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Paper short abstract

Based on an ethnography conducted with farmers, primatologists, and capuchin monkeys in a desertification hotspot in Northeastern Brazil, this presentation examines how drought, social inequalities, and multispecies relations are continuously reinvented, reflecting on conservation and science.

Paper long abstract

Northeastern Brazil has long occupied the country’s collective imaginary, frequently characterized by drought and poverty. Six municipalities in this region are classified as desertification hotspots, one of them being Gilbués, in the state of Piauí. In this context, migration from rural to urban centers has intensified among local small-scale farmers. However, the Oliveira family, who live on their own land, have, at least for now, managed to remain there.

One key reason for this persistence is the family’s involvement in scientific research on capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus), identified as stone tool users capable of cracking hard-shelled nuts. This discovery attracted primatologists, inaugurating a research project that has lasted for more than two decades. Members of the Oliveira family have worked closely on the project, and a few years ago one of them proposed a study comparing the availability of palm nuts over time, based on his observation that nuts cracked by the monkeys were becoming scarcer due to rising temperatures and drought. This assessment was later corroborated by scientific research, reinforcing primatologists’ argument that although the species itself is not threatened with extinction, the monkeys’ tool-use culture is at risk.

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted with the Oliveira family, primatologists, and capuchin monkeys, this presentation examines how drought, social inequalities, and multispecies relations are continually reinvented. As pressure from large-scale agribusiness intensifies and climate change exacerbates heat and drought, it also reflects on what “conservation” and “science” can mean in this context.