“One of the biggest problems is the fragmentation of the forest,” said Luís Paulo Ferraz, executive director of the Golden Lion Tamarin Association, known by its Portuguese acronym AMLD. In the canopy above, the small golden monkeys with long tails were jumping from one branch to another. In the specific region of the Atlantic forest where golden lion tamarins can be found, the forest is down to just 2% of its original size, Ferraz said. In the 1970s, when scientists began efforts to save the species, there were just 200 golden lion tamarins left, according to AMLD. And in spite of a bad bout of yellow fever in 2018 — when the population dropped more than 30% in a matter of months — there are now more golden lion tamarins than at any time since conservation efforts began.

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Persons: replanting, ”, Luís Paulo Ferraz, Sarah Darwin, Charles Darwin, “, ” Darwin, Ferraz, tamarins, Diarlei Rodrigues Organizations: RIO DE, Lion Tamarin Association, Nature Conservancy, AMLD, Associated Press Locations: RIO DE JANEIRO, Rio de, Forest, British, Portuguese, Brazil’s, Brazil, —