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  • Using nonhuman culture in conservation requires careful and concerted action
    Publication . Carvalho, Susana; Wessling, Erin G.; Abwe, Ekwoge E.; Almeida-Warren, Katarina; Arandjelovic, Mimi; Boesch, Christophe; Danquah, Emmanuel; Diallo, Mamadou Saliou; Hobaiter, Catherine; Hockings, Kimberley; Humle, Tatyana; Ikemeh, Rachel Ashegbofe; Kalan, Ammie K.; Luncz, Lydia; Ohashi, Gaku; Pascual‐Garrido, Alejandra; Piel, Alex; Samuni, Liran; Soiret, Serge; Sanz, Crickette; Koops, Kathelijne
    Discussions of how animal culture can aid the conservation crisis are burgeoning. As scientists and conservationists working to protect endangered species, we call for reflection on how the culture concept may be applied in practice. Here, we discuss both the potential benefits and potential shortcomings of applying the animal culture concept, and propose a set of achievable milestones that will help guide and ensure its effective integration existing conservation frameworks, such as Adaptive Management cycles or Open Standards.
  • Landscaping the behavioural ecology of primate stone tool use
    Publication . Almeida-Warren, Katarina; Camara, Henry Didier; Matsuzawa, Tetsuro; Carvalho, Susana
    Ecology is fundamental in the development, transmission, and perpetuity of primate technology. Previous studies on tool site selection have addressed the relevance of targeted resources and raw materials for tools, but few have considered the broader foraging landscape. In this landscape-scale study of the ecological contexts of wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) tool use, we investigated the conditions required for nut-cracking to occur and persist in discrete locations at the long-term field site of Bossou, Guinea. We examined this at three levels: selection, frequency of use, and inactivity. We collected data on plant foods, nut trees, and raw materials using transect and quadrat methods, and conducted forest-wide surveys to map the location of nests and watercourses. We analysed data at the quadrat level (n = 82) using generalised linear models and descriptive statistics. We found that, further to the presence of a nut tree and availability of raw materials, abundance of food-providing trees as well as proximity to nest sites were significant predictors of nut-cracking occurrence. This suggests that the spatial distribution of nut-cracking sites is mediated by the broader behavioural landscape and is influenced by non-extractive foraging of perennial resources and non-foraging activities. Additionally, the number of functional tools was greater at sites with higher nut-cracking frequency, and was negatively correlated with site inactivity. Our research indicates that the technological landscape of Bossou chimpanzees shares affinities with the 'favoured places' model of hominin site formation, providing a comparative framework for reconstructing landscape-scale patterns of ancient human behaviour. A French translation of this abstract is provided in theelectronic supplementary information: EMS 2.
  • Primate archaeology 3.0
    Publication . Pascual‐Garrido, Alejandra; Carvalho, Susana; Almeida-Warren, Katarina
    The new field of primate archaeology investigates the technological behavior and material record of nonhuman primates, providing valuable comparative data on our understanding of human technological evolution. Yet, paralleling hominin archaeology, the field is largely biased toward the analysis of lithic artifacts. While valuable comparative data have been gained through an examination of extant nonhuman primate tool use and its archaeological record, focusing on this one single aspect provides limited insights. It is therefore necessary to explore to what extent other non-technological activities, such as non-tool aided feeding, traveling, social behaviors or ritual displays, leave traces that could be detected in the archaeological record. Here we propose four new areas of investigation which we believe have been largely overlooked by primate archaeology and that are crucial to uncovering the full archaeological potential of the primate behavioral repertoire, including that of our own: (1) Plant technology; (2) Archaeology beyond technology; (3) Landscape archaeology; and (4) Primate cultural heritage. We discuss each theme in the context of the latest developments and challenges, as well as propose future directions. Developing a more "inclusive" primate archaeology will not only benefit the study of primate evolution in its own right but will aid conservation efforts by increasing our understanding of changes in primate-environment interactions over time. Uncovering the full potential of primate archaeology. Promising novel areas of research include: Plant technology; Archaeology of non-technological behaviors; Landscape archaeology; and Primate cultural heritage.image