Habitat complexity and primate movements: linking remote sensing metrics to behaviour in a critically endangered species

Over 60% of primate species are currently threatened with extinction, with habitat loss and degradation among the principal drivers of this crisis (Estrada et al., 2017). Concurrently, primates are becoming increasingly vulnerable to extreme climatic events, including droughts and cyclones, which exacerbate ecological pressures (Zhang et al., 2019). However, fine-scale, long-term data on the structure and dynamics of primate habitats remains scarce.
The objective of this PhD programme is to apply remote sensing methodologies to enhance our understanding of the spatio-temporal characteristics of primate habitats. The present project will focus on the Tangkoko Nature Reserve, North Sulawesi, a region that is increasingly threatened by drought.
The project is built upon the internationally recognised Macaca Nigra Project (Duboscq and Micheletta, 2023), a long-term primatology programme operating in Tangkoko for a period exceeding 15 years. Tangkoko, a habitat for the critically endangered crested macaque, offers a prime opportunity to examine how rapid ecological changes influence primate behaviour. The project is an extension of recent research in the area (Joly et al., 2023), with the aim of integrating remote sensing with behavioural ecology.
The PhD candidate will utilise satellite imagery, geospatial analysis and mathematical modelling to achieve the following objectives:
1- Map vegetation structure and disturbance gradients across the reserve;
2- Extract relevant ecological metrics (e.g. canopy height, forest cover, vegetation greenness) for the monitoring of seasonal and interannual dynamics;
3- Investigate the movements of crested macaques and to what extent these are shaped by habitat characteristics.