%0 Journal Article %T Landscape requirements of a primate population in a human-dominated environment %A Tali S Hoffman %A M Justin O'Riain %J Frontiers in Zoology %D 2012 %I BioMed Central %R 10.1186/1742-9994-9-1 %X Both spatial scales produced similar results that were ecologically reliable and interpretable. The models indicated that baboons were more likely to occur, and be more abundant, at low altitudes, on steep slopes and in human-modified habitats. The combination of these landscape variables provides baboons with access to the best quality natural and anthropogenic food sources in close proximity to one another and suitable sleeping sites. Surface water did not emerge as an influential landscape feature presumably as the area is not water stressed.The model results indicate that land development in the Cape Peninsula has pushed baboons into increasingly marginal natural habitat while simultaneously providing them with predictable and easily accessible food sources in human-modified habitats. The resultant spatial competition between humans and baboons explains the high levels of human-baboon conflict and further erosion of the remaining land fragments is predicted to exacerbate competition. This study demonstrates how the quantification of animal landscape requirements can provide a mechanism for identifying priority conservation areas at the human-wildlife interface.The primary goal of ecologists is to understand the ecological factors that determine species distribution and abundance patterns [1]. Furthermore, as urban expansion and rural land development become more widespread on the global landscape [2], so the understanding of the spatial requirements of species becomes increasingly important for conservation planning and management [3].Habitat domination by humans [4], and the concomitant compression, fragmentation and conversion of primate habitats [5], are the driving forces behind human-primate conflict and one of the greatest threats to primate survival [6]. The use of space has thus become a central theme in primate studies [7], with conservationists relying on patterns of habitat use and minimum resource requirements for the effective conservation and manag %K habitat selection %K human-wildlife conflict %K non-human primates %K spatial ecology %K wildlife conservation %K wildlife management. %U http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/9/1/1