Using one of the most “cultural” genera – chimpanzees and bonobos (Pan) – as primary study systems, the group treats behaviour and behavioural flexibility as adaptations and therefore as dimensions of biodiversity.
A central aim is to establish behaviour and culture as components of biodiversity that warrant explicit recognition and, where appropriate, conservation. The group then focuses on monitoring and managing these dimensions in real-world conservation settings. We work closely with conservation practitioners to identify when behaviour-focused strategies add value and how behavioural and cultural information can inform day-to-day decision-making. This includes integrating behavioural data into spatial planning, developing biomonitoring frameworks that incorporate animal cultures, and assessing management options.
Long‑term field platforms such as the BonDiv Project (bonobo behavioural ecology across the Congo Basin) and the Moyen‑Bafing Chimpanzee Project (behavioural ecology of western chimpanzees in an arid savanna–mosaic) provide complementary systems for addressing these questions and trialling applied approaches. Through this work, the group develops evidence-based recommendations that support more nuanced and effective biodiversity conservation.
Contact
Postal address
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research
Halle-Jena-Leipzig – iDiv
Puschstrasse 4
04103 Leipzig
Germany
Affiliation
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig – iDiv
Dr David Fasbender
Scholarship Holder
Phone: +49 341 9739224
Email: david.fasbender@idiv.de
The Behavioral Conservation research group is funded by
