Primate Conservation Efforts and Sustainable Development Goals in Ecuador, Combining Research, Education and Capacity Building

Ecuadorian primates are a diverse and ecologically important group that is facing severe conservation problems. We present the experiences and lessons learned from two primate conservation projects in eastern and western Ecuador to foster an in-depth reflection of what could be improved to enhance their contribution to the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By combining research, education, and capacity building, both projects aim to empower and engage local communities in initiatives to protect primate habitats. These efforts to enhance local environmental sustainability contribute to SDGs 15 (Life on land), 4 (Quality of education), 2 (Zero hunger), 3 (Good health and well-being), 5 (Gender equality), 10 (Reduced inequalities), 12 (Responsible consumption and production), and 13 (Climate actions). One of our findings is that community involvement in conservation activities is not always directly related to an improvement of the conservation status of primate populations. Therefore, continuous monitoring of primate populations and of other relevant indicators is key to assessing the effectiveness of the interventions. We highlight the importance of sharing information between projects with similar scopes and the need to develop local indicators for a more objective assessment of the contribution of small-scale conservation projects to the delivery of the SDGs

Ant farmers practice proactive personal hygiene to protect their fungus crop

Agricultural systems often involve monocultures that are vulnerable to competitors and pathogens. Successful agriculture, therefore, relies on preventing the contamination of the crop by detrimental organisms or on removing such organisms. The fungus-growing ants exhibit one of the most ancient forms of agriculture, farming a clonal fungal crop that is highly susceptible to competitive and pathogenic microorganisms [1,2]. Like human farmers, the ants have a suite of reactive and prophylactic defence mechanisms, including the application of pesticides and weeding [3,4,5]. Here, we show that fungus-growing ants also engage in proactive self-cleaning behaviour to remove undetected microbes and prevent them from contaminating the vulnerable fungal crop. Although many social animals show reactive hygiene, the behaviour detailed here is proactive and a response to the detection of vulnerable individuals rather than the threat itsel

Tropical field stations yield high conservation return on investment

Conservation funding is currently limited; cost-effective conservation solutions are essential. We suggest that the thousands of field stations worldwide can play key roles at the frontline of biodiversity conservation and have high intrinsic value. We assessed field stations’ conservation return on investment and explored the impact of COVID-19. We surveyed leaders of field stations across tropical regions that host primate research; 157 field stations in 56 countries responded. Respondents reported improved habitat quality and reduced hunting rates at over 80% of field stations and lower operational costs per km2 than protected areas, yet half of those surveyed have less funding now than in 2019. Spatial analyses support field station presence as reducing deforestation. These ‘earth observatories’ provide a high return on investment; we advocate for increased support of field station programs and for governments to support their vital conservation efforts by investing accordingly