In addition to their inherent value for primatology as such, results from field studies of primate behaviour and ecology have made numerous significant contributions to discussions of human evolution. In an entirely different direction, they have also become increasingly important for conservation biology. Primates typically inhabit tropical or subtropical forests, and their relatively high profile makes them prominent indicator species for the rapidly advancing process of deforestation that is a central problem for conservation generally. Reliable data on primate behaviour and ecology accordingly constitute one of the tools used in modern biology as increasing resources are devoted to the battle against extinction. Field studies have progressively expanded to cover the entire order Primates to varying degrees, yielding an impressive wealth of data.

Despite this veritable explosion in primate field studies, however, relatively little attention has been devoted to synthetic publications dealing with methodological issues. Apart from an early guide produced in Washington by the Subcommittee on Conservation of Natural Populations (1981), which focussed on ecological aspects and has now been out of print for some considerable time, there is no single published source for even a basic set of methods required for primate field studies. One is reminded of the lament made by Cain (1959) with respect to a similar failing that once afflicted taxonomy: ‘Is it not extraordinary that young taxonomists are trained like performing monkeys, almost wholly by imitation, and that only in the rarest cases are they given any instruction in taxonomic theory?