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Caratinga: Soundscapes from Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest by Douglas Quin Liner Notes |
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On Caratinga: Russel A. Mittermeier The Biological Station of Caratinga: Karen B. Strier |
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to Catalog Listing for Caratinga: Soundscapes
from Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest
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Caratinga: Russell A. Mittermeier The Atlantic Forest region of Brazil is one of the richest and most diverse forest systems in the world; it is also one of the most threatened, ranking among the five top biodiversity hotspots on Earth. Although it once covered some 1.2 million km2, it is now down to about 7% of its original extent. Needless to say, many of the animals and plants living in this region are under heavy pressure, and quite a few are now at risk of extinction. Primates have long been the most important symbols for the Atlantic Forest, and their situation is indicative of what is happening to the region as a whole. Some 24 species and subspecies are found in the Atlantic Forest, ??? of these are now considered endangered or critically endangered. One of these, the northern muriqui, the largest mammal endemic to Brazil and a species of great charm and appeal, ranks high on the list of most endangered primates, and has become a flagship species of enormous importance to Brazil. Only about 300 individuals remain in the wild, and half of those occur in a single forest, the Caratinga Biological Station, in the state of Minas Gerais, subject of this CD. Like the northern muriqui itself, Caratinga is very special. It was first discovered by the scientific community when Brazilian conservation pioneer, Alvaro Aguirre, visited the site during a region wide survey in the late 1960's. However, Caratinga received little attention, buried as it was in a list of several areas still harboring muriquis at that time. By the mid-1970's, the situation of the Atlantic Forest had deteriorated to such an extent that the muriqui was thought to be extinct in the state. The Caratinga population was rediscovered in 1976 by Professor Celio Valle, of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, who found the area had been effectively protected by its owner, Senhor Feliciano Miguel Abdala, since the 1950's. A successful coffee farmer, Senhor Feliciano had protected the forest and its muriquis simply because he was interested in conservation and found these animals especially appealing. The first study of the muriquis of Caratinga, and the first ever field study of Brachyteles in the wild, was carried out in 1977, by the Japanese primatologist Akisato Nshimura. I first visited Caratinga in late 1979, with Celio Valle and Dr. Adelmar F. Coimbra Filho, the pioneer of Brazilian primatology. We were carrying out a survey of primates in all protected areas in the Atlantic Forest, and we were delighted to find muriquis at this site, as well as healthy populations of three other primate species: the brown howler monkey, the tufted capuchin, and the buff-headed marmoset, which had never been recorded in Minas Gerais prior to our visit. Indeed, after a decade of primate survey work that ended in the late 1980's, we concluded that Caratinga was the single most important site for primate conservation in the entire Atlantic Forest and we made it a focus of an education campaign for Atlantic Forest primates, using the muriqui as the obvious flagship species. We also sought to stimulate further learning about these primates by enlisting Brazilian and foreign researchers to come and work at Caratinga. Since 1979, much has happened. Karen Strier began her groundbreaking muriqui research in 1982, and her 20 year study has now become one of the classics of primatology. Many other researchers have also worked there, including great names in Brazilian conservation, and a field research station was established on land donated by Senhor Feliciano. Sadly, he died on June 1, 2000, but his family has decided to continue his tradition and honor him by creating a private reserve (RPPN), a special category of protection recognized by Brazilian law. This will ensure that this wonderful forest and its unique inhabitants survive forever and remind us of the former magnificence and splendor of the Atlantic Forest. I am delighted to have this opportunity to present this wonderful CD, which captures for you the sounds of Caratinga, and especially the muriquis, and conveys very effectively what an enchanted forest it really is. Hopefully, it will encourage you to visit Brazil and see this very special place for yourself and to appreciate it firsthand, the way I have been fortunate to do for more than two decades. Russell A. Mittermeier President, Conservation International; and Chairman, IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group The Biological Station of Caratinga: Karen B. Strier The Biological Station of Caratinga is a magical forest, whose tree-covered slopes rise above the coffee fields and pastures that surround it on all sides. The forest is small, less than 900 hectares in all. Yet, it is a sanctuary for some of the rarest forms of life on the planet. Located in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, the Biological Station of Caratinga is one of the only remaining tracts of the Atlantic forest. Southeastern Brazil was once blanketed by this majestic forest, which stretched from Bahia in the north, through São Paulo in the south, and inland into Minas Gerais. For centuries, magnificent hardwood trees grew undisturbed, sustaining and sheltering a high diversity of wildlife found nowhere else in the world. What is now the Biological Station of Caratinga was then indistinguishable from a vast, continuous forest, and the animals that lived there knew no borders other than the socially-defined territories maintained by others of their kind. Today, less than 10% of the Atlantic forest is left, divided into isolated tracts that differ from one another in size, degree of disturbance, and the animal communities they support. What remains of the Atlantic forest is now ranked among the most endangered ecosystems in the world, and nearly all of its unique inhabitants are now threatened with extinction. Protected forests, like the Biological Station of Caratinga, represent their only chances for survival. There are other protected forests that are larger and less isolated than the Biological Station of Caratinga, but its reputation as a refuge for Atlantic forest primates is unsurpassed. With thriving populations of four different species, the primate community at the Biological Station of Caratinga is a vibrant one, whose rhythms mingle with the forest's and bring it magically to life. Its most prominent members are the northern muriquis, known in scientific circles as Brachyteles hypoxanthus or Brachyteles arachnoides hypoxanthus to distinguish them from the other species or subspecies of muriqui that lives further south. Northern muriquis are much rarer than their southern sisters because more of their Atlantic forest habitat has been lost. The Biological Station of Caratinga is where the strongest, most viable population of this critically endangered primate is found. Muriquis are the largest of all New World primates, with adults of both sexes weighing up to 20 lbs. They swing swiftly through the canopy with a grace surprising for their size, and listening for the sounds of branches bending and rebounding from the muriquis' passage is one of the surest ways to find them... Like the other three primate species that live alongside them, finding and eating food consumes much of the muriquis' day. Succulent fruits and crisp leaves form the bulk of their diet, which switches with the seasonal menu that the forest provides. Prized items elicit a chorus of excited chirps and neighs, and with more than 60 members in a group, they can make quite a racket. Between meals, when there's little else to do, adults settle down for long siestas while youngsters, full of energy, grapple until they're too tired to play. But whatever their activity, the muriquis' remarkable gentle manners let them lead an uncommonly peaceful, easy-going way of life. Indeed, their social harmony is the trademark that distinguishes the muriquis' society from all others. The Biological Station of Caratinga is more than a refuge for the northern muriqui, for two of the other three primate species here are also in danger of extinction. One is the buffy-headed marmoset, a squirrel-sized monkey with a clown-like face, whose calls sound like whistles and can be confused with those of birds. The other is the brown howler , a lethargic, leaf-eating monkey aptly named for its color and its ability to roar. Both the marmosets and howler monkeys live in small family groups, but in every other respect they lead completely different lives. The marmosets spend a good deal of their time in the dense understory, where they hunt for insects and gnaw at the nutritious gummy substance that seeps from the trunks of favorite trees. The howlers, by contrast, occupy the upper canopy, where the loud, throaty choruses they exchange with their neighbors travel further than they would if they were sung from lower down. In other forests, howler monkeys sing only at dawn, but those at the Biological Station of Caratinga can be heard at any hour of the day. Sometimes, a flock of harmless parrots, flying low overhead, is enough to set them off. Other times, their roars are triggered by the thunder of an approaching summer storm. It is only at night, when frogs' calls fill the air, that the howler monkeys are likely to stay silent. Of the four species of primates at the Biological Station of Caratinga, only one, the tufted capuchin monkey, is still commonly found. With their cat-like bodies and devilish faces, capuchins have unquenchable appetites to match their frenetic lifestyles. Chattering back and forth during their forays through the forest, they tear the bark off of branches and the hearts out of palm trees, indifferent to the clutter they leave in their wake. Sometimes their quest for food takes them past the edge of the forest, into adjacent fields where they feast on the ripe sugar cane or corn. The other primates-- muriquis, marmosets, and howlers, alike--seldom venture far from the cover of the forest. They are, after all, among the very last of their kind, clinging to this forest, like shipwrecked survivors in a raft. Their fates and this forest are inextricably entwined. These are their voices, its rhythm: Listen. Karen B. Strier Professor of Anthropology University of Wisconsin-Madison Author of Faces in the Forest: The Endangered Muriqui Monkeys of Brazil, Harvard University Press, 1999 Guide to the Tracks The digital audio recordings
from Caratinga were made over a period of a few weeks in July, 1991
using a Panasonic SV-250 DAT recorder and a variety of Schoeps and
Sennheiser condenser microphones. The sequence of tracks describes
the passage of a day in the rainforest--from first light to well
into the night. |
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