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Science. Capacity. Leadership. Conservation.
The Institute for Ape Conservation Science (Ape Institute) is an international centre for conservation science dedicated to strengthening the knowledge, people, and institutions needed to protect apes and the tropical ecosystems they inhabit.
42
Countries with
Active Research
40+
Publications
& Reports
250+
International
Collaborators
1,500+
Protected Species
Records
1.6M+
APES Database
Entries
25+
Years in
Conservation
Our Mission
Our mission is to strengthen conservation science, build scientific leadership, and improve access to data and training opportunities in ape range countries.
We seek to empower scientists and conservation practitioners to generate, analyze, and apply the knowledge needed to conserve biodiversity effectively. By fostering collaboration between researchers, governments, conservation organizations, local communities, and the private sector, we aim to create a stronger scientific foundation for conservation decision-making at local, national, and international scales.
Why Apes?
Chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons are among humanity's closest living relatives. They are also among the most threatened mammals on Earth.
Across Africa and Asia, ape populations continue to face pressures from habitat loss, infrastructure development, mining, agriculture, hunting, disease, and climate change. At the same time, many of the countries that harbor the world's richest biodiversity face significant challenges in accessing scientific resources, technical training, long-term funding, and opportunities for professional advancement.
Conservation cannot succeed without people. The future of biodiversity depends on scientists, conservation practitioners, protected area managers, government agencies, and local institutions having the skills, resources, and opportunities needed to lead conservation efforts themselves.
The Ape Institute was established to help meet this need.
By combining data, research, training, and collaboration under one institutional framework, we aim to strengthen conservation science and build a new generation of conservation leaders across the ape range.
Conserving apes is not only about preventing the extinction of a small number of iconic species. It is about protecting the forests that regulate climate, secure water resources, support local livelihoods, and sustain an extraordinary diversity of life. Apes provide a compelling focal point through which broader biodiversity conservation goals can be achieved.
What we do
The Ape Institute brings together four complementary areas of work that create a bridge between science, conservation practice, policy, and capacity development.
We maintain and develop the APES Platform, the world's leading information system on ape populations, habitats, threats, and conservation activities.
We invest in people through fellowships, training programmes, mentorships, and professional development opportunities that strengthen conservation capacity across Africa and Asia.
We conduct applied conservation research that helps identify which conservation strategies are most effective and how limited resources can be invested most efficiently.
We translate scientific knowledge into practical guidance through reports, webinars, outreach activities, and policy-relevant products that support conservation action on the ground.
The APES Database
The Ape Populations, Environments and Surveys (APES) Database is the world's largest repository of standardized ape survey data.
Developed under the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group Section on Great Apes, the database compiles information collected by hundreds of researchers, conservation organizations, governments, and protected area authorities throughout Africa and Asia. It contains survey records spanning decades and represents an unparalleled source of information on ape populations and the landscapes they occupy.
The APES Database stores geo-referenced survey data, information on survey methodologies, population estimates, habitat characteristics, threats, conservation activities, and associated metadata. By standardizing information collected using different approaches across multiple countries and time periods, the database enables analyses that would otherwise be impossible.
Today, the APES Database serves as the primary evidence base for IUCN Red List Assessments, Green Status Assessments, conservation action plans, population monitoring, academic research, and strategic conservation planning.
More importantly, it provides the foundation for understanding how ape populations are changing through time, how threats are evolving, and which conservation actions are most effective in reversing declines.
The APES Atlas
The APES Atlas transforms scientific data into accessible information.
Drawing directly from the APES Database, the Atlas provides comprehensive site-level summaries for ape conservation sites throughout Africa and Asia. Through maps, visualizations, and standardized reporting formats, users can explore population trends, threats, conservation interventions, governance systems, research activities, and management challenges.
The Atlas was developed to make conservation information more accessible to researchers, conservation practitioners, governments, donors, financial institutions, development agencies, and the wider public.
By making information transparent and accessible, the Atlas helps identify conservation priorities, highlight knowledge gaps, foster collaboration, and support evidence-based decision-making.
Fellowship & Training
Our Fellowship and Training Program supports scientists and conservation practitioners throughout their careers, from undergraduate students taking their first steps in conservation to experienced researchers seeking advanced training and leadership opportunities.
The program combines internships, research fellowships, graduate scholarships, mentorship opportunities, synthesis groups, and professional training workshops. Participants gain experience working with conservation data, scientific assessments, field research, policy processes, and international collaborations.
A defining feature of the program is its long-term vision. Rather than supporting isolated training events, the Institute seeks to create a continuous pathway through which trainees become mentors, researchers become trainers, and local expertise becomes institutional leadership.
By investing in people, we aim to strengthen scientific leadership, increase opportunities for researchers from ape range countries, and ensure that conservation decisions are increasingly informed by local expertise and experience.
Online Courses & Webinars
The Ape Institute delivers online courses, webinars, and virtual learning opportunities that connect conservation professionals, students, and researchers across continents.
Topics include ecological monitoring, conservation planning, population assessment, data management, statistics, GIS, scientific writing, proposal development, biodiversity assessment frameworks, and conservation leadership.
These activities help build technical skills while fostering a growing international network of conservation professionals committed to protecting biodiversity and strengthening conservation science.
PrimateWatch
The program provides hands-on training in biodiversity monitoring, primate survey methods, ecological field techniques, conservation technologies, and applied conservation management. Participants learn not only how to collect high-quality field data, but also how to transform those data into information that can guide conservation action.
By combining field experience with analytical training, PrimateWatch helps bridge the gap between science and practice while strengthening local monitoring and conservation capacity throughout ape range countries.
Conservation Research
The Ape Institute conducts applied research to better understand the factors that influence the survival and recovery of ape populations. Our work examines population trends, conservation interventions, management effectiveness, conservation costs, governance systems, and broader ecological and social drivers of conservation success.
A central objective of this work is to understand not only where conservation succeeds, but why.
Because ape conservation often occurs within some of the most biologically diverse regions on Earth, our research also contributes to broader questions concerning biodiversity conservation, ecosystem resilience, protected area management, and sustainable development.
The knowledge generated through our research informs species assessments, conservation planning, policy development, and investment decisions. It also contributes to a growing body of evidence on how conservation can be made more effective, equitable, and sustainable.
Outputs
The Ape Institute produces peer-reviewed scientific publications, IUCN assessments, technical reports, policy briefs, educational resources, training materials, data products, and public outreach materials.
Through the APES Platform, conservation research, and the State of the Apes initiative, we synthesize and communicate knowledge that helps guide conservation action, inform policy, and support investment in biodiversity protection.
Our goal is not only to generate knowledge, but to ensure that knowledge contributes to measurable conservation outcomes for apes, biodiversity, and people.
Locations
The Ape Institute is headquartered at the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Musanze, Rwanda.
Located at the heart of one of the world's most important mountain gorilla landscapes, the campus serves as the Institute's centre for scientific coordination, training, fellowship activities, workshops, and international collaboration.
The Rwanda campus hosts visiting researchers, fellows, students, and conservation practitioners while providing a collaborative environment for learning, innovation, and scientific exchange.
Conservation challenges differ across regions, and conservation solutions must be locally relevant.
For this reason, the Ape Institute is developing a network of regional sister campuses across Africa and Asia. Working through trusted local institutions, these campuses will provide training opportunities, support applied research, strengthen regional collaborations, and facilitate knowledge exchange among scientists and practitioners.
Future campuses are envisioned in West Africa, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia, creating a connected network that reflects the full diversity of ape habitats and conservation contexts.
Together, these campuses will form a continent-spanning community of practice dedicated to conservation science, biodiversity stewardship, and long-term conservation leadership.
Our Team
The Ape Institute is a collaborative initiative bringing together leading conservation organizations, research institutions, and scientific networks.
Our founding partners include the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, the Frankfurt Conservation Center, Re:wild, the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, and the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group Section on Great Apes.
The Institute is further supported by an extensive network of scientists, conservation practitioners, government agencies, universities, protected area authorities, and partner organizations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
Together, these partnerships provide the expertise, experience, and reach needed to address conservation challenges at local, regional, and global scales.
Our Partners
