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We are in a new epoch, the Anthropocene, and research into our closest living relatives, the great apes, must keep pace with the rate that our species is driving change. While a goal of many studies is to understand how great apes behave in natural contexts, the impact of human activities must increasingly be taken into account. This is both a challenge and an opportunity, which can importantly inform research in three diverse fields: cognition, human evolution, and conservation. No long-term great ape research site is wholly unaffected by human influence, but research at those that are especially affected by human activity is particularly important for ensuring that our great ape kin survive the Anthropocene.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.tree.2015.02.002

Type

Journal article

Journal

Trends Ecol Evol

Publication Date

04/2015

Volume

30

Pages

215 - 222

Keywords

anthropogenic disturbance, ape cognition, behavioural flexibility, great apes, hominin coexistence, human–wildlife interaction, Animals, Behavior, Animal, Biological Evolution, Cognition, Conservation of Natural Resources, Hominidae, Human Activities, Humans, Research