ABSTRACT
This article deals with the role played by Adelmar Coimbra-Filho in the development of the science of primatology and at the nature conservation in Brazil. Based on primary sources - personal records, scientific articles, and newsletters - and secondary sources - bibliography on primatology and nature conservation, it was concluded that this scientist contributed strongly to the knowledge of the biology, habitat, and behavior of several species of Neotropical primates. He played an essential role in the development of a conservation program for lion tamarins and Atlantic Forest remnants that was a model, and which boosted the process of institutionalizing primatology in Brazil, with an emphasis on the interface of this science with the conservation of endangered species.
KEYWORDS:
primatology; Atlantic Rainforest; nature conservation; protected areas; Adelmar Coimbra-Filho