conifers (gymnosperms) 1,050 Ferns and horsetails 15,000 Mosses 22,750 Total Plants 390,800 TOTAL SPECIES 7,227,130

3 Around 20 species disappear from the earth every day! 6-7 vertebrates/month

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5 Wildlife Conservation Network

6 Cotton-top Tamarin, also know as Tití Quick Facts: Height: 1 foot ( 30 cm ) Weight: 1 lb. (.5 kg) Indigenous to Colombia Broadleaf tropical forests Highly social -- family groups Diet of plants/fruits and insects 2% of historical geography Wild population of < 7500 Critically endangered

7 A bit of geography Colombia South America

8 Cotton-top habitat

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10 U.S. Contributions 2009: $310 Billion

11 Proyecto Tití Conservation Strategies 1. Scientific study of the cotton-top tamarin & preservation of the few remaining wild populations and suitable forests, 2. Education of the local people on the animal and its natural requirements, 3. Building global awareness of the plight of the Tití and solicitation of support, and 4. Development of the local communities and sustainable income streams to support conservation efforts.

12 Proyecto Tití and Tití Tours

13 Let s take a Tití Tour Head out for the forest Ceibal Meet the local residents

14 Enter the forest Search for Tití Find a family group

15 Don t forget to look up!

16 There are only 6000 Tití remaining in the wild

17 There are other creatures to see in the forest as well

18 And quite a bit of plant life, too

19 Add a cultural tour of Los Limites

20 See the real challenges of rural Columbia

21 Some improvements are happening

22 Meet the Los Limites Children

23 Help save the Cotton-tops! Thanks for listening

24 Saving the Earth is Important... Acknowledgements: Proyecto Tití Dr. Anne Savage Rosamira Guillen Wildlife Conservation Network Lisa Hoffner en.wikipedia.org google maps And of course, all of the researchers and volunteers that have helped these wonderful creatures get noticed, studied, and held back from the brink of extinction.

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26 Tití Tours and the Cotton Top Tamarin Tití is the local name for the Cotton-Top Tamarin, a small primate indigenous to the country of Colombia. Proyecto Tití is an endangered species protection program commissioned with saving this animal. The latest census concluded that there are less than seventy-five hundred Tití remaining in the wild and their livelihood is primarily threatened by habitat destruction. Key strategies being employed by Proyecto Tití in their conservation program are scientific study of the wild cotton-top tamarins, preservation of the few remaining wild populations and suitable dry forests, education of the local people on the animal and its natural requirements, building global awareness of the plight of the Tití and solicitation of support, and development of sustainable income streams to support the local communities and conservation efforts. Tití Tours is one of the sustainable income streams under study to provide ongoing community and conservation funding. Currently, private tours are made available to Proyecto Tití donors and Tití Tours would open this great experience up to broader participation. In particular, residents of northern Colombia and visitors to Cartagena and Barranquilla, Colombia will be given the opportunity to travel to the conservation site, see the cotton-top tamarins in their native forest, visit the local community for sightseeing and demonstrations, and perhaps a bit of shopping.