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. To see bios of the Executive Committee Members, click here. To see the current list of Executive Committee Members and General Members, click here.

For an overview of the SGA and its activities, read a summary here and download an SGA factsheet in PDF format (also available in French).

To access in-depth reports on the current status and conservation priorities for great apes, download the taxon-specific Action Plans.

Great Apes of the World
How many different great ape taxa are there? Sadly every one of them is threatened with extinction.

The Primate Specialist Group gratefully acknowledges the Arcus Foundation's support to the SGA.