Non-human primates, our closest biological relatives, play important roles in the livelihoods, cultures and religions of many societies, and offer unique insights into human evolution, biology, behavior and the threat of emerging diseases. They are an essential component of tropical biodiversity, contributing to forest regeneration and ecosystem health. The most recent compilation of primate taxonomy lists 504 species, 197 subspecies and 79 genera distributed in the Neotropics, mainland Africa, Madagascar and Asia. Alarmingly, ~60% of primate species are now threatened with extinction as a result of unsustainable human activities, including illegal hunting and those resulting in extensive land-cover changes: industry driven agricultural production, deforestation, livestock and cattle ranching, oil and gas drilling, mining, dam building, climate change, and poor governance. Although drivers of primate decline vary by region, it is clear that decreasing the per capita demand of industrialized nations, lowering human birth rates and population growth, improving health, reducing poverty and gender biases in education, developing sustainable land-use initiatives, and preserving traditional livelihoods in primate range countries are all part of a comprehensive solution. Despite the existing threats to primate survival, we are adamant that primate conservation is not yet a lost cause. We still have the opportunity to reduce the human impact to primates and their habitats, but that demands raising greater local, regional and global public awareness of the plight of the world’s primates and the costs of their loss to ecosystem health, human culture and ultimately human survival.
Nekaris, A Estrada, AGarber, PRylands, ARoos, CFernandez-Duque , EDi Fiore , ANijman, V Heymann, EWLambert, JRovero, FBarelli, CSetchell, JGillespie, TMittermeier , RVerde Arregoitia, Lde Guinea, M Gouveia, SDobrovolski, RShanee, SShanee, NBoyle, SFuentes, AMacKinnon, KAmato, KMeyer, AWich, SSussman, RPan, RKone, ILi, B
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences\Department of Social Sciences
Year of publication: 2017Date of RADAR deposit: 2017-04-07