Ecological Resilience in a Primate Community Affected by Gold Mining in Suriname

Abstract

Tropical habitats in South America and Africa are being transformed by artisanal gold mining, but few studies have addressed how mining impacts animals at the community level. We assessed the long-term ecological resilience to mining disturbance for seven primate species (Allouatta macconnelli, Ateles paniscus , Cebus olivaceus , Chiropotes sagulatus , Pithecia pithecia , Saguinus midas , and Sapajus apella ) in the Brownsberg Nature Park, Suriname over a 20-year period. Using 11 trails and unpaved roads to calculate “encounter rates” (species encountered/km walked), we compared the encounter frequency, encounter location, and group size across four community-wide surveys in 2003, 2013, 2014, and 2023. We hypothesized that the primate response to gold mining would (1) affect species encounter rates, (2) shift the location of encounters relative to mining activity, and (3) impact group sizes. Intraspecific variation in encounter rates from 2003 to 2023 did not vary significantly, but minimum group sizes declined for all species (four species showing significant declines). The three more recent surveys also showed that two species were encountered in areas close to the top of the mountain. We suggest that in the context of intensified mining, the Brownsberg primate community maintained stable encounter rates for all species and some species shifted their ranges, as evidenced by higher encounter rates farther from the periphery of the study area. While this suggests a capacity for resilience in the face of mining-related disturbances, the decline in group sizes may be an early sign of an insidious community-wide effect.