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Habitat loss and fragmentation are two of the biggest threats facing wildlife today. Understanding the role of wildlife pathways in connecting resource areas is key for maintaining landscape connectivity, reducing the impacts of habitat loss and helping address human–wildlife conflict. In this study, we used sign surveys and camera trapping to understand the fine scale movement of elephants moving between a protected area and agricultural zone in the Masai Mara, Kenya. We used generalised linear models to determine factors driving high frequency of pathway use by elephants. Our results showed strong seasonal trends in pathway use, with peaks coinciding with the dry season. However, no correlations between rainfall and pathway use were found. Temporal patterns of pathway use indicate that elephants use risk avoidance strategies by moving between the two areas at times of low human disturbance. Spatial analysis revealed that the most frequently used pathways were closer to farms, saltlicks and forest and those that had a higher percentage of forest cover. Our models also showed a positive relationship between pathway use and the number of elephant crop raiding incidents, highlighting that pathways can play a role in human–elephant conflict. As habitat loss continues, pathways may become more important for linking resources. However, they are also likely to facilitate movement into farmland. The results from this study provide an opportunity for planned management activities to ensure connectivity and to mitigated conflict.

Aim: We assess the potential long-term viability of orangutan populations across Borneo, considering the effects of habitat loss, and various forms of population reduction, including hunting, retaliatory killings, and capture and translocation. Location: The study focused on the island of Borneo, a region that has experienced substantial deforestation over the past four decades, resulting in the degradation and fragmentation of its lowland forests, thereby threatening the island's unique biodiversity, including orangutan populations. Methods: To evaluate the long-term viability of orangutan populations, we employed a spatially-explicit individual-based model. This model allowed us to simulate various scenarios, including the impact of removing habitat fragments or individuals from the population. Results: Our findings revealed that small forest fragments facilitate orangutan movement, thereby increasing the number of individuals settling in non-natal patches. Crucially, orangutan populations proved highly vulnerable to even small levels of offtake. Annual removal rates exceeding 2% diminished the positive role of small forest patches in sustaining population connectivity, the long-term viability of populations and prospects for recovery. Main Conclusions: Our results suggest that orangutan populations in Borneo could potentially recover from recent declines if removal of orangutans by hunting, retaliatory killings, capture and translocation is reduced, and habitat connectivity is maintained within human-modified landscapes. These findings emphasize the urgent need for conservation strategies that mitigate negative human-wildlife interactions, and/or help preserve habitat and fragments as stepping stones. Measures could include promoting coexistence with local communities and translocating orangutans only in rare cases where no suitable alternative exists, to ensure the long-term survival of orangutan populations in Borneo.

The rapid growth of clean energy technologies is driving a rising demand for critical minerals. In 2022 at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), seven major economies formed an alliance to enhance the sustainability of mining these essential decarbonization minerals. However, there is a scarcity of studies assessing the threat of mining to global biodiversity. By integrating a global mining dataset with great ape density distribution, we estimated the number of African great apes that spatially coincided with industrial mining projects. We show that up to one-third of Africa's great ape population faces mining-related risks. In West Africa in particular, numerous mining areas overlap with fragmented ape habitats, often in high-density ape regions. For 97% of mining areas, no ape survey data are available, underscoring the importance of increased accessibility to environmental data within the mining sector to facilitate research into the complex interactions between mining, climate, biodiversity, and sustainability.

Postings on social media on Twitter (now X), BioAnthropology News (Facebook), and other venues, as well as recent publications in prominent journals, show that primatologists, ecologists, and other researchers are questioning the terms “Old World” and “New World” due to their colonial implications and history. The terms are offensive if they result in erasing Indigenous voices and history, ignoring the fact that Indigenous peoples were in the Americas long before European colonization. Language use is not without context, but alternative terminology is not always obvious and available. In this perspective, we share opinions expressed by an international group of primatologists who considered questions about the use of these terms, whether primatologists should adjust language use, and how to move forward. The diversity of opinions provides insight into how conventional terms used in primatological research and conservation may impact our effectiveness in these domains.

Mammal populations are declining in biodiverse tropical regions. Global analyses identify Indonesia as a hotspot of vertebrate decline, although relatively few data are available to substantiate these claims. We reviewed research articles from 2000 to 2020 on Indonesia’s 104 medium to large terrestrial mammal species to help inform conservation management and future research. We found 308 peer-reviewed studies published in English or Bahasa Indonesia, with an increase in publications over the years. Studies of species distributions dominated the literature, followed by publications on abundance, species diversity, and combinations of these topics. Most publications concerned single species conducted at a single location and time point. We identify four key knowledge gaps for future research and conservation efforts: 1) a disproportionate focus on a small number of species; 2) geographic bias to west Indonesia (Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Java-Bali) with few published studies from central (Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku) and east (Papua) of the country; 3) limitations to survey design, sampling effort, and data analysis; and, 4) lack of long-term species population studies. We also noted challenges for local researchers to publish their studies in international journals due to language barriers and cost. Greater use of existing biodiversity data and continued capacity building of local researchers, particularly those in central and east Indonesia, are critical to effectively guide future wildlife monitoring and improve mammal conservation status.

Indonesia is embarking on an ambitious relocation of its capital city to Kalimantan, Borneo, bringing with it major urban and road infrastructure. Yet, despite being one of the world's most biologically diverse regions, the potential implications of this development for wildlife have yet to be fully assessed. We explored the potential impacts of the capital relocation, and road expansion and upgrades to critical habitat for medium-large mammals (>1 kg) using camera trap data from 11 forested landscapes. We applied Bayesian multi-species occupancy models to predict community and species-level responses to anthropogenic and environmental factors. We extrapolated spatial patterns of occupancy and species diversity across the forests of Kalimantan and identified “critical habitats” as the top 20th percentile of occupancy and species richness values. We subsequently overlapped these critical habitat layers with infrastructure impact zones to estimate the area that could potentially be affected by direct or secondary impacts. At both the community and species-level, distance to primary roads had the strongest negative influence on habitat-use. Occupancy was also influenced by forest quality and multidimensional poverty conditions in adjacent villages, demonstrating the sensitivity of biodiversity to socio-ecological pressures. Less than 1 % of the critical habitat for the threatened mammal community lay within the direct impact zone (30 km radius) of the capital relocation. However, approximately 16 % was located within 200 km and could potentially be affected by uncontrolled secondary impacts such as urban sprawl and associated regional development. The often-overlooked secondary implications of upgrading existing roads could also intersect a large amount of critical habitat for lowland species. Mitigating far-reaching secondary impacts of infrastructure development should be fully incorporated into environmental impact assessments. This will provide Indonesia with an op

Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are Critically Endangered and Guinea is a key stronghold for this subspecies. However, Guinea is also rich in minerals with some of the highest‐grade iron‐ore deposits in the world. Specifically, the Nimba Mountains, home to western chimpanzees, is one of the sites under consideration for mining activities. To assess the impact of mining activities in the area, we used non‐invasive genetic sampling to estimate chimpanzee population size, sex ratio, community composition, and range boundaries on the western flank of the massif. The level of genetic diversity and affinity between communities was estimated and recommendations for future genetic censusing provided. Between 2003 and 2018, we collected 999 fecal samples of which 663 were analyzed using a panel of 26 microsatellites. We identified a minimum of 136 chimpanzees in four communities, with evidence of migratory events, a high level of shared ancestry and genetic diversity. We assessed sampling intensities and capture rates for each community. Saturation was reached in two communities with sampling between 3.2 and 4.3 times the estimated number of chimpanzees. Our findings highlight the utility of genetic censusing for temporal monitoring of ape abundance, as well as capturing migratory events and gauging genetic diversity and population viability over time. We recommend genetic sampling, combined with camera trapping, for use in future Environmental and Social Impact Assessments, as these methods can yield robust baselines for implementing the mitigation hierarchy, future biomonitoring and conservation management.

Aim: Comprehensive, global information on species' occurrences is an essential biodiversity variable and central to a range of applications in ecology, evolution, biogeography and conservation. Expert range maps often represent a species' only available distributional information and play an increasing role in conservation assessments and macroecology. We provide global range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species harmonised to the taxonomy of the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) mobilised from two sources, the Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW) and the Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World (CMW). Location: Global. Taxon: All extant mammal species. Methods: Range maps were digitally interpreted, georeferenced, error-checked and subsequently taxonomically aligned between the HMW (6253 species), the CMW (6431 species) and the MDD taxonomies (6362 species). Results: Range maps can be evaluated and visualised in an online map browser at Map of Life (mol.org) and accessed for individual or batch download for non-commercial use. Main conclusion: Expert maps of species' global distributions are limited in their spatial detail and temporal specificity, but form a useful basis for broad-scale characterizations and model-based integration with other data. We provide georeferenced range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species as shapefiles, with species-level metadata and source information packaged together in geodatabase format. Across the three taxonomic sources our maps entail, there are 1784 taxonomic name differences compared to the maps currently available on the IUCN Red List website. The expert maps provided here are harmonised to the MDD taxonomic authority and linked to a community of online tools that will enable transparent future updates and version control.

Contemporary conservation professionals are part of a workforce focused on overcoming complex challenges under great time pressure. The characteristics of conservation work, and in particular the evolving demands placed on the workforce, mean that to remain effective these professionals need to enhance their skills and abilities continually. Currently, there are no sector-wide guidelines to promote systematic professional development that addresses both individual and organizational learning. This study builds upon existing knowledge from other sectors by examining professional development in conservation through an in-depth qualitative thematic analysis of interviews with 22 conservation professionals, resulting in an effectiveness framework for professional development in the conservation sector. Our findings indicate how individuals’ motivation to learn, proactivity, open-mindedness towards alternative information and views were considered preconditions for effective professional development. A balance between organizational goals and career ambitions was found essential to maintain this motivation to learn and vital for staff retention and preservation of institutional knowledge. Professional development plans may help distinguish between individual career aspirations and organizational objectives and aid a discussion between staff and management on how to balance the two. Leaders have the opportunity to remove barriers to effective professional development. We discuss solutions to overcome specific barriers, to promote an inclusive approach for diverse learners through provision of opportunities, effective learning design, and resource distribution for professional development. This effectiveness framework can be used by conservationists and conservation organizations to plan and decide on professional development.

Modern day conservation professionals are faced with cognitive and emotionally demanding tasks and a wide range of working conditions, which may include long hours, isolation from friends and family, and high levels of uncertainty, e.g. the socio-political contexts in which organizations and their staff must function. Positive adaptation to professional challenges, here referred to as resilience, can help individuals thrive in their role. In this qualitative study, we explored factors relating to positive and negative psychological states. We interviewed twenty-two individuals with professional experience working in high-biodiversity countries that have limited informational, human and financial resources. We used thematic analysis to identify themes and strategies to promote resilience in the workplace. Results revealed factors associated with positive psychological states included answering an occupational calling, achievements, and recognition and appreciation for work. Organisational policies and administration, especially perceived unfairness regarding salaries, recruitment policies, promotion and professional development, were connected to negative psychological states, as were other factors related to the job context. Respondents shared their professional resilience strategies, such as appreciating the positives and maintaining optimism, aligning work with one’s values, and personal reflection and goal setting. Organisations can play an important role in supporting employees in the process of building resilience by addressing basic needs and factors that are of motivational value.

Bipedalism, a defining feature of the human lineage, is thought to have evolved as forests retreated in the late Miocene-Pliocene. Chimpanzees living in analogous habitats to early hominins offer a unique opportunity to investigate the ecological drivers of bipedalism that cannot be addressed via the fossil record alone. We investigated positional behavior and terrestriality in a savanna-mosaic community of chimpanzees ( ) in the Issa Valley, Tanzania as the first test in a living ape of the hypothesis that wooded, savanna habitats were a catalyst for terrestrial bipedalism. Contrary to widely accepted hypotheses of increased terrestriality selecting for habitual bipedalism, results indicate that trees remained an essential component of the hominin adaptive niche, with bipedalism evolving in an arboreal context, likely driven by foraging strategy.

Habitual bipedal walking is unique to humans amongst primates and its associated morphological features are used to define the human clade (hominins) from other apes over the last 7 million years (Ma). Yet, the evolutionary origins of our bipedal gait remain unknown. The palaeontological record supports an adaptive hominin radiation from a closed (e.g., tropical forest) to a more open and seasonal heterogeneous environment (e.g., savannah-mosaic) as central to the emergence and evolution of terrestrial bipedalism in the human lineage [1]. However, morphological features that are advantageous for arboreal locomotion are present in the forelimbs of many hominins (early and late), generating long-standing debate around the functional significance of these features, and the link between bipedalism and terrestriality. In the absence of direct fossil evidence, extant chimpanzees that live across a habitat gradient provide ideal models to test the “savannah-landscape effect” on ape locomotor behaviour and substrate use [2-3]. Chimpanzee locomotor studies to date, however, have focused only on forest-dwelling communities [4-5], limiting our knowledge of the full range of chimpanzee locomotor behaviour and its application for modelling hominin evolution. Here, we characterize for the first time the positional behaviour and substrate-use of chimpanzees living in an open, dry habitat. Chimpanzees (P. t. schweinfurthii) of the Issa Valley, western Tanzania, live in a savannah-mosaic habitat dominated by open miombo woodland with strips of closed evergreen (riparian) forest: a mosaic that resembles the reconstructed palaeoenvironments of Pliocene hominins. To investigate the influence of an open habitat on positional behaviour and terrestriality we, 1) quantified the frequency of terrestrial and arboreal positional behaviours between the forest and woodland at Issa, and 2) compared our findings to data published on forest-dwelling chimpanzees. Specifically, we tested the hypothe