Reduced impact logging (RIL) is a collection of methods developed to achieve sustainable forestry. However, the role of RIL in maintaining biodiversity has not been tested. This team will study the co-dependence of the large-bodied, frugivorous spider monkeys (Ateles chamek) and timber tree species in a Bolivian RIL concession, and the role of RIL in minimising negative effects on the monkeys’ health and energy expenditure after logging.

Methods include habituation, all-day follows, fruit analysis, urinalysis, seed germination experiments and phenological surveys. This study will contribute to the development of sustainable forestry and primate conservation in managed tropical forests.