The Impact of Land Conversion on Primate Habitats: Refining the Extent of Occurrence Data for Four Capuchin Species in North and Northeastern Brazil

Conversion of primate forest habitat is a global concern with significant implications for primate populations. Although the current geospatial Extent of Occurrence (EOO) data provided for primates by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature are widely used, they do not accurately reflect the existing extent of primate species due to ongoing habitat loss. We focused on four capuchin monkey species (Sapajus apella, S. flavius, S. libidinosus, and S. xanthosternos), all native to North and Northeastern Brazil, to help prioritize research by the Capuchin Action Network. We refined the EOOs for the four primate species using MapBiomas land cover data. We accounted for areas of agriculture, urban, and mining and updated the current EOOs of these species. Additionally, we evaluated the Conservation Units (UC) in each EOO. UCs are protected areas critical to mitigating habitat loss in Brazil. Our results show that S. apella has lost the smallest amount of its current EOO (13%), while S. flavius has lost the most (77%). Agriculture was the leading cause of land cover change, followed by urbanization and mining. We provide an updated EOO for the four capuchin species and highlight the need for conservation efforts to address the challenges posed by human activities in the capuchin species’ habitats.

灵长类森林栖息地的丧失与转化是全球关注的核心议题，对灵长类种群的存续具有深远影响。尽管国际自然保护联盟（International Union for the Conservation of Nature）发布的灵长类现有地理空间发生范围（Extent of Occurrence, EOO）数据被广泛应用，但受持续进行的栖息地丧失影响，该数据无法准确反映灵长类物种的实际分布范围。本研究聚焦于4种原产于巴西北部及东北部地区的卷尾猴（*Sapajus apella*、*S. flavius*、*S. libidinosus*及*S. xanthosternos*），旨在为卷尾猴行动网络（Capuchin Action Network）的研究优先级制定提供支撑。本研究借助MapBiomas土地覆盖数据集，对这4种灵长类的EOO进行了修正，纳入了农业、城镇及采矿活动占用的区域，更新了这些物种的现有发生范围。此外，本研究还评估了各发生范围内的保护单元（Conservation Units, UC）。在巴西，保护单元是缓解栖息地丧失的关键保护区体系。研究结果显示，*S. apella*的现有发生范围丧失比例最低（13%），而*S. flavius*的丧失比例最高（77%）。农业是土地覆盖变化的首要驱动因素，其次为城镇化与采矿活动。本研究为4种卷尾猴提供了更新后的发生范围数据，并强调需开展针对性保护工作，以应对人类活动对卷尾猴栖息地造成的多重挑战。