Great apes are particularly vulnerable to Anthropogenic threats due to their slow life history, long inter-birth intervals, and low population densities \cite{Purvis2000}.
All species of great ape are endangered or critically endangered.
Under current emissions, Carvlho et al. predict a 94 percent loss of great ape habitat in Africa by 2050. Even under RCP 2.6, a 85% decrease in great ape range sizes is predicted in just 3 decades time.
West African droughts predicted to increase
Climate change is predicted to be
Predicted impacts of climate change on great apes are numerous to expand upon here, .
In particular 2 factors ,
This isn't predicted to go away, in fact the factors
This in combination with other global warming factors makes the rate of destruction increase \cite{Carvalho_2021}
More great apes in a smaller area, resource scarcity, mate scarcity
-> Ever increasings droughts, typhoons, heat waves
Culture & the climate crisis
How have long term catastrophic events shaped human cultures previously?
- Syrian droughts
- Great depression
- Native Americans(?)
What are the predicted impacts of climate change on human culture?
- War is more likely (due to water & food shortages exacerbated by infrastructure breakdown)
- Profound sense of loss, increases in depression (being in nature makes humans happier)
- Reduction in fertility?
How have long term catastrophic events shaped great ape cultures previously?
Examples of events are: Tapanuli habitat destruction, Tuanan fires, west African droughts, Bonobo habitat destruction
- Range shifts to new ecological areas (possibly larger areas)
- Driving innovation to find new resources
- Differences in upbringing (teaching learning behaviours)
- Increased conflict intensity intragroup (chimps/bonobos)
- Increased conflict intensity intergroup (chimps/bonobos)
- Increased interspecies violence
- Chimps hunting gorillas
- Bonobos hunting colobus & red tail monkeys
- Orangutans hunting slow lorises
Catastrophic habitat loss has a profound effect on human culture.
From currently available data, can we predict what impact wide scale habitat destruction and increasing catastrophic climatic events will have on non-human great ape culture?