State of the apes: threats to our nearest biological relatives

Logging, mining, and energy development have historically been major threats to ape populations worldwide. But does that have to be the case?

The Arcus Foundation’s newly published State of the Apes Extractive Industries and Ape Conservation explores and challenges the idea of development needs and conservation efforts being mutually exclusive. This Special Reporting Assignment (SRA) will explore the reconciliation of ape conservation and welfare with economic and social development, fleshing out case studies, key findings, and stories presented in the book as well as other examples.

After three years in rural Côte d’Ivoire in the Peace Corps, Daniel Stiles returned to the U.S. to complete a Ph.D. in anthropology at UC Berkeley. Since then he has worked in academia, for the United Nations, TRAFFIC and IUCN, and for many conservation NGOs, specializing in natural resource management and wildlife trade issues. He has written on these subjects in Science, Natural History, BBC Wildlife, Geographical, Africa Geographic, The Ecologist, The New York Times, The Guardian, New Scientist and elsewhere. He lives in Kenya and is a consultant and writer.