Callithrix aurita: Representações Sociais de moradores de zona urbana-rural em áreas de Mata Atlântica-Brasil

The recognition of the relationships between human populations and primates, in native forest areas close to urban centers, is urgent in the face of strong human pressure on ecosystems. Thus, the objective of this work was to analyze the Social Representations of residents of a peri-urban area on Callithrix aurita in Atlantic Forest areas located in the municipality of Mogi das Cruzes, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The study included 31 people, 23 men and eight women aged over 45 and 25 years, respectively. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, containing 15 open and 20 closed questions grouped in four blocks: location, participant data, identification of C. aurita and Social Representations about the species. Access to participants was through the “Snowball” technique. Open questions were examined and categorized by content analysis and closed questions were expressed in percentages and subjected to the Chi-square (χ2), G-test and Contingency Coefficient C. The results show that the participants recognize the presence of primates in the study region and have favorable values to preserve it, such as the maintenance and protection of ecosystems and contentment when sharing the environment with the primate. There was also the existence of conflicting practices for the conservation of the species, such as food supply. The lack of knowledge about the risks of biological contamination between people and the animal was another aspect observed. Despite the familiarity with C. aurita, the local population demands information about the ecology and means for its conservation.