Who Are We?

In the rainforests of Asia and Africa, great apes are severly threatened by poaching, disease and deforestation, both through slash-and-burn agriculture and industrial extraction. Effective conservation requires precise information, and this is not always easily found; it is a challenge simply to determine how many great apes still survive. The threats to their survival are vast and complex, so lessons learned must be shared, quickly and reliably.

 

Section on Great Apes

In 2004, the Primate Specialist Group created its Section on Great Apes (SGA) to help researchers and conservationists understand the issues affecting great apes. Comprised of the world’s leading great ape specialists, the SGA facilitates the exchange of critical information, provides guidelines for research and conservation, produces regional and species action plans, and advises on effective conservation strategies.

 

The SGA has an extraordinary group of pioneering primatologists whose expertise to draw upon, as well as internationally recognized conservationists, and in-country primate experts. The membership of the SGA provides a comprehensive perspective of great ape conservation through action plans, regional surveys and up-to-date status assessments.