© Sofia Forss
Due to the anthropogenic impact on the world’s ecosystems, species diversity of non-human animals is declining, yet interestingly, some animals are thriving in human-altered environments. As scientific disciplines, Urban Evolution and Urban Ecology are growing into timely and substantially important topics, contributing to our understanding of evolutionary adaptations to these rapidly changing habitats, as well as behavioural responses due to arising selection pressures.
© Stephanie Mercier
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Unlike many other primate species, vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), have successfully adapted to urbanisation, such as in residential and agricultural areas, where they often exploit human food ressources. The Urban Vervet Project studies their behaviour, life history, cognitive causes, and consequences of a semi-urbanised population located at Simbithi eco-estate in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. |
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South African residents face wide problematic conflicts with vervet monkeys. As such, our research contributes to bring hopefully helpful implementations for human-wildlife conflict management. Working closely with the iNkawu Vervet Project, reproducing their methods and incorporating broad knowledge of wild vervet monkeys, we also use a comparative approach to shed light on the environmental impacts on intraspecific variations of behavioural traits within this species.
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© Stephanie Mercier
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