A call-to-action to assist in efforts to protect owl monkeys (Aotus spp.)

Scientific activism to protect the world's primates and their environments from extinction: Introduction to the special issue

Nonhuman primates and their habitats are facing an impending extinction crisis. Approximately 69% of primate species are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as threatened and 93% have declining populations. Human population growth (expected to reach 10.9 billion by the year 2100), the unsustainable demands of a small number of consumer nations for forest-risk commodities, deforestation and habitat conversion, the expansion of roads and rail networks, cattle ranching, the hunting and trapping of wild primate populations, and the potential spread of infectious diseases are among the primary drivers of primate population decline. Climate change will only exacerbate the current situation. The time to act to protect primate populations is now! In this special issue of the American Journal of Primatology, we present a series of commentaries, formulated as "Action Letters." These are designed to educate and inform primatologists, conservation biologists, wildlife ecologists, political leaders, and global citizens about the conservation challenges faced by particular primate taxa and particular world regions, and present examples of specific actions that one can take, individually and collectively, to promote the persistence of wild primate populations and environmental justice for local human populations and impacted ecological communities. As scientists, researchers, and educators, primatologists are in a unique position to lead local, national, and international efforts to protect biodiversity. In this special issue, we focus on primates of the Brazilian Amazon, lemurs of northeast Madagascar, Temminck's red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus badius temminckii), night monkeys (Aotus spp.), long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), the primate pet trade, and professional capacity building to foster conservation awareness and action. We encourage primatologists, regardless of their research focus, to engage in both advocacy and activism to protect wild primate populations worldwide.

Human and Non-Human Primate Coexistence in Argentina: Conflicts and Solutions

There are five different primate species inhabiting widely distinct ecoregions in Argentina. Each of them faces various threats in terms of conservation and conflicts that hamper their ability to coexist with human populations. We present here some of the drivers known to be the causes of conflicts between humans and primates in the southernmost area of distribution of Latin American primates. We focus our synthesis on two of the biggest sources of conflict: the effects of different anthropogenic disturbances, and human misconceptions concerning the role of primates in the ecosystem. In each section, we briefly characterize the conflicts worldwide and then provide specific cases and examples from Argentina. In the last part of the manuscript, we further describe some ongoing national and regional educational, research, and conservation approaches to mitigate those effects.