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The golden lion tamarin is a primate species endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil (Kierulff, Ruiz-Miranda, Oliveira, Beck, Martins, Dietz, Rambaldi, & Baker, 2012).

Figure 1. (Neko, 2007).

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Rapid deforestation of the Atlantic Forest since the arrival of Europeans in Brazil in the 1500s culminated in roughly 150 golden lion tamarins living in the wild by the 1970s (Russo, 2009). With golden lion tamarins on the cusp of extinction, conservationists and scientists took immediate action to save the species (Russo, 2009). The result? By 2014, golden lion tamarins numbered at 3,200 individuals in the wild (Save the Golden Lion Tamarin, n.d.).

Figure 2. (Compost, 2018).

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So what led to this success in species conservation?

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So what led to this success in species conservation?

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Many factors contributed to the conservation efforts of the golden lion tamarin, but community environmental education programs sponsored by Associação Mico-Leão-Dourado (AMLD) played a significant role in the conservation success of this species.

Translated as The Golden Lion Tamarin Association, AMLD is a Brazilian conservation organization leading the international efforts in saving the golden lion tamarin ("We need your help!," n.d.). Conservation initiatives undertaken by AMLD  include monitoring wild populations of golden lion tamarins, planting forest corridors, and creating public awareness and involvement in golden lion tamarin and Atlantic Forest conservation efforts ("We need your help!," n.d.).

Figure 3. (Associação Mico-Leão-Dourado, n.d.)

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According to Engels & Jacobson (2007), AMLD's community environmental education efforts (including excursions, presentations, educational film screenings, and meetings) led to an increase in public recognition of the golden lion tamarin. Furthermore, Matsuo & Boucinha (2005) note that AMLD's conservation training program provided local educators with an opportunity to understand how education plays a role in the conservation of the Atlantic Forest. This program led to participating educators implementing and sharing new ideas and methodologies regarding conservation to their classes and communities (Matsuo & Boucinha, 2005). The success of this program eventually garnered a partnership between AMLD and the departments of Environment and Education within the municipality of Silva Jardim, so that financial resources could be provided to continue this education program within the community (Matsuo & Boucinha, 2005).

The culmination of these focuses in environmental education and outreach overall led to not only the tamarin becoming a flagship species for the Atlantic Forest, but also in gathering local community interest in the conservation efforts to save the species (Matsuo & Boucinha, 2005).Thus, the public support and community involvement that were needed to lay the groundwork for the success of the species conservation efforts was formed (Matsuo & Boucinha, 2005).

Figure 4. (Save the Golden Lion Tamarin, 2013).

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However, Kleiman & Mallinson (1998) suggest that success of conservation efforts actually stemmed from the initial international recovery and management committees (IRMC) involved at the beginning of the conservation efforts. Kleiman & Mallinson (1998) state that the IRMCs brought together interdisciplinary groups of conservationists, educators, and researchers that drove education and media output (thereby promoting the golden lion tamarin as a flagship species), but also advised the Brazilian government about appropriate conservation actions (Kleiman & Mallinson, 1998).

Furthering this idea, Kierulff, et al. (2012), attributed the success of the conservation efforts to not only IRMCs and educational programs, but also largely to the numerous international and Brazilian zoological institutions involved in situ and ex situ population management efforts. Without these efforts from zoological institutions, notes Kierulff et al. (2012), reintroduction strategies would have been lacking the critical information on health, nutrition, and social behavior that was vital in determining golden lion tamarin survival once reintroduced to the Atlantic Forest.

While each of these authors acknowledges the importance of education for conservation success, they argue that it was won by a mix of international and national partnerships, not necessarily through just the educational programs themselves.

Figure 5. (Woodland Park Zoo, 2010).

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So did AMLD's environmental education programs really play a significant role in the conservation success of the golden lion tamarins?

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So did AMLD's environmental education programs really play a significant role in the conservation success of the golden lion tamarins?

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The international efforts, interdisciplinary groups, and involvement of the Brazilian government that Kleiman & Mallinson (1998), and Kierulff et al. (2012) both note cannot be ignored as factors that contributed to the conservation success of the species. Additionally, the educational efforts presented by Engels & Jacobson (2007) and Matsuo & Boucinha (2005) cannot be said to be singlehandedly responsible for the conservation success as well. However, the impact that AMLD's environmental education programs had (and still has) upon the local communities cannot be overlooked as a major driving force for the conservation success of the golden lion tamarin.

Strong environmental  education and community outreach efforts are often the groundwork for successful natural resource management, as research has shown that involvement in environmental education programs increases a sense of greater social commitment and ethical environmental behaviors (Engels & Jacobson, 2007). While international and Brazilian governmental and zoological efforts have played an important role in physically bringing the golden lion tamarin back from the brink and funding conservation efforts, AMLD's environmental education programs themselves have been the foundation for gathering the support of the local communities impacted by these efforts.

It must be remembered that the individuals within the local communities living alongside the golden lion tamarins are (and will be continue to be) the stewards of the tamarins and the Atlantic Forest. Without AMLD's environmental education programs, the local communities may not have been as engaged in or supportive of the conservation efforts due to lack of understanding on the importance of the tamarins and their Atlantic Forest home. Such a loss would have possibly led to a disconnect between preserving their own natural lands and saving one of their own (now iconic) species. Arguments can be made about which groups and funds were used to create these educational programs (and therefore saved the golden lion tamarin from extinction), but AMLD has been the main driving force behind implementing these programs within the local communities. For this reason, the significant impact of AMLD's environmental education programs cannot be overlooked in the conservation success of the golden lion tamarin.

Figure 6. (Lima, 2014).

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Associação Mico-Leão-Dourado. (n.d.).Associação mico-leão-dourado logo [digital image]. Retrieved from: http://www.micoleao.org.br/

Compost, A. (Photographer). (2018). Deforestation: Facts, causes, and effects [digital image]. Retrieved from: https://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html

Engels, C. A., & Jacobson, S. K. (2007). Evaluating Long-Term Effects of the Golden Lion Tamarin Environmental Education Program in Brazil. Journal of Environmental Education, 38(3), 3–14. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/10.3200/JOEE.38.3.3-14

Kierulff, M. C. M., Ruiz-Miranda, C. R., Oliveira, P. P., Beck, B. B., Martins, A., Dietz, J. M., Baker, A. J. (2012). The Golden lion tamarin Leontopithecus rosalia: a conservation success story. International Zoo Yearbook, 46(1), 36–45. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/10.1111/j.1748-1090.2012.00170.x

Kleiman, D. G., & Mallinson, J. C. (1998). Recovery and Management Committees for Lion Tamarins: Partnerships in Conservation Planning and Implementation. Conservation Biology, 12(1), 27

Lima, D. S. (Photographer). (2014). Panorama, Parque Nacional e Histórico do Monte Pascoal [digital image]. Retrieved from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panorama,_Parque_Nacional_e_Hist%C3%B3rico_do_Monte_Pascoal.JPG

Matsuo, P. M., & Boucinha, V. (2005). Teacher Training for Conservation of the Golden Lion Tamarin ( Leontopithecus rosalia ) and the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Neotropical Primates, 13, 3, 41-43. doi: 10.1896/1413-4705.13.3.41

Neko, S. (Photographer). (2007). Golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) [digital image]. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_lion_tamarin.

Russo, G. (2009). Biodiversity: Biodiversity’s bright spot. Nature, 462(7271), 266–269. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/10.1038/462266a

Save the Golden Lion Tamarin. (2013). National geographic expedition visits AMLD [digital image]. Retrieved from: http://savetheliontamarin.org/display/ShowJournal?moduleId=6825241&registeredAuthorId=457685&currentPage=10

We need your help! (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://savetheliontamarin.org/

Woodland Park Zoo. (2010). Golden lion tamarin [digital image]. Retrieved from: https://www.adsoftheworld.com/media/print/woodland_park_zoo_golden_lion_tamarin