This is the Action Plan for the period 1986-90 developed by the African section of the Primate Specialist Group of the IUCN/SSC to avert major losses in Africa's primate fauna. It covers the continent of Africa and the islands of its continental shelf. It does not encompass Madagascar, for which a separate plan is being prepared. The Primate Specialist Group (PSG) is one of several groups of experts providing technical advice to the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The PSG, chaired by R.A. Mittermeier, has set itself the main goal of maintaining the current diversity of the order Primates, with a dual emphasis on: (1) ensuring the survival of endangered and vulnerable species wherever they occur; and (2) providing effective protection for large numbers of primates in areas of high primate diversity and/or abundance.