© Frans Lanting / Minden Pictures
As the human population increases, so does our need for materials and space. Non-human primates are just one of the many creatures that are threatened by human sprawl and resource exploitation. The following are examples of a few typical ways humans are causing the loss of crucial habitat for apes, monkeys and prosimians.
Approximately 26 percent of the world's land area – including one-third of tropical and temperate forests, and a quarter of natural grasslands – have been converted for the use of agriculture and livestock.
Because primates are primarily found in tropical regions of developing nations with vast forested areas, the impact from logging on these species is high.
With roads come direct loss of habitat, erosion, pollution – all major threats to primates.
Development projects, such as mines and dams, can pollute, damage and destroy significant amounts of primate habitat.
Fires can be detrimental to primates by posing a direct threat to individuals, destroying vast areas of habitat and potentially leaving orphaned babies and adolescents.
READ MORE: Primates are also threatened by hunting, disease and capture.