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García de la Chica A, Oklander LI, Kowalewski MM, Fernandez-Duque E. Human and Non-Human Primate Coexistence in Argentina: Conflicts and Solutions. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3331. [PMID: 37958086 PMCID: PMC10648367 DOI: 10.3390/ani13213331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba García de la Chica
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
- Owl Monkey Project—Fundación ECO, Formosa 3600, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina
| | - Luciana I. Oklander
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNAM), Posadas 3300, Argentina
- Neotropical Primate Conservation Argentina, Puerto Iguazú 3370, Argentina
| | - Martin M. Kowalewski
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina
- Neotropical Primate Conservation Argentina, Puerto Iguazú 3370, Argentina
- Estación Biológica Corrientes—Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral (CECOAL-CONICET-UNNE), Corrientes 3400, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Fernandez-Duque
- Owl Monkey Project—Fundación ECO, Formosa 3600, Argentina
- Department of Anthropology and School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Formosa, Formosa 3600, Argentina
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Setchell JM, Unwin S, Cheyne SM. Mental health and well-being in primatology: Breaking the taboos. Evol Anthropol 2023. [PMID: 37172138 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
We hope to raise awareness of mental health and well-being among primatologists. With this aim in mind, we organized a workshop on mental health as part of the main program of the Winter meeting of the Primate Society of Great Britain in December 2021. The workshop was very well received. Here, we review the main issues raised in the workshop, and supplement them with our own observations, reflections, and reading. The information we gathered during the workshop reveals clear hazards to mental health and suggests that we must collectively acknowledge and better manage both the hazards themselves and our ability to cope with them if we are to avert disaster. We call on institutions and learned societies to lead in seeking solutions for the benefit of primatologists and primatology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steve Unwin
- Wildlife Health Australia, Mosman, New South Wales, Australia
- Orangutan Veterinary Advisory Group, Oxford, UK
- IUCN Conservation Planning Specialist Group, Apple Valley, Minnesota, USA
| | - Susan M Cheyne
- Borneo Nature Foundation International, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
- IUCN Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group Section on Small Apes, Gland, Switzerland
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Oxley AS, Donati G, Hill CM. What Works and What Doesn’t Work? The Challenges of Doing Effective Applied Conservation Research in Human-Modified Habitats. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00336-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Bezanson M, Franquesa-Soler M, Kowalewski M, McNamara A, Oktaviani R, Rodrigues MA. Best practices are never best: Evaluating primate conservation education programs (PCEPs) with a decolonial perspective. Am J Primatol 2022; 85:e23424. [PMID: 35924284 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Who do we aim to educate with primate conservation education programs (PCEPs)? In a commentary published in a recent AJP, Annette Lanjouw suggested that many efforts to "educate" habitat-country communities can be neocolonial in their approaches. Forest destruction and habitat loss are a result of global consumption and expansion. We therefore need to approach conservation education from many angles including local stakeholders, policy makers, government officials, and the humans living in industrialized nations who are major consumers of the items that shrink primate habitats. In this review, we investigate PCEPs to determine if the conservation education goals, education methods, and assessment processes are proceeding within a neocolonial context. We reviewed the last 20 years of primate conservation literature and looked for publications that were focused on education programs. We found that in 50 of 52 publications published between 2001 and 2021, the education programs take place in habitat-country local communities. We also reviewed primate field researcher and field site websites, and in most cases, education programs were also focused on educating local communities living near or in nonhuman primate habitats. Exceptions were student clubs, zoo programs, and a high school outreach program. Many PCEP providers presented a list of "lessons learned" and we compiled their wisdom in combination with our experience to provide a framework for moving forward. We conclude that as conservation primatologists, we must think beyond our field sites to create opportunities for educational outreach. We can reach global consumers by linking to zoos, television/motion picture, print media, social media, and working with schools on curricula. Primatologists can engage our undergraduates to establish clubs and create meaningful assignments that reach beyond the classroom. We encourage primatologists from the Global North to consider their positionality and the history of conservation exclusion in their attempts to conserve primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Bezanson
- Department of Anthropology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California, USA
| | - Montserrat Franquesa-Soler
- Facultad de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP), Puebla, México
| | - Martin Kowalewski
- Estación Biológica Corrientes-Centro de Ecología del Litoral (CECOAL-CONICET-UNNE), Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Allison McNamara
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | | | - Michelle A Rodrigues
- Department of Social and Cultural Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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“Engaging the Enemy”: Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) Conservation in Human Modified Environments in the Kinabatangan floodplain of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00288-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Throughout the equatorial tropics, forest conversion to agriculture often fragments crucial primate habitat. In 30 years, 80% of the alluvial lowland forests along the Kinabatangan River in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, have been supplanted by oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations. Today, only about 20% of the former orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) population remains in the region. Because most of the land is now under the tenure of agribusiness companies, we used a pragmatic approach of mixed biosocial methods and citizen science engagement of oil palm growers (N = 6) as active conservation partners to study orangutan use of the privately administered landscape between protected forest fragments. We found that 22 of 25 remanent forest patches (0.5 to 242 hectares) surveyed within plantations contained food or shelter resources useful for orangutans. Of these, 20 are in regular transitory use by wider-ranging adult male orangutans, and in 9 patches, females are resident and raising offspring isolated within oil palm plantations. These findings indicate that orangutans retain a measure of normal metapopulation dynamics necessary for viability at the landscape level despite drastic habitat modification. We found that barriers to in situ conservation in these agroforest matrices were due to the following misconceptions across sectors: 1) Good farming practices require exclusion of wildlife; 2) Orangutans seen in plantations must be “rescued” by people; and 3) Translocation is an appropriate conservation strategy, and nondetrimental to orangutans. Our exploratory study exemplifies the value of biosocial methods and collaboration with industrial-scale farmers to support primate resilience in forests fragmented by agriculture.
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Attitudes towards urban howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) in Paraguay. Primates 2022; 63:161-171. [PMID: 35142940 PMCID: PMC8898239 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-00975-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Increasing urbanisation is encroaching into natural habitats and sometimes forcing wildlife into urban centres. Whether or not wildlife can thrive in an urban environment is dependent on many factors, one of which is how the species is perceived by local people. This study focuses on the city of Pilar in south-west Paraguay, which is home to a population of urban-dwelling black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya). Using semi-structured interviews, we assessed peoples’ attitudes towards the presence of howlers, whether they perceived the monkeys to cause problems in the city, what they believed were the biggest threats to the monkeys, and whether they felt that the presence of monkeys in the city was compatible with their way of life in the long term. Overall, we found that the majority of interviewees had positive attitudes towards the monkeys, believing that they brought benefits to the city and that they should be protected from potential risks in the urban environment. Our results provide the basis for collaborative, community-based development of management strategies for the long-term survival of these urban monkeys.
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Cardinal C, Strubel MA, Oxley AS. Working from the Inside Out: Fostering Intrinsic Motivation and Expanding Our Criteria for Conservation Success. INT J PRIMATOL 2022; 43:1177-1202. [PMID: 35153344 PMCID: PMC8821772 DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00280-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Primatological research is often associated with understanding animals and their habitats, yet practical conservation depends entirely on human actions. This encompasses the activities of Indigenous and local people, conservationists, and NGOs working on the ground, as well as more remote funders and policymakers. In this paper we explore what it means to be a conservationist in the 2020s. While many primatologists accept the benefits of more socially inclusive dimensions of research and conservation practice, in reality there remain many challenges. We discuss the role primatologists can play to enhance interdisciplinary working and their relationships with communities living in and around their study sites, and examine how increased reflexivity and consideration of one’s positionality can improve primatological practice. Emphasis on education and stakeholder consultation may still echo colonial, top-down dialogues, and the need for greater emphasis on genuine knowledge-sharing among all stakeholders should be recognised. If we are sincere about this approach, we might need to redefine how we see, consider, and define conservation success. We may also have to embrace more compromises. By evaluating success in conservation we explore how reflexive engagements with our positionality and equitable knowledge-sharing contribute to fostering intrinsic motivation and building resilience.
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The Habituation Process in Two Groups of Wild Moor Macaques ( Macaca maura). INT J PRIMATOL 2022; 43:291-316. [PMID: 35043025 PMCID: PMC8758468 DOI: 10.1007/s10764-021-00275-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
When studying animal behavior in the wild, some behaviors may require observation from a relatively short distance. In these cases, habituation is commonly used to ensure that animals do not perceive researchers as a direct threat and do not alter their behavior in their presence. However, habituation can have significant effects on the welfare and conservation of the animals. Studying how nonhuman primates react to the process of habituation can help to identify the factors that affect habituation and implement habituation protocols that allow other researchers to speed up the process while maintaining high standards of health and safety for both animals and researchers. In this study, we systematically described the habituation of two groups of wild moor macaques (Macaca maura), an Endangered endemic species of Sulawesi Island (Indonesia), to assess the factors that facilitate habituation and reduce impact on animal behavior during this process. During 7 months, we conducted behavioral observations for more than 7,872 encounters and an average of 120 days to monitor how macaque behavior toward researchers changed through time in the two groups under different conditions. We found that both study groups (N = 56, N = 41) became more tolerant to the presence of researchers during the course of the habituation, with occurrence of neutral group responses increasing, and minimum distance to researchers and occurrence of fearful group responses decreasing through time. These changes in behavior were predominant when macaques were in trees, with better visibility conditions, when researchers maintained a longer minimum distance to macaques and, unexpectedly, by the presence of more than one researcher. By identifying these factors, we contribute to designing habituation protocols that decrease the likelihood of fearful responses and might reduce the stress experienced during this process.
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Raphela TD, Pillay N. Quantifying the nutritional and income loss caused by crop raiding in a rural African subsistence farming community in South Africa. JAMBA (POTCHEFSTROOM, SOUTH AFRICA) 2021; 13:1040. [PMID: 34917283 PMCID: PMC8661414 DOI: 10.4102/jamba.v13i1.1040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Globally, crop damage by wildlife contributes to food insecurity through the direct loss of food and income. We investigated the calories lost and the potential economic impact of crop raiding at subsistence homesteads abutting the Hluhluwe Game Reserve, and assessed mitigation measures to combat crop raiding. We quantified the seasonal loss of calories (kJ/g) of four common crops, namely, beetroot, common bean, maize, and spinach, and determined the seasonal potential income loss. We used a stratified sampling approach to sample the homesteads. We found that season, crop type and the interaction between season and crop type predicted relative calorie loss and potential income loss, with the highest income loss recorded for spinach in the dry season. Significant differences were found for the potential income loss for all crop types in the wet season, and for the interaction between the crop types (maize, spinach) and the wet season. Farm slope was also a significant predictor of the relative calorie loss. Crop raiding animals, crops raided and distance of farms from the reserve all had a significant effect on the choice of mitigation measures of farmers. The highest relative calorie loss was for maize during the dry season, which could affect the subsistence farmers by reducing their daily calorie intake. This has an impact on their food security, especially during the dry season. Moreover, the most preferred mitigation measure used by farmers can have opportunity costs. These results have important implications for food security policies and practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tlou D Raphela
- Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Neville Pillay
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Loría LI, Gallina S, Serio Silva JC, Riley EP. Farmers’ Perceptions of White-Faced Capuchins (Cebus imitator) and Human–Primate Coexistence in Rural Communities of Renacimiento District, Chiriquí Province, Panama. INT J PRIMATOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-021-00244-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Wojciechowski FJ, Kaszycka KA, Otadoy JB. Utilizing local community knowledge of the Philippine tarsier in assessing the Bilar population endangerment risk, and implications for conservation. J Nat Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Abstract
AbstractUnderstanding the historical context of an area enables an incoming conservationist to reflect on their role in communities and to better position themselves both politically and socially within them. Here, we explore how outside agencies and institutions, including a former colonial power, have affected and influenced local communities who share their landscape with Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) in Bouhachem forest, north Morocco. In the context of initiating Barbary macaque conservation activities, we interviewed representatives from local governmental and nongovernmental organizations, city dwellers, and villagers about the historical, political, and social context of the study site. We found that villages around Bouhachem were politically and socially marginalized and discriminated against by the state and urban society. The existence of these divisions and the outside agencies’ simplistic view of villages as homogeneous communities negatively influenced conservation interventions, because people resisted initiatives imposed on them without prior consultation. We found that Bouhachem villagers have been, and still are, excluded from meaningful participation in the conservation of the forest and this finding encouraged us to decolonize our own practice. We engaged meaningfully with members of the surrounding communities and responded to news of erroneous stories about our activities by developing a project working in three villages that included all households. Based on our experiences, we recommend that all conservationists conduct historical and qualitative research to gain a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the communities they work in. This understanding should encourage conservationists to recognize their own social and cultural biases and to decolonize their practice. Attending to our own position may help us to avoid underestimating and alienating people who view conservation actions through a very different but equally valid lens.التخلص من التداعيات الاستعمارية في المحافظة على الرئيسيات :دراسة حالة من شمال المغربخلاصة : إن فهم السياق التاريخي لمنطقة معينة، يمكّن المحافظ البيئي الوافد من التفكير في دوره في المجتمعات، ولانسجامٍ سياسيٍ واجتماعي أفضل داخلها. هنا نكتشف كيف أثرت الوكالات والمؤسسات الخارجية ، بما في ذلك القوة الاستعمارية السابقة، على المجتمعات المحلية التي تتعايش مع قرود المكاك البربري (Macaca sylvanus) في غابة بوهاشم شمال المغرب. في سياق بدء أنشطة الحفاظ على المكاك البربري، أجرينا مقابلات مع ممثلين من المنظمات الحكومية وغير الحكومية المحلية وسكان المدن والقرويين حول السياق التاريخي والسياسي والاجتماعي لموقع الدراسة. وجدنا أن القرى المحيطة بغابة بوهاشم كانت مهمشة و معرضة للتمييز ضدها سياسياً واجتماعياً من قبل الدولة والمجتمع الحضري. و أثر بشكل سلبي وجود هذه الانقسامات والنظرة السطحية للوكالات الخارجية للقرى على أنها مجتمعات متجانسة، على تدخلات الحفظ البيئي، لأن الناس رفضوا أي مبادرة مفروضة عليهم دون استشارة مسبقة. و وجدنا أن القرويين في بوهاشم كانوا ولا يزالون مستبعدين من المشاركة الهادفة في الحفاظ على الغابة، وهذا الاكتشاف شجعنا على التخلص من التداعيات الاستعمارية في ممارستنا. لقد تواصلنا بشكل هادف بأعضاء من المجتمعات المحيطة، واستجبنا لأخبار القصص الخاطئة حول أنشطتنا من خلال تطوير مشروع يعمل في ثلاث قرى شمل جميع الأسر. بناءً على تجاربنا، نوصي جميع دعاة الحفاظ على البيئة بإجراء بحث تاريخي ونوعي لاكتساب فهم أعمق وأكثر دقة للمجتمعات التي يعملون فيها. يجب أن يشجع هذا الفهم دعاة الحفاظ على البيئة على التعرف على التحيزات الاجتماعية والثقافية الخاصة بهم، والتخلص من التداعيات الاستعمارية في ممارساتهم.قد يساعدنا الاهتمام بموقفنا الخاص على تجنب الإبعاد و التقليل من شأن الأشخاص، الذين ينظرون إلى إجراءات الحفاظ على البيئة من منظور مختلف تمامًا لكن عادل .
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Aldrich BC, Neale D. Pet Macaques in Vietnam: An NGO's Perspective. Animals (Basel) 2020; 11:ani11010060. [PMID: 33396881 PMCID: PMC7823637 DOI: 10.3390/ani11010060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Macaques are regularly kept as pets in Vietnam, although the practice is illegal. This is substantially damaging to the individuals involved. In this article, we present the available data on the number of confiscations and releases of macaques throughout Vietnam over a five-year period (2015–2019). We examine this information alongside the data provided by Education for Nature Vietnam in a recent report on macaque possession cases. We also present insights from two key Animals Asia (a non-governmental organization) colleagues who work on the front lines of the macaque issue in Vietnam. Abstract In this article, we attempt to characterize the widespread trade in pet macaques in Vietnam. Data on confiscations as well as surrenders, releases, and individuals housed at rescue centers across Vietnam for 2015–2019 were opportunistically recorded. Data comparisons between Education for Nature Vietnam and three government-run wildlife rescue centers show that at least 1254 cases of macaque keeping occurred during the study period, including a minimum of 32 Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis), 158 long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), 291 Northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina), 65 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), and 110 stump-tailed macaques (Macaca arctoides). A minimum of 423 individuals were confiscated, and at least 490 individual macaques were released. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with two key Animals Asia (a non-governmental organization) colleagues and their insights are presented. Although we recognize that the data included are limited and can serve only as a baseline for the scale of the macaque pet trade in Vietnam, we believe that they support our concern that the problem is significant and must be addressed. We stress the need for organizations and authorities to work together to better understand the issue. The keeping of macaques as pets is the cause of serious welfare and conservation issues in Vietnam.
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Mazet JAK, Genovese BN, Harris LA, Cranfield M, Noheri JB, Kinani JF, Zimmerman D, Bahizi M, Mudakikwa A, Goldstein T, Gilardi KVK. Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Detected in Mountain Gorilla Respiratory Outbreaks. ECOHEALTH 2020; 17:449-460. [PMID: 33345293 PMCID: PMC7750032 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-020-01506-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Respiratory illness (RI) accounts for a large proportion of mortalities in mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), and fatal outbreaks, including disease caused by human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infections, have heightened concern about the risk of human pathogen transmission to this endangered species, which is not only critically important to the biodiversity of its ecosystem but also to the economies of the surrounding human communities. Our goal was to conduct a molecular epidemiologic study to detect the presence of HRSV and HMPV in fecal samples from wild human-habituated free-ranging mountain gorillas in Rwanda and to evaluate the role of these viruses in RI outbreaks. Fecal samples were collected from gorillas with clinical signs of RI between June 2012 and February 2013 and tested by real-time and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays; comparison fecal samples were obtained from gorillas without clinical signs of RI sampled during the 2010 Virunga gorilla population census. PCR assays detected HMPV and HRSV first in spiked samples; subsequently, HRSV-A, the worldwide-circulating ON1 genotype, was detected in 12 of 20 mountain gorilla fecal samples collected from gorillas with RI during outbreaks, but not in samples from animals without respiratory illness. Our findings confirmed that pathogenic human respiratory viruses are transmitted to gorillas and that they are repeatedly introduced into mountain gorilla populations from people, attesting to the need for stringent biosecurity measures for the protection of gorilla health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonna A K Mazet
- Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, One Health Institute, University of California, 1089 Veterinary Medicine Dr., Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
| | - Brooke N Genovese
- Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, One Health Institute, University of California, 1089 Veterinary Medicine Dr., Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Laurie A Harris
- Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, One Health Institute, University of California, 1089 Veterinary Medicine Dr., Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Michael Cranfield
- Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, One Health Institute, University of California, 1089 Veterinary Medicine Dr., Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Gorilla Doctors, Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project Inc, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Jean Bosco Noheri
- Gorilla Doctors, Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project Inc, Musanze, Rwanda
| | - Jean Felix Kinani
- One Health Approach for Conservation, Gorilla Health, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Dawn Zimmerman
- National Zoological Park, SCBI Global Health Program, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Methode Bahizi
- Gorilla Doctors, Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project Inc, Musanze, Rwanda
| | | | - Tracey Goldstein
- Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, One Health Institute, University of California, 1089 Veterinary Medicine Dr., Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Kirsten V K Gilardi
- Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, One Health Institute, University of California, 1089 Veterinary Medicine Dr., Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Gorilla Doctors, Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project Inc, Davis, CA, USA
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Robbins MM. Assessing attitudes towards gorilla conservation via employee interviews. Am J Primatol 2020; 83:e23191. [PMID: 32894603 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
To determine the effectiveness of conservation strategies, not only should we monitor biological variables, such as population size and levels of illegal activity, but also we should examine changes in attitudes and behavior of local community members. Here, I use semistructured interviews of employees at two field sites, in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda and Loango National Park, Gabon, to understand if their employment influenced their attitude towards gorillas and conservation and led to behavior change. In contrast to western views of gorillas as "gentle giants," staff viewed gorillas as dangerous animals before working for these projects. Overall, employment leads to viewing conservation and gorillas more positively, and in many cases, viewing the gorillas as kin. The most common value attributed to the gorillas was economic, yet intrinsic and non-use existence values were frequently mentioned. Loango staff, but not Bwindi staff, reported behavior change related to hunting and bushmeat consumption, which likely is related to bushmeat consumption being commonplace in Gabon but not in Uganda. The Bwindi staff seemed to have a more positive and broader outlook toward conservation than the Loango staff, possibly because they had more years of formal education, they worked with gorillas longer, there is more history of conservation activities in Bwindi, and/or they have been less directly affected by negative consequences of conservation (e.g., crop raiding). This study shows the importance of explaining that gorillas are not dangerous if not provoked and using their human-like characteristics as a means to change conservation values and interest of local communities, while concurrently recognizing that providing economic benefits and reducing negative effects of wildlife are a reality for conservation buy-in.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha M Robbins
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Exploring Local Perceptions of and Attitudes toward Endangered François’ Langurs (Trachypithecus francoisi) in a Human-Modified Habitat. INT J PRIMATOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-019-00091-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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18
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Interpreting People’s Behavior Toward Primates Using Qualitative Data: a Case Study from North Morocco. INT J PRIMATOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-019-00087-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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19
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Waters S, Watson T, Bell S, Setchell JM. Communicating for conservation: circumventing conflict with communities over domestic dog ownership in north Morocco. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-018-1230-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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20
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21
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Dore KM. Ethnoprimatology without Conservation: The Political Ecology of Farmer–Green Monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) Relations in St. Kitts, West Indies. INT J PRIMATOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0043-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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22
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23
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Parathian HE, McLennan MR, Hill CM, Frazão-Moreira A, Hockings KJ. Breaking Through Disciplinary Barriers: Human-Wildlife Interactions and Multispecies Ethnography. INT J PRIMATOL 2018; 39:749-775. [PMID: 30573938 PMCID: PMC6267646 DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0027-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
One of the main challenges when integrating biological and social perspectives in primatology is overcoming interdisciplinary barriers. Unfamiliarity with subject-specific theory and language, distinct disciplinary-bound approaches to research, and academic boundaries aimed at "preserving the integrity" of subject disciplines can hinder developments in interdisciplinary research. With growing interest in how humans and other primates share landscapes, and recognition of the importance of combining biological and social information to do this effectively, the disparate use of terminology is becoming more evident. To tackle this problem, we dissect the meaning of what the biological sciences term studies in "human-wildlife conflict" or more recently "human-wildlife interactions" and compare it to what anthropology terms "multispecies ethnography." In the biological sciences, human-wildlife interactions are the actions resulting from people and wild animals sharing landscapes and resources, with outcomes ranging from being beneficial or harmful to one or both species. In the social sciences, human-nonhuman relationships have been explored on a philosophical, analytical, and empirical level. Building on previous work, we advocate viewing landscapes through an interdisciplinary "multispecies lens" in which humans are observed as one of multiple organisms that interact with other species to shape and create environments. To illustrate these interconnections we use the case study of coexistence between people of the Nalu ethnic group and Critically Endangered western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Cantanhez National Park in Guinea-Bissau, to demonstrate how biological and social research approaches can be complementary and can inform conservation initiatives at the human-primate interface. Finally, we discuss how combining perspectives from ethnoprimatology with those from multispecies ethnography can advance the study of ethnoprimatology to aid productive discourse and enhance future interdisciplinary research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E. Parathian
- Centre for Research in Anthropology (CRIA-FCSH/NOVA), 1069-061 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Matthew R. McLennan
- Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP UK
- Bulindi Chimpanzee and Community Project, P.O. Box 245, Hoima, Uganda
| | - Catherine M. Hill
- Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP UK
| | - Amélia Frazão-Moreira
- Centre for Research in Anthropology (CRIA-FCSH/NOVA), 1069-061 Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, New University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 1069-061 Portugal
| | - Kimberley J. Hockings
- Centre for Research in Anthropology (CRIA-FCSH/NOVA), 1069-061 Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, New University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 1069-061 Portugal
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE UK
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Investigating Niche Construction in Dynamic Human-Animal Landscapes: Bridging Ecological and Evolutionary Timescales. INT J PRIMATOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0033-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Hofner AN, Jost Robinson CA, Nekaris KAI. Preserving Preuss’s Red Colobus (Piliocolobus preussi): an Ethnographic Analysis of Hunting, Conservation, and Changing Perceptions of Primates in Ikenge-Bakoko, Cameroon. INT J PRIMATOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0020-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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26
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The Relationship Between Humans and Capuchins (Sapajus sp.) in an Urban Green Area in Brazil. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-9996-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Blair ME, Le MD, Thạch HM, Panariello A, Vũ NB, Birchette MG, Sethi G, Sterling EJ. Applying systems thinking to inform studies of wildlife trade in primates. Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mary E. Blair
- Center for Biodiversity and ConservationAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNew York
| | - Minh D. Le
- Department of Environmental Ecology, Faculty of Environmental SciencesVietnam National UniversityHanoiVietnam
- Central Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental StudiesVietnam National UniversityHanoiVietnam
| | - Hoàng M. Thạch
- Department of AnthropologyVietnam National UniversityHanoiVietnam
| | - Anna Panariello
- Bard Center for Environmental Policy, Bard CollegeAnnandale‐on‐HudsonNew YorkNew York
| | - Ngọc B. Vũ
- Department of Environmental Ecology, Faculty of Environmental SciencesVietnam National UniversityHanoiVietnam
| | - Mark G. Birchette
- Department of BiologyLong Island University—BrooklynNew YorkNew York
| | - Gautam Sethi
- Bard Center for Environmental Policy, Bard CollegeAnnandale‐on‐HudsonNew YorkNew York
| | - Eleanor J. Sterling
- Center for Biodiversity and ConservationAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNew York
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Blair ME, Le MD, Sterling EJ. Multidisciplinary studies of wildlife trade in primates: Challenges and priorities. Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [PMID: 29023874 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Revised: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Wildlife trade is increasingly recognized as an unsustainable threat to primate populations and informing its management is a growing focus and application of primatological research. However, management policies based on ecological research alone cannot address complex socioeconomic or cultural contexts as drivers of wildlife trade. Multidisciplinary research is required to understand trade complexity and identify sustainable management strategies. Here, we define multidisciplinary research as research that combines more than one academic discipline, and highlight how the articles in this issue combine methods and approaches to fill key gaps and offer a more comprehensive understanding of underlying drivers of wildlife trade including consumer demand, enforcement patterns, source population status, and accessibility of targeted species. These articles also focus on how these drivers interact at different scales, how trade patterns relate to ethics, and the potential effectiveness of different policy interventions in reducing wildlife trade. We propose priorities for future research on primate trade including expanding from multidisciplinary to interdisciplinary research questions and approaches co-created by research teams that integrate across different disciplines such as cultural anthropology, ecology, economics, and public policy. We also discuss challenges that limit the integration of information across disciplines to meet these priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Blair
- American Museum of Natural History, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, New York, New York
| | - Minh D Le
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Central Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Department of Environmental Ecology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Eleanor J Sterling
- American Museum of Natural History, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, New York, New York
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Abstract
AbstractThe natural environment underpins human well-being in diverse and complex ways, providing both material and non-material benefits. Effective conservation requires context-specific understandings of human interactions with, and conceptions of, nature. A focus on how cultural values and norms frame relationships with the natural world can enhance conservation efforts, and can prevent conservation actions undermining local culture and values, providing opportunities to reinforce them instead. Conservation, including the conceptualization and management of protected areas, has the potential to support or undermine these culture–nature relationships. A cultural values approach seeks to identify, understand and integrate considerations of cultural values into the design and implementation of conservation initiatives. Such approaches can realize diverse benefits, including maintaining and enhancing local culture (as a contribution to human well-being), deepening links between communities and conservation activities; facilitating parallel conservation of nature and culture; promoting non-material as well as material natural values; and allowing specific cultural values to inform and drive conservation efforts. Cultural values approaches thus help to enhance the equity, efficacy and acceptability of conservation practice. Fauna & Flora International has implicitly and explicitly acknowledged cultural values within project design and delivery for over 20 years. In 2011 a Cultural Values Programme was established to enhance the role of cultural values of species, places and practices, and of individual and group identities, within conservation. Here we describe our evolving approach to integrating cultural values into conservation practice, provide key lessons learnt, based on specific case studies, and relate these to wider conservation policy and practice.
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Reibelt LM, Woolaver L, Moser G, Randriamalala IH, Raveloarimalala LM, Ralainasolo FB, Ratsimbazafy J, Waeber PO. Contact Matters: Local People’s Perceptions of Hapalemur alaotrensis and Implications for Conservation. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-9969-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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32
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The Implications of Primate Behavioral Flexibility for Sustainable Human–Primate Coexistence in Anthropogenic Habitats. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-9962-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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