[Japanese]
[Japanese]
Thanks to more than a hundred participants, the symposium was very successful and fruitful. We are grateful to all the participants and staff of the symposium.
January 15-18, 2002 (closed)
International Sightseeing Center "Freude", Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
Admission Free
Branch of Ecology, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University
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AIMS AND SCOPE OF THE SYMPOSIUM
Long-term primate field studies of various designs have been conducted throughout the world. Based on the diverse results obtained from ecological, behavioral, sociological, genetic and bio-geographical studies, numerous hypothesis and theories have arisen to become the driving force of new areas of research. Long-term field studies have played an important role in surmounting some of the characteristic disadvantages of studying primates: low reproductive rate and long life span. Furthermore, long-term field studies carried out at multiple sites have made it possible to conduct inter-species, inter-group or inter-regional comparisons. On the other hand, the uniqueness of a long-term field site is the product of differences in interactions between the environment, animals and humans that live therein, the diverse perspectives of research team members at a site, and the history of accumulated research findings. The inherent differences responsible for the uniqueness of each study site in-turn have stimulated new directions of research.
This symposium aims to provide a forum in which to bring together the experience and diverse research findings from a wide range of important study sites and species in order to evaluate the merit of long-term research and to illuminate new directions and prospects. The symposium can be divided into two main areas of focus, but all participants are invited to propose other topics that they think are important.
The first area endeavors to look at some of the major contributions made by long-term research from the perspective of ecological and behavior studies. We pose the question, what role does the unique history of a study site play in the originality of research findings that have come out of long-term studies? Some of the themes from which unique results of long-term studies have been produced are the study of individual life histories, group size, long-term trends and changes of group composition, changes in inter-group relationships, intra-group social change and the evaluation of rarely occurring phenomena. Another important area of consideration is the relationship of these factors to changes in the local environment.
The second area looks at somewhat more practical aspects of long-term field studies such as management of research activities and site infrastructure, and conservation of the habitat and study species. Another important topic in this area for discussion is the systematic collection and management of data designed for answering more long-term research questions while simultaneously coordinating and conducting various short-term projects at a field site. Data management and wide accessibility . While it is important that direct efforts are made to conserve a study species and its habitat to insure the continuance of a field site, long-term information gathered on population parameters has also played an important role in conservation efforts. Other pertinent topics related to long-term research include preservation of the ecosystem that sustains the study species, establishment of protected areas, building effective ties with host country researchers and the local community, making the results of the study readily accessible to them, and the dissemination and education of conservation issues. We would also like to examine the relationship between initial research design and direction of a project and the results ultimately obtained.
Based on the presentations and ensuing discussion, we will discuss the future direction and prospects for long-term field studies.
Speakers
Boinski, Sue; Collins, Anthony; Cords, Marina; Dittus, Wolfgang ; Hashimoto, Chie; Isbell, Lynne ; Jolly, Alison; Kurita, Hiroyuki; Li, Jin-Hua; Mano, Tsutomu; Mills, Gus ; Mori, Akio; Nakagawa, Naofumi; Nishida, Toshisada; Nishimura, Akisato; Ohsawa, Hideyuki; Oka, Teruki; Pintea, Lilian ; Pusey, Anne; Saito, Chiemi; Strier, Karen B.; Takatsuki, Seiki; VanHooff, J.A.R.A.M.; Wasser, Samuel; Yamagiwa, Juichi;
Information
Primate Research Institute, Ecology Section
Tel: 0568-63-0541
Fax: 0568-63-0565