Climate change threatens population of primates: Study

Climate change is not only an increasing concern for humans but rising sea levels and climbing temperatures may also threaten our closest cousins - monkeys, apes and lemurs, a new study has found.

The study shows that the world's primate populations may be seriously affected by climate change.

"Our research shows that climate change may be one of the biggest emerging threats to primates, compounding existing pressures from deforestation, hunting and the exotic pet trade," said Tanya Graham from Concordia University in Canada.

Researchers assessed the exposure and potential vulnerability of all non-human primate species to projected future temperature and precipitation changes.

They found that overall, 419 species of non-human primates - such as various species of lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys and apes - will experience 10 percent more warming than the global average, with some primate species experiencing increases of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius in annual average temperature for every degree of global warming.

Researchers also identified several hotspots of primate vulnerability to climate change, based on the combination of the number of species, their endangered status and the severity of climate changes at each location.

Overall, the most extreme hotspots, which represent the upper 10 percent of all hotspot scores, cover a total area of 3,622,012 square kilometres over the ranges of 67 primate species, researchers said.

The highest hotspot scores occur in Central America, the Amazon and southeastern Brazil, as well as portions of East and Southeast Asia - prime territory for some of the globe's best-known primates who call these areas home, they said.

The ursine howler monkey, black howler monkey, and barbary macaque are expected to be exposed to the highest magnitude of climate change when both temperature and precipitation are considered.

For example, the ursine howler monkey, found in Venezuela, will experience an increase of 1.2 degrees Celsius annually and a 5.3 percent decline in annual rainfall for each degree of global temperature increase.

"This study highlights the vulnerability of individual species, as well as regions in which primates as a whole may be vulnerable to climate change," said Damon Matthews from Concordia.

"Our findings can be taken as priorities for ongoing conservation efforts, given that any success in decreasing other current human pressures on endangered species may also increase that species' ability to withstand the growing pressures of climate changes," said Tanya Graham from Concordia.

The findings were published in the International Journal of Primatology.