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Primate Populations and Their Interactions with Changing Habitats

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Abstract

Given that 90% of nonhuman primates depend on tropical forests, the most effective way to conserve them must emphasize the conservation of tropical forest habitats. To achieve this effectively, we need to address root causes of forest disturbance in develo** nations: poverty, high population growth rates, crippling foreign debts, and the overdependence on tree and land resources. Moreover, it is now generally accepted that most primate populations will in future live in modified forest habitats. Studies of how primate populations respond to forest habitat modifications are therefore critical to future primate conservation. Currently most studies of primate responses to forest habitat alterations are difficult to interpret owing to differences in research methods and lack of information on the past histories of the modified forests. We review potential factors that may have to be considered while evaluating primate responses to forest habitat changes such as degradation and fragmentation.

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Acknowledgments

We thank John Mitami, David Watts, and Colin Chapman for their comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda

    Gilbert M. Isabirye-Basuta

  2. Makerere University Biological Field Station, P.O. Box 409, Fort Portal, Uganda

    Jeremiah S. Lwanga

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  1. Gilbert M. Isabirye-Basuta
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Correspondence to Gilbert M. Isabirye-Basuta.

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Isabirye-Basuta, G.M., Lwanga, J.S. Primate Populations and Their Interactions with Changing Habitats. Int J Primatol 29, 35–48 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-008-9239-8

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