First meeting of the IRL ChiMP4IC Online Symposium Annual Series (2026)
Primate cultures, human evolution and conservation: building a collaborative research agenda for West Africa
Date: 21 October 2026, 15:00-18:00 Paris time (3 hours, online)
Organized by: International Research Laboratory (IRL 2041) ChiMP4IC (CNRS–CSRS)
With simultaneous English-French translation
Background
West Africa is home to exceptional diversity of non-human primates, including highly threatened species with rich behavioural traditions shaped by ecological and social factors. Studying this behavioural diversity alongside human culture provides insights into the evolutionary origins of culture, technology, social organization and adaptation, while also highlighting the important influence of primates on human societies. However, habitat loss, hunting, climate change, disease and increasing human pressures threaten not only primate populations but also the unique behavioural traditions and cultural knowledge passed between generations.
The International Research Laboratory (IRL 2041) ChiMP4IC investigates the origins, diversity and evolution of behavioural variation in humans and non-human primates through an interdisciplinary approach. This inaugural symposium will bring together researchers from Africa, America and Europe to discuss recent advances in primate behavioural diversity, cultural evolution and human-primate interactions. We will explore how this knowledge can support primate conservation and strengthen collaborative research across West Africa through the IRL ChiMP4IC network.
Online Symposium Program
Start 15:00 (CEST)
Welcome note: CNRS Biology
Welcome note: CSRS en Cote d'Ivoire
Introducing the IRL ChiMP4IC - Prof. Inza Kone (Unit Director of IRL)
Setting the scene for the symposium - Dr. Roman Wittig (Scientific Director of IRL)
Session 1
Primate behaviour and the evolutionary roots of human culture
Dr. Tatyana Humle (IUCN-ARRC, Re:wild): What can non-human primates teach us about the origins of human cultures? (10 min)
Prof. Kathelijne Koops (University of Zurich, Switzerland) : From tool use to culture: what Western chimpanzees reveal about the evolutionary origins of human technology. (5 min)
Prof. Julia Fischer (University of Göttingen, Germany): From social intelligence to social norms: what baboons reveal about the evolution of human culture. (5 min)
Dr. Catherine Crockford (Taï Chimpanzee Project / CNRS /IRL, France): The social mind: communication, cooperation and the foundations of culture. (5 min)
Dr. Karim Ouattara (Taï Monkey Project /CSRS/ Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d’Ivoire): Beyond apes: monkey communication and the evolutionary building blocks of human language and culture. (5 min)
Panel discussion (20 min)
Session 2
Human-Primate interactions: cultural connections and anthropogenic change
Dr. Vincent Leblan (IRD, France): How have humans and non-human primates shaped one another across evolutionary and cultural timescales? (10 min)
Prof. Kimberley Hockings (University of Exeter, UK): Living together in changing landscapes: behavioural flexibility and human–chimpanzee coexistence. (5 min)
Dr. Didié Armand Zadou ( Université Jean Lorougnon Guédé, Côte d’Ivoire): Beyond conflict: local knowledge, livelihoods and cultural relationships with chimpanzees in Sierra Leone. (5 min)
Mr. Pacifique Kizila (Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, Guinea): Chimpanzees, people and cultural values in West africa: an African conservation perspective. (5 min)
Prof. Edward Debrah Wiafe (University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Ghana): When monkeys and people share landscapes: cultural values, crop-raiding and pathways to coexistence. (5 min)
Panel discussion (20 min)
Session 3
From behavioural diversity to conservation action
Prof. Crickette Sanz (Washington University St. Louis) (to be confirmed): How can behavioural research improve primate conservation? (10 min)
Prof. Papa Ibnou N’diaye (Université Cheick Anta Diop, Senegal): How can behaviour tell us that conservation problems are emerging? (5 min)
Prof. Anderson Eloi Bitty (Taï Monkey Project / CSRS / Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d’Ivoire) : From behavioural, ecological and socio-economic data to conservation actions: lessons from Côte d’Ivoire. (5 min)
Dr Rachel Ashegbofe Ikemeh (SW/Niger Delta Forest Project, Nigeria) : From priority populations to regional action: building collaborative conservation across West Africa. (5 min)
Dr Lydia Luncz (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany): What exactly should we conserve? From behavioural variation to cultural conservation units. (5 min)
Panel discussion (20 min)
Closing Session
Launching the IRL ChiMP4IC collaborative network
Prof. Inza Kone, Dr Roman Wittig, Dr. Zoro Gone Bi, Dr. Catherine Crockford (10 min)