ATBC 2008 - Norconk

Symposium

Is Primate Conservation Essential to Ecosystem Conservation?

Organizer : Marilyn Norconk (mnorconk -at- kent.edu) and Sue Boinski (boinski -at- anthro.ufl.edu)

Nonhuman primates inhabit the most diverse and endangered of the global ecosystems, with 90% of extant species in tropical and subtropical forests. Prospects for maintaining wild primate diminishes with fragmentation of these forest habitats. Widespread hunting of primates for bush meat further exacerbates the challenges of primate conservation. But what does primate conservation truly signify for ecosystem conservation? At what costs do primates become expendable in local species conservation? Can tradeoffs be made among primates and between other ecosystem components? Do primates warrant any direct allocation of the scant resources available for conservation?

Some argue that primates are largely irrelevant to ecosystem conservation, providing few tangible benefits beyond charismatic poster images intended to attract donations and ecotourists. On the other hand, primates are generalists—mobile, relatively large bodied, and behaviorally flexible. By virtue of their abundance, density and diversity, others contend that primates represent a biologically significant component of the vertebrate community of many tropical and semi-tropical forests. Primates are documented seed dispersers and probably play more than an incidental role in pollination.

Research and management targeting primate conservation has expanded for 30 years. This symposium brings together primate researchers from all continents with the aim of stimulating blunt, wide-ranging discussion with other tropical biologists on two timely issues. First, does primate conservation promote ecosystem conservation? Second, should ecosystem conservation take precedence over conservation programs focusing on specific primates?

Primates at Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda