A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal PeerJ - the Journal of Life and Environmental Sciences highlights the fact that the economic benefits of commodity export for primate habitat countries has been limited relative to the extreme environmental costs of pollution, habitat degradation, loss of biodiversity, continued food insecurity and the threat of emerging diseases.
The world's primate fauna, distributed in the Neotropics, Africa and in South and Southeast Asia, represents an important global component of the Earth´s land-based biodiversity. The presence and activities of primates support a range of tropical community-wide ecological functions and services that provide vital resources to natural ecosystems, including local human populations.
Alarmingly, around 60% of primate species are now threatened with extinction and ~75% have declining populations as a result of escalating anthropogenic pressures resulting in deforestation, habitat degradation, and increased spatial conflict between an expanding human population and the natural range of primates.
The study finds that growing market demands for food and nonfood commodities from high-income nations and the global community at large are significant drivers of rapid and widespread primate habitat loss and degradation.
The global consumption of food and natural resources, along with an increasingly globalized economy has created an expanding international market for agricultural products. Such growth is also reflected in the growth of the area of deforestation that is commodity driven. Available evidence indicates that between 2001 to 2015, 160 million hectares of forest were lost in the tropics due to human activities and that 50% or more of this loss was commodity driven. That is, forests were converted to agricultural fields, cattle pastures, mines to extract minerals and metals, fossil fuel exploration, and urbanization.
Given that global commodity resource extraction is predicted to more than double, from 85bn tonnes today to 186bn by the year 2050, reversing the current trend of primate population decline and extinction due to habitat loss and degradation will require a stronger global resolve to reduce the world's per capita demand for forest-risk food and nonfood commodities from primate-range regions, while at the same time implementing sustainable land use practices that improve the standard of living for local human communities, protect local biodiversity, and mitigate climate change.
In order to avoid the impending extinction of the world´s primates, the researchers suggest a number of measures to be implemented including changing global consumer habits (e.g., using less oil seed, eating less meat), the creation of an international environmental improvement fund to mitigate the negative effects of forest-risk commodities trade, and assigning responsibility for environmental damage to those international corporations that control production, export, and supply chains.
Authors Alejandro Estrada, Paul A. Garber and Abhishek Chaudhary write, "Growing global consumer demands for food and non-food commodities from primate range regions are placing primate populations at risk of extinction. These increasing demands have resulted in an accelerated global expansion of agriculture and of extractive industries and in the growth of infrastructure to support these activities leading to widespread primate habitat loss and degradation."
"Primates and their habitats are a vital component of the world's natural heritage and culture and as our closest living biological relatives, nonhuman primates deserve our full attention, concern, and support for their conservation and survivorship", the authors argue.
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For the authors:
Alejandro Estrada, email@example.com
Dr. Paul A Garber, firstname.lastname@example.org , (217) 390-7679
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The Journal of Agricultural Life and Environmental Sciences
Utafiti wa hivi karibuni uliochapishwa katika jarida la PeerJ - Jarida la Sayansi ya Maisha na Mazingira - unaonyesha kuwa faida za kiuchumi za kuuza nje bidhaa kwa nchi za makazi ya primate zimekuwa ndogo ikilinganishwa na gharama kubwa za mazingira za uchafuzi wa mazingira, uharibifu wa makazi, upotezaji wa utofauti wa kibiolojia, ukosefu wa usalama wa chakula na tishio la magonjwa yanayoibuka. Mnyama-mwitu wa primate duniani, waliosambazwa katika Neotropiki, Afrika na Kusini na Kusini-Mashariki mwa Asia, inawakilisha sehemu muhimu ya kimataifa ya Dunia ya ardhi-msingi biodiversity. Uwepo na shughuli za primates huunga mkono safu ya kazi za mazingira ya jamii nzima ya kitropiki na huduma ambazo hutoa rasilimali muhimu kwa mifumo ya ikolojia ya asili, pamoja na idadi ya watu wa ndani. Kwa kushangaza, karibu 60% ya spishi za primati sasa ziko hatarini mwa kutoweka na ~ 75% zina idadi inayopungua kama matokeo ya shinikizo la binadamu linaloongezeka, na kusababisha ukataji miti, uharibifu wa makazi, na mgogoro wa nafasi kati ya idadi ya watu inayoongezeka na aina ya asili ya primati. Utafiti huo unaona kuwa mahitaji ya soko ya chakula na bidhaa zisizo za chakula kutoka kwa mataifa yenye mapato ya juu na jamii ya kimataifa kwa ujumla ni madereva muhimu ya upotezaji wa haraka na wa kuenea kwa makazi ya primate na uharibifu. Matumizi ya chakula na rasilimali za asili ulimwenguni, pamoja na uchumi unaoongezeka ulimwenguni, umesababisha soko la kimataifa la bidhaa za kilimo. Ukuaji huo pia unaonyeshwa katika ukuaji wa eneo la ukataji misitu ambayo inaendeshwa na bidhaa. Kulingana na ripoti ya mwaka wa 2015, takriban hekta milioni 160 za misitu ya kitropiki ilipotea kutokana na shughuli za binadamu, na zaidi ya asilimia 50 ya uharibifu huo ulisababishwa na biashara ya bidhaa. Kwa mfano, misitu ilibadilishwa kuwa mashamba ya kilimo, malisho ya ng'ombe, migodi ya madini, uchimbaji wa mafuta, na ujenzi wa majiji. Kwa kuzingatia kwamba uchimbaji wa rasilimali za bidhaa ulimwenguni unatarajiwa kuongezeka zaidi ya mara mbili, kutoka tani 85 bilioni leo hadi 186 bilioni kufikia mwaka 2050, kubadilisha mwenendo wa sasa wa kupungua kwa idadi ya primates na kutoweka kwa sababu ya upotezaji wa makazi na uharibifu itahitaji azimio la nguvu zaidi la kimataifa la kupunguza mahitaji ya kila mtu ya bidhaa za chakula na zisizo za chakula kutoka maeneo ya primates, wakati huo huo kutekeleza mazoea endelevu ya matumizi ya ardhi ambayo kuboresha kiwango cha maisha kwa jamii za binadamu. Ili kuepuka kutoweka kwa wanyama wa jamii ya primates, watafiti wanadokeza hatua kadhaa ambazo zinapaswa kutekelezwa, ikiwa ni pamoja na kubadilisha tabia za watumiaji wa kimataifa (kwa mfano, kutumia mbegu za mafuta kidogo, kula nyama kidogo), kuunda mfuko wa kimataifa wa kuboresha mazingira ili kupunguza athari mbaya za biashara ya bidhaa za hatari za misitu, na kugawa jukumu la uharibifu wa mazingira kwa mashirika ya kimataifa ambayo yanadhibiti uzalishaji, usafirishaji na minyororo ya usambazaji. "Wanafunzi wa utafiti Alejandro Estrada, Paul A. Garber na Abhishek Chaudhry wanasema: ""Kuzidi kuongezeka kwa mahitaji ya watumiaji wa chakula na bidhaa zisizo za chakula kutoka maeneo ya primate kunaweka idadi ya primate katika hatari ya kutoweka." Mahitaji hayo yameongeza ongezeko la kilimo na viwanda vya uchimbaji madini na kuongezeka kwa miundombinu ya kuunga mkono shughuli hizo, na kusababisha uharibifu mkubwa wa makazi ya wanyama wakubwa. "Wanyama hao na mazingira yao ni sehemu muhimu ya urithi wa asili na utamaduni wa ulimwengu, na kama jamaa zetu wa karibu wa kibiolojia, wanyama hawa wanastahili uangalifu wetu kamili, wasiwasi, na msaada kwa ajili ya uhifadhi wao na kuishi,"" wanasema waandishi." PeerJ ni mchapishaji wa Upatikanaji wa Wazi wa majarida saba yaliyopitiwa na wenzao na seva ya kuchapisha mapema. Ujumbe wa PeerJ ni kusaidia ulimwengu kuchapisha maarifa yake kwa ufanisi. Kazi zote zilizochapishwa na PeerJ ni Open Access na kuchapishwa kwa kutumia leseni ya Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0). PeerJ ni jarida la kitaalamu la Sayansi ya Biolojia, Tiba na Mazingira. PeerJ hivi karibuni imeongeza maeneo 15 katika nyanja za sayansi ya mazingira, pamoja na Usimamizi wa Rasilimali Asili, Biolojia ya Mabadiliko ya Hali ya Hewa, na Athari za Mazingira. PeerJ.com ina Bodi ya Uhariri ya zaidi ya wasomi 1,900 wanaoheshimiwa, ikiwa ni pamoja na washindi wa Tuzo ya Nobel 5. PeerJ ilipata tuzo ya ALPSP ya 2013 kwa Ubunifu wa Uchapishaji. "Kama vile, kwa mfano, ""Peace of Mind"" ni jina la jarida la habari la PearJay, ambalo linajumuisha habari za kila siku za kila siku, na ""Peace of Mind"" ni jina la jarida la habari la PearJay, ambalo linajumuisha habari za kila siku za kila siku."