Africa-wide great ape assessment reveals human activity, not habitat availability, is greatest driver of ape abundance
GDP, roads, agricultural land, and human population density are the
strongest factors predicting abundance

Date:
October 21, 2021
Source:
Wildlife Conservation Society
Summary:
The first-ever Africa-wide assessment of great apes -- gorillas,
bonobos and chimpanzees -- finds that human factors, including
roads, population density and GDP, determine abundance more than
ecological factors such as forest cover.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The first-ever Africa-wide assessment of great apes -- gorillas, bonobos
and chimpanzees -- finds that human factors, including roads, population density and GDP, determine abundance more than ecological factors such
as forest cover.


==========================================================================
The findings are published in the American Journal of Primatology by
a team of scientists led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and other groups.

Authors looked at 156 sites in 20 countries, developing a model that
spans the entire African great ape range to determine abundance, and
to identify key factors influencing their distribution at this large
scale. The highest densities of apes were found in Central Africa,
and the lowest in West Africa.

Said the study's lead author Isabel Ordaz-Ne'meth of Max Planck Institute
for Evolutionary Anthropology: "The findings reveal that the impact of
human activities dominates over ecological factors in determining where
great apes are still found today. This means that even if suitable habitat
is still present at various locations, such as tropical rainforest,
apes do not occur anymore or at much lower density, because of human activities." Ordaz-Ne'meth added: "Furthermore, the relationship between
GDP and great apes indicates a decline of great apes with more developed, larger economies." In addition, the study found that only 10.7 percent
of the predicted great ape population was found in areas with high levels
of legal protection (IUCN Category I and II protected areas).

Said co-author Fiona "Boo" Maisels of WCS: "This study mirrors the recent findings that elephant distribution across the African continent is now
also mostly constrained by human activities, rather than environmental variables.

Current great ape conservation strategies are largely focused on
protected areas, but only one in ten great apes live in these areas. We
must improve the protection for the remaining nine-tenths of great apes
that are currently outside them, and assess the impacts of alternative policies, infrastructure development or stricter guidelines for resource extraction." An important question emerging from these results is
whether we can find solutions for harmonizing economic development and
the survival of great ape populations.

The authors note that recent assessments of African great ape populations
have revealed drastic declines. To successfully protect these endangered species, it is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of policies
and outcomes of different scenarios. These scenarios can include,
for example, the impact of resource extraction sites, climate change,
large scale land-planning, and the implementation of policies that are,
for example, related to forest management, or carbon storage policies
for climate change mitigation.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Wildlife_Conservation_Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Isabel Ordaz-Ne'meth, Tenekwetche Sop, Bala Amarasekaran, Mona
Bachmann,
Christophe Boesch, Terry Brncic, Damien Caillaud, Genevie`ve
Campbell, Joana Carvalho, Rebecca Chancellor, Tim R. B. Davenport,
Dervla Dowd, Manasseh Eno-Nku, Jessica Ganas-Swaray, Nicholas
Granier, Elizabeth Greengrass, Stefanie Heinicke, Ilka Herbinger,
Clement Inkamba-Nkulu, Fortune' Iyenguet, Jessica Junker, Kadiri
S. Bobo, Alain Lushimba, Fiona Maisels, Guy Aime' Florent Malanda,
Maureen S. McCarthy, Prosper Motsaba, Jennifer Moustgaard, Mizuki
Murai, Bezangoye Ndokoue, Stuart Nixon, Rostand Aba'a Nseme,
Zacharie Nzooh, Lilian Pintea, Andrew J. Plumptre, Justin Roy,
Aaron Rundus, Jim Sanderson, Adeline Serckx, Samantha Strindberg,
Clement Tweh, Hilde Vanleeuwe, Ashley Vosper, Matthias Waltert,
Elizabeth A. Williamson, Michael Wilson, Roger Mundry, Hjalmar
S. Ku"hl. Range-wide indicators of African great ape density
distribution. American Journal of Primatology, 2021 DOI: 10.1002/
ajp.23338 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211021120949.htm

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