Since 2003, I have been studying in the San Ignacio area, Cayo District of Belize where I locate and study groups of the endangered Mexican black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra). The area around San Ignacio is heavily deforested due to agriculture and development. During my first field season, I noticed that many of the remaining forest patches where the howler monkeys live are owned and manged by ecolodges. Guests can enjoy nature by hiking through these patches and can hear and sometimes see the howler monkeys. This discovery led me to my dissertation questions, exploring the relationship between tourism and monkey well-being. To investigate this, I speak with tourists, tour guides, ecolodge owners and staff to understand how people perceive the howler monkeys and the role ecolodges play in monkey conservation. I observe the monkey groups living at the ecolodges, record their group demographics, and monitor these longitudinally.

I will return to Belize this summer to continue this line of research. I combine quantitative and qualitative methods including traditional primatology research methods, botanical plots, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews to create a case study that explores the many ways humans and other primates interact, influence each others lives, and live together.