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Apes in the Anthropocene: flexibility and survival
Kimberley J Hockings1, Matthew R McLennan2, Susana Carvalho3
1Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK; Centre for Research in Anthropology (CRIA-FCSH/UNL), Lisbon, Portugal.
Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|March 14, 2015
Summary
Great ape research must adapt to the Anthropocene epoch, considering human impacts. Studying apes in human-affected environments is crucial for their survival and informs cognition, evolution, and conservation.
Area of Science:
- Primatology
- Anthropology
- Conservation Biology
Background:
- The Anthropocene presents unprecedented environmental changes driven by human activity.
- Understanding great ape behavior in natural contexts is vital, but human influence is pervasive.
- Great ape research sites are increasingly impacted by human activities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the necessity of adapting great ape research to the Anthropocene.
- To underscore the importance of studying great apes in human-affected environments.
- To demonstrate how such research informs cognition, human evolution, and conservation.
Main Methods:
- This study is a conceptual synthesis, not an empirical one.
- It reviews the challenges and opportunities presented by human influence on great ape habitats.
- It emphasizes the need for research methodologies that account for anthropogenic factors.
Main Results:
- No great ape research site remains untouched by human influence.
- Sites with significant human impact offer critical insights.
- Research in these environments is essential for great ape survival.
Conclusions:
- Great ape research must evolve to address the realities of the Anthropocene.
- Studying great apes in human-impacted settings is paramount for their conservation.
- This research is interdisciplinary, benefiting fields from cognition to conservation.
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