Primate conservation and wildlife management

Abstract

Despite the intelligence, adaptability and opportunism for which primates are renowned, many species are increasingly unable to cope with the pace of change induced by the rapidly expanding human population. They are undergoing a catastrophic decline in numbers and diversity, along with most other nonhuman inhabitants of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This chapter summarizes the seriousness of the plight that faces wildlife in the tropics, with particular reference to simians. It examines ways in which they can be helped to survive into the twenty-first century in the light of their ability to withstand some change; and it outlines the advantages of peaceful coexistence between humans and our closest living relatives.