Industrial agriculture, hydroelectric power, human infrastructure, logging, and mining activities are present in all countries where apes are found. While any single one of these industrial development projects can have a measurable, albeit limited, effect on the surrounding ecosystem, they cumulatively represent one of the single greatest threats to ape survival.
This chapter provides summaries of the potential impacts of these projects on apes, species-specific responses to identified impacts, and the best mitigation strategies currently available to ensure positive conservation outcomes for apes. It also presents an update on development projects examined in the previous volumes of the State of the Apes series, revealing that some have proceeded as planned, while others have been halted or changed ownership.
The key findings from this chapter are:
- The number of industrial development projects in ape habitat is significant and likely to grow in tandem with the global demand for infrastructure, technology, and energy.
- Wherever several industrial development projects occur in a single ape habitat, their cumulative impacts hinder ape population connectivity and represent
a serious threat to their long-term viability. - The impacts of industrial development differ across ape subgroups and species, pointing to a need for mitigation measures that are tailored to individual populations or species.
- Various mitigation strategies aim to minimize the impacts of industrial development projects on biodiversity, but few specifically address impacts on apes.
- By facilitating the exchange of advice, the Avoid, Reduce, Restore and Conserve Task Force of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission may help to bridge the gap between stakeholders of industrial development projects, on the one hand, and primatologists and conservationists, on the other.
- More long-term research studies are needed to assess the impacts of industrial development projects on apes; in turn, the findings can be used to improve mitigation efforts.
Abundance estimates for apes living in their natural habitats are provided in the online-only Abundance Annex.