ENVIRONMENTAL-EDUCATION PROGRAM WITH THE COMMUNITY SURROUNDING UNA BIOLOGICAL RESERVE, BAHIA, BRAZIL

The golden-headed lion tamarin Leontopithecus chrysomelas is endemic t o the Atlantic Forest of the southeastern part of Bahia State, Brazil. The Una Biological Reserve, covering 7,022 ha, is the only federal co nservation unit which legally guarantees the preservation of this spec ies In this region. Sixty-five percent of the Reserve area is covered with vegetation which provides an ideal habitat, but it is not suffici ent to maintain a genetically viable tamarin population in the long te rm. The Environmental Education Programme with the community surroundi ng the Reserve aims to make people understand how important it is to p rotect this kind of conservation unit and the forest remaining around it. Up to mid-1997, 70 farms had been visited and landowners and rural workers have had access to information about conservation, property r ights and land use. In 70% of these farms conservation activities are already being carried out and in 10% of them sustainable agricultural practices have already been adopted or are being implemented. A buffer zone, therefore, is being created around the Una Biological Reserve, effectively increasing the habitat for the golden-headed lion tamarin and other species under threat.