International Primatological Society

International Primatological Society
Name	International Primatological Society
Formation	1964
Type	Scientific society
Region served	Global
Leader title	President

International Primatological Society is an international scientific society that promotes the study and conservation of non-human primates through research, collaboration, and education. Founded in the 1960s, the society links researchers, institutions, and conservation organizations across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania, fostering networks among field researchers, captive care specialists, and policy advocates. It coordinates with universities, museums, and intergovernmental bodies to support primatology as a multidisciplinary field.

History

The society traces its origins to meetings of field primatologists associated with institutions such as American Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Max Planck Society during the postwar expansion of biological sciences. Early figures connected to its formation include scientists linked to Yale University, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. Its inaugural congress drew participants from research hubs like Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Lopé National Park, Mahale Mountains National Park, and Kahuzi-Biéga National Park, and involved collaborations with organizations such as International Union for Conservation of Nature, World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Over subsequent decades the society expanded ties with regional associations including Primate Society of Great Britain, Society for Conservation Biology, Austrian Society of Primatology, and Brazilian Primatological Society, reflecting growing geographic diversity in primate research.

Organization and Governance

Governance follows a structure common to learned societies, with elected officers affiliated with universities and institutes like Duke University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, National Museum of Kenya, University of Zurich, and University of São Paulo. The executive committee collaborates with committees modeled on practice at bodies such as National Science Foundation, European Research Council, Royal Society, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. Administrative practices reflect partnerships with conservation authorities including CITES Secretariat, Convention on Biological Diversity, African Union, and ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. The society maintains ethical guidelines analogous to protocols from World Health Organization, International Primatological Congress, British Psychological Society, and leading institutional review boards.

Membership and Regional Networks

Membership comprises researchers, students, veterinarians, zookeepers, and NGO staff associated with institutions like Columbia University, National Institutes of Health, University of Toronto, University of Tokyo, and Australian National University. Regional networks mirror groups such as the African Primatological Society, Asian Primate Network, Latin American Primatological Association, and the European Federation of Primatologists, and coordinate with national entities like Kenya Wildlife Service, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Indian Council of Medical Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. Student chapters often affiliate with university departments such as University of Michigan School of Natural Resources, University of California, Los Angeles, McGill University, University of Leiden, and University of Cape Town.

Activities and Programs

The society runs programs supporting fieldwork, captive management, and public outreach in collaboration with organizations like Jane Goodall Institute, Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and Zoological Society of London. Training workshops have been held at sites including Gombe Stream National Park, Cusuco National Park, Mount Kenya National Park, and research centers like Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Primate Research Centre, University of Indonesia, and Institut Pasteur. Capacity-building efforts coordinate with funding bodies such as National Geographic Society, The Leakey Foundation, Ford Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Publications and Conferences

The society endorses and collaborates on journals and serials published by presses and societies like Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Springer Nature, Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell, and specialist outlets including International Journal of Primatology, American Journal of Primatology, Folia Primatologica, Primate Conservation, and Evolutionary Anthropology. Its flagship triennial congress unites speakers from universities and institutes such as Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Harvard Medical School, University of Chicago, University of California, Davis, and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and interfaces with symposia organized by Society for Neuroscience, Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, European Society for Evolutionary Biology, and Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Conservation and Advocacy

Conservation initiatives link the society with global and regional entities including IUCN Primate Specialist Group, TRAFFIC, Global Environment Facility, UNEP, WWF International, Conservation International, and national agencies like U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Environment and Climate Change Canada. Advocacy addresses threats in landscapes such as the Congo Basin, Amazon Rainforest, Eastern Arc Mountains, Annamite Range, and Madagascar dry deciduous forests and engages with policy frameworks like Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Convention on Biological Diversity, and regional conservation treaties.

Awards and Grants

The society administers awards and grants honoring researchers and conservationists, analogous to prizes from institutions like The Leakey Foundation, Linnean Society, Royal Society, National Geographic Society, and MacArthur Foundation. Grants support early-career scholars affiliated with universities such as University of California, Santa Cruz, Stony Brook University, University of São Paulo, University of Nairobi, and field projects in reserves like Ranomafana National Park and Kibale National Park. Recognitions often commemorate influential primatologists associated with institutions including Yale University, Duke University, Primate Research Centre, Kyoto University, and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Category:Scientific societies Category:Primate conservation organizations Category:Organizations established in 1964