To protect wildlife, play 'name that primate'
They're less than 18 inches tall, and mon-ogamous; the male plays the role of Mr. Mom. They have all the unripe fruit they can eat and countless acres of jungle in which to roam. They have everything a monkey could possibly want.
Except a name.
That's where you come in.
Starting Thursday, via an online auction at Charity folks.com, anyone can bid on the right to name the world's newest species of titi monkey, a tiny brown-and-orange leaping primate with a long, furry tail. It's a novel bid to raise much-needed cash for Bolivia's Madidi National Park, heralded since its 1995 creation as the most biologically diverse protected area on the planet.
The unusual auction is being watched closely in the conservation world. Protected areas - particularly in developing countries - are often plagued by poor or unreliable funding that prevents enforcement of boundaries and hinders scientific research. If successful, the approach could be a powerful new tool for countries interested in raising preservation dollars.
"Scientists have always named new species after their benefactors," says Dr. Rob Wallace of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, whose team first spotted the new titi in 2000. "We're just giving someone the opportunity to do that after the fact."
The 29 known species of titi monkeys are all found in the tropical forests of South America. They weigh in at less than 2.5 pounds and can reach 24 inches in height. Unlike many primates, the monogamous titis live in small groups of about half a dozen. Although difficult to spot from the ground, their distinctive territorial songs help give them away.
Dr. Wallace and his team spent nearly three years observing the previously undiscovered population, taking audio and video footage, and making comparisons with other primate species. Convinced they had found a new species, the team brainstormed about how the discovery could best benefit Madidi, located in remote northern Bolivia. Roughly the size of New Jersey, Madidi is home to diverse habitats ranging from just above sea level to higher than 19,000 feet and is believed to contain more species still unknown to scientists. It was during this time that they conceived the idea of an auction.
"Part of the Wildlife Conservation Society's role here is to help the government create a management plan for Madidi," Wallace explains. "Ensuring adequate funding is part of that. Ideally, we'd like to create a $30 million trust fund to provide the long-term resources the park needs."
Wallace doesn't expect the auction, which ends March 3, to net that amount, but he does hope to make a dent in that goal. All proceeds go to FUNDESNAP, a Bolivian nonprofit that channels financial support to the country's parks.
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