“Weri, stop right here! We need a bridge here. See that fruit on that tree? mekys love it. When they see that fruit, they often cross the road. … Weri, stop right here again! Lots of kixiris are being run over. We need a bridge here.” In the language of the Waimiri-Atroari Indigenous people, weri means woman. Meky is the robust capuchin monkey (Cebinae) and kixiri is the golden-handed tamarin (Saguinus midas). That conversation, which mixed Kinja Iara terms with Portuguese words, took place in late 2021. Biologist Fernanda Abra was driving along the BR-174 road, which cuts through the Amazon Rainforest between the states of Amazonas and Roraima. Next to her, three Indigenous leaders indicated the best points for artificial bridges that would connect the tree canopy and allow arboreal mammals to cross the road without being hit by vehicles. “It was one of the best days of my life. A wealth of knowledge and a wonderful learning experience,” Abra recalls. “Traditional communities know exactly what is needed to protect forests.” Section of the BR-174 road that crosses the Waimiri-Atroari Indigenous land, in Amazonas. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Waimiri-Atroari village. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Finding the best spots to install bridges was one of the most important actions of the Reconecta Project. The initiative, created by Abra, focuses on studying the best wildlife crossing models for these small to large animals that spend most of…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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