Present-day international primate trade in historical context

Abstract

Abstract Primates have been traded long distance and across border for millennia. The most immediately apparent use for primates is as food, but their uses go well beyond their basic value as a protein source. Here, an overview is given of the different aspects of international trade of primates, comparing historic uses with those in the present day, and highlighting the impact trade can have on the conservation of already imperilled species. One of the most important drivers for the international trade in primates is the biomedical industry, with China and Indonesia acting as the most significant exporters and the USA as the largest importer. The nature of international primate trade has changed over the years, and commercial trade in wild-caught primates, albeit differently from the past, remains a major impediment to the conservation of selected primate species.