LAUSR

Primates and their habitat are under threat like never before. Since 2010 and the publication of the American Journal of Primatology (AJP's) most recent full, special issue on primate conservation education programs (PCEPs), many threats to primates have reached crisis levels. These threats include pollution, climate change, and emerging diseases. Because of the impending extinction crisis of the world's primates, primatologists are now placed in a unique position as researchers and educators, with the hope that we can slow or halt primate extinction. As a result, primate conservationists have been calling for their peers to take appropriate and immediate action. A recent (2020) special issue of AJP addressed the concerns of protecting apes in Africa through conservation education, which is why this special issue focuses on PCEPs to protect strepsirrhines and monkeys found in the biodiversity hotspots of Madagascar and Central America. The goals of this special issue are to (1) share our knowledge and best practices while showcasing innovative ideas, (2) document exemplars of positive outcomes of conservation education while recognizing negative outcomes, and (3) to not only improve existing conservation education initiatives but increase the number of such initiatives throughout the world. Conservation education's role has shifted from being focused mainly on educating school children on conservation and biodiversity, to including teaching adults alternative livelihoods. It is becoming clear today, that we must also move away from conservation education being targeted solely towards schoolchildren in habitat countries as future leaders to including those who are making decisions impacting primates and their habitat today, specifically current political leaders and policy makers in developed countries. In this special issue we address the current concerns relating to conservation education today by sharing our successes and missteps and hope to inspire our fellow primatologists in renewing their commitment to spreading the message of primate conservation.