91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓÆµ

Event

Cutting Edge Lectures in Science: Primate conservation: Is the cup half empty or half full?

Thursday, November 10, 2011 18:00
Redpath Museum 859 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, QC, H3A 0C4, CA

By (Anthropology Dept and 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓÆµ School of the Environment)

Of the nearly 600 species and subspecies of primates living today, approximately half are in danger of going extinct.Ìý In fact, one subspecies in West Africa, Miss Waldron's red colobus, is likely extinct.Ìý Furthermore, the number of recognized threats to primate survival has increased dramatically over the last decade.Ìý A decade ago, disease was not considered a factor that could threaten primate populations with extinction, while today there are a number of cases of dramatic primate population declines caused by disease and it is considered a vital factor in conservation planning.Ìý Similarly, in the last decade climate change has gone from something largely ignored by many countries to a phenomenon of grave concern.Ìý I will present the current threats to primate populations, consider how perceptions of these threats have changed, and consider if the situation is hopelessly grave (the cup half empty) or is there are reasons for optimism (the cup is half full).

PHOTO shows the cover of the Journal of Virology issue which focussed on the new HIV virus in the endangered Red colobus monkey from East and West Africa.

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