Many primates face impending extinction, and humans are to blame

We're learning today that things are looking grim for many species of nonhuman primates. A new report published in Science Advances says that more than half of primate species are facing extinction, and even more are experiencing declining populations. The report also pegs humans as the cause of the troubles our closest biological relatives are facing, which at this point may not come as much of a surprise.

The report says that around 60% of primate species are now facing extinction, and an astounding 75% are suffering from declining populations. To hear University of Illinois professor of anthropology and study co-author Paul Garber explain it, the results of the study were shocking even to the researchers.

"The situation turns out to be worse than most of us thought going in," he told CNN. "Primates worldwide are facing mass extinction." Further expanding on that point, Dr. Alejandro Estrada, who co-authored the study and serves as a senior research scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico's Institute of Biology, noted that we're either approaching or at the tipping point for these populations.

The list is long when it comes to why primate populations are suffering, and it includes habitat loss, climate change, increased bushmeat hunting, and illegal pet trades. All of these are driven by humans, especially habitat loss. Agriculture, logging, and drilling for oil and gas all come into play, but one of the more destructive forces when it comes to habitat loss is palm oil production.

Primates play a major role in the ecosystems they reside in, but beyond that, their habitats tend to overlap with that of humans. In other words, if the primates begin to go, it's bad news for any humans who live in the area as well. This report states that we need to raise public and scientific awareness of this issue to prevent matters from getting worse and perhaps crossing a point of no return.

More detailed information can be found in the paper "Impending extinction crisis of the world's primates: Why primates matter" as written by Alejandro Estrada and Paul A. Garber, et. all. This paper can be found under code doi:10.1126/sciadv.1600946 in the scientific journal Science Advances.