The great apes—bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans—are critically threatened by human activities. We have destroyed their habitats, hunted them and transmitted fatal diseases to them. Yet we also conduct research on them, try to protect them and live alongside them. They are endangered, and time is running out. Here we outline what must be done to ensure that future generations continue to share this planet with great apes. We urge dialogue with those who live with great apes and interact with them often. We advocate conservation plans that acknowledge the realities of climate change, economic drivers and population growth. We encourage researchers to use technology to minimize risks to great apes. Our proposals will require substantial investment, and we identify ways to generate these funds. We conclude with a discussion of how field researchers might alter their work to protect our closest living relatives more effectively.

类人猿——倭黑猩猩、黑猩猩、大猩猩和猩猩——受到人类活动的严重威胁。我们破坏了它们的栖息地，猎杀它们并向它们传播致命疾病。然而我们也对它们进行研究，努力保护它们并与它们一起生活。他们面临危险，时间已经不多了。在这里，我们概述了必须采取的措施，以确保子孙后代继续与类人猿共享这个星球。我们敦促与那些与类人猿生活在一起并经常与它们互动的人们进行对话。我们倡导承认气候变化、经济驱动因素和人口增长现实的保护计划。我们鼓励研究人员利用技术来尽量减少类人猿面临的风险。我们的建议将需要大量投资，我们会找出筹集这些资金的方法。最后，我们讨论了现场研究人员如何改变他们的工作，以更有效地保护我们在世的最亲近的亲属。