IUCN SSC APES Platform –
now part of the Ape Institute
An information service for ape conservation and research
The APES Database and APES Atlas
The IUCN SSC APES Database and the APES Atlas were developed by the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group's Sections on Great Apes and Small Apes. Since 2025 they are hosted and further developed by the Institute for Ape Conservation Science (Ape Institute), which increases range-country access to ape survey data and builds training and capacity for ape conservation scientists.
All data services – survey data, spatial layers, literature and population estimates – are now available on the Ape Institute's data portal.
For questions about the Ape institute please contact request@apeinstitute.org.
APES Data Portal
The central access point to the APES Database, the world's largest repository of standardized ape survey data. Explore the database, the literature collection, population estimates by site and taxon, and the data access and release policy.
Request survey data
Select the ape field survey datasets you need and submit a data request. Each request is reviewed by the APES team and the data providers; once approved, you sign the Data Release and Users Agreement and receive a download link.
Spatial Layer Catalogue
Browse georeferenced layers on ape distribution, density and habitat. Freely available layers can be viewed on the map and downloaded at the source; all other layers can be requested directly from the catalogue.
APES Atlas
Site-level information on ape populations: standardized summaries of population status, threats, conservation interventions and research activities, compiled from publications, reports and site experts.
Our Team
Vice chair for the IUCN’s Primate Specialist Group's Section on Great Apes, works on global great ape conservation. Dirck collaborates with partners to prioritize sites, actions, and best practices for gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo, and orangutan conservation. Together with Hjalmar Kühl, Dirck co-chairs the APES Database Working Group of the PSG-SGA and oversees the activities related to a new project to strengthen the conservation evidence base for great apes. This project aims to leverage data from the IUCN SSC APES Database and Atlas to develop insightful products derived from large-scale and global analyses that will help to effectively communicate evidence-based conservation approaches to government decision-makers, conservation practitioners, donors, and private sector stakeholders.
He is Head of the Zoology Department and Head of the Section Mammalogy at the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Görlitz and has been researching there since 2022. Moreover, he holds the Chair of Mammal Diversity at the IHI Zittau of TU Dresden. He also co-chairs the APES Database Working Group of the PSG-SGA and oversees all activities relating to the APES Platform. Hjalmar has dedicated over 20 years to field research in Africa, investigating the behavior, ecology, and conservation of gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos. His extensive research has provided valuable insights into the threats facing these endangered species and has led to the development of effective conservation strategies
Isabel Ordaz-Németh
Isabel is a conservation biologist and has served as the coordinator of the IUCN SSC PSG APES Atlas since 2021. She works as a consultant for Re:wild and is a guest researcher at the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History. In collaboration with a large network of conservation practitioners and researchers, she ensures that the compiled information is as accurate and comprehensive as possible. She also helps conduct assessments on the effectiveness of conservation interventions and changes in the status of ape populations in relation to past and present threats and conservation activities.
Tene Sop
He is the manager of the IUCN SSC APES Database and has been serving in this position since 2014. He is an ecologist with a focus on biodiversity conservation and population ecology. He is also a consultant at Re:wild and is affiliated with the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Görlitz. With meticulous attention to detail and a passion for data accuracy, Tene oversees the daily management and organization of the APES Database. He ensures that the database remains a reliable and up-to-date source of information, empowering researchers, conservationists, and policymakers to make informed decisions that safeguard great apes.
Lars Kulik
He is an independent consultant and guest researcher at the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Görlitz. He has played a vital role in advancing the APES Database and Atlas, contributing significantly to their development. He generously supplies all the necessary code for cleaning, standardizing, and extracting data from both the APES Database and APES Atlas. Furthermore, he took charge of designing the website and assumed responsibility for its maintenance, as well as overseeing the regular updates of the database report. He is also responsible for statistical modelling in the group's scientific projects. He shares his expertise with interested parties in workshops.
Jessi Junker
She is a postdoctoral researcher at Re:wild and affiliated with the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) in Leipzig, is rooted in her impactful work in Liberia, where she conducted a nationwide chimpanzee survey for her PhD. Collaborating with the Conservation Evidence team at the University of Cambridge, Jessi also led to the assessment of primate conservation effectiveness and explored the impact of the 2014/2015 West African Ebola crisis on agricultural production and livelihoods. Currently, Jessi leads a key task in a project aiming to assess great ape conservation effectiveness and strengthen the evidence base for their preservation.
Jacqueline L. Sunderland-Groves
Jacqueline L. Sunderland-Groves is Coordinator of the Section on Great Apes
Species Conservation Coordinator at Re:wild
Aime B. Mizero
Aime Bazina MIZERO is an enthusiastic biodiversity data scientist with a background in Forestry and Biodiversity Conservation. He is passionate about applying data science to advance conservation efforts. At the Ape Institute, he is responsible for meticulously collecting and organizing site-level data on great ape populations, conservation threats, and interventions. He also enters and updates this information in the APES Atlas to ensure the data is comprehensive, accurate, and current. In addition, Aime contributes to evaluating the effectiveness of conservation strategies, monitoring emerging threats, and identifying long-term trends in ape populations.
Working Group Members:
Genevieve Campbell, Susan Cheyne, Imong Inaoyom, Paul Kouame N'Goran, Rebecca Kormos, Hjalmar Kuehl, Annette Lanjouw, Fiona Maisels, Isabel Ordaz Nemeth, Lilian Pintea, Andrew Plumptre, Johannes Refisch, G. Tenekwetche Sop, Ciara Stafford, Jacqueline Sunderland-Groves, Serge Wich, Liz Williamson
