Nature study finds Sub-Saharan Africa has lost up to half its primates
Sub-Saharan Africa has lost up to half of its primates since pre‑industrial times, according to a five‑year study published in Nature on 31 December 2025. Drawing on the expertise of 200 African ecologists and using the Biodiversity Intactness Index for Africa, the research reports a 24 per cent decline in overall biodiversity, with the steepest losses among large mammals and rainforest primates – a concern for wildlife tourism across key destinations.
The study identifies cropland expansion and intensive farming as major drivers and notes that more than 80 per cent of remaining biodiversity exists outside formally protected areas where people and nature coexist. Some large mammals have lost over 75 per cent of their historical abundance, while woodland savanna primates are down by at least one third, underscoring the need for biodiversity‑positive farming and landscape‑scale conservation to sustain ecosystems and nature‑based tourism.
Source: Cambrian News
