Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries.
While most people are familiar with monkeys, the great apes, and possibly lemurs, fewer may realize that there are more than 500 known species of primates, making them one of the most diverse groups of mammals. These species range from the diminutive Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae) of Madagascar to the formidable eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) of Central Africa.
Primates are primarily concentrated in tropical forests across the Americas, Africa and Asia, where they play indispensable roles in maintaining ecosystem health, whether through seed dispersal, pollination, or other ecological processes.
Yet, despite their diversity and ecological importance, they share a common plight: an escalating threat of extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global wildlife conservation authority, classifies 69% of primate species as threatened, with nearly 94% experiencing population declines. The statistics are particularly alarming in Madagascar, where nearly 90% of primate species face extinction, and in Asia, where 73% are similarly imperiled.
The pressures driving this crisis are manifold. Burgeoning resource consumption, combined with the relentless expansion of agricultural and industrial activities, has led to the rampant conversion of natural habitats. This, in turn, has resulted in widespread deforestation and the erosion of biodiversity. The loss of these vital ecosystems not only threatens the survival of primates but also disrupts the ecological balance, with far-reaching consequences for both human and nonhuman communities.
However, there is a silver lining. Indigenous peoples’ lands, which encompass roughly 30% of the primate range, offer a refuge for these species. Notably, 71% of primate species are found on these lands, where they are less likely to be classified as threatened. Safeguarding these territories, along with the cultures and languages of their inhabitants, may be humanity’s best hope for preventing further loss of primate biodiversity, a 2022 study showed. As new primate species continue to be discovered — more than 40 in the past two decades alone — the urgency of protecting these remaining strongholds of biodiversity becomes ever more apparent.
Banner image of an indri lemur (Indri indri) by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.
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