Efeito da exploração madeireira de baixo impacto sobre populações de primatas amazônicos, Itacoatiara, AM

Abstract

The great interest to reconcile biodiversity conservation with economic use of tropical forests has encouraged the further development and use of forest management techniques to minimize the impacts caused in the forest. These techniques tend to facilitate the maintenance of flora and fauna representative population in logging areas. However, changes in vegetation can affect the wildlife, like primates, and hence to compromise forest ecosystems sustainability in the long term. The objective of this study was to evaluate the direct effects of low impact selective logging on primate populations and habitat physical structure in the area of Mil Madeireira Company, Itacoatiara, Amazonas, Brazil. The primate populations were sampled by linear transects method in nine compartments with different ages of exploration (1997-2006), and two non-operated compartments (controls). The characterization of the physical habitat was done by sampling the proportion of canopy openness, physical structure and total density of trees. The physical structure of trees has remained similar in all compartments sampled, with a small decrease in the total density of trees in logging compartments when compared with controls. The canopy openness decreased with post-time logging, due to regeneration over the years. The direct effects of logging have caused small changes in the habitat physical characteristics, which appear not to be influencing the use of the logging areas explored by primate species. Furthermore, the forest is maintaining populations of demanding species, as Ateles paniscus, which had the highest relative abundance. These results indicated that the low impact selective logging, in a gradient of 11 years after the first cutting cycle, did not affect significantly the population of primates and habitat structural characteristics.