Sharing space: can ethnoprimatology contribute to the survival of nonhuman primates in human‐dominated globalized landscapes?

Abstract

The emerging discipline of ethnoprimatology has at its core the construct that humans and nonhuman primates share a planet, an evolutionary history and a "primate perspective" on the world; more simply stated ethnoprimatolgy suggests that humans have perspectives on nonhuman primates which can contribute positively to the primates' enduring survival in our increasingly human-dominated landscapes. Here, I explore whether humans can or do contribute positively to the conservation of nonhuman primates, or whether humanity's impact on, as well as our perceptions of, primates are generally negative. I examine primate-human interactions at the intersection of agriculture with natural habitats as exemplified in several long-term studies, and explore the conservation consequences of these interactions. These interactions are then placed into an ecological-economic perspective assessing the prospects for the survival of primates in a context where humans share their subsistence space and resources with primates.

Local Ecological Knowledge about Endangered Primates in a Rural Community in Paraíba, Brazil

“…Without understanding the attitudes and expectations of human communities inhabiting the very areas where primates live, effective conservation of these species is rendered impossible [Lee, 2010;Sousa and Frazão-Moreira, 2010;Strum, 2010]. The perception among the Lerolândia community -i.e., that the primate population is growing due to long-term reproduction -could contribute to the belief that primates, even the endangered A. belzebul and S. flavius , do not require special protection for conservation.…”

Crop Raiding Patterns of Solitary and Social Groups of Red-Tailed Monkeys on Cocoa Pods in Uganda

“…Subsistence farmers living adjacent to protected areas have borne the bulk of the crop depredation associated with primates [9][10][11]. Such negative interactions between people and animals from protected areas hinder both conservation area protection and wildlife management [12,13]. As a result, understanding what promotes crop-raiding is critical to devise means of improving people-parks interactions and effective protected area management.…”

<Note> Chimpanzees in Bandafassi Arrondissement, Southeastern Senegal: Field Surveys as a Basis for the Sustainable Community-Based Conservation

“…This project is part of the investigation "Conservation of chimpanzees in south-eastern Senegal: the human element" supervised by JD Pruetz. Initially, we identified ape communities in Bandafassi Arrondissement, their ranging patterns, key water and food sources, and particularly chimpanzees' relation to humans via an ethnoprimatological approach 7 . Due to the importance of water sources with gallery forests, specific food-rich areas, and conflicts with humans encountered we focused on three priority fieldsites: mountain slopes above Bandafassi village, where chimpanzees were known to attack goats; the stream of Angafou (12°34′N, 12°24′W), its rich gallery forest and mango orchards, being crop-raided by apes, supposedly after commercial harvesting of baobab and Saba fruits increased; and the surroundings of Nathia (12°29′N, 12°22′W), which was not identified in previous surveys 2 and shows no conflict between species.…”