(CNN) As cyclones and droughts are expected to grow in frequency and intensity while global temperatures rise, humankind's closest relatives will become increasingly vulnerable to extinction, scientists say.

At climate change's current pace, nearly 40% of the Earth's primates will be threatened by the extreme weather events that accompany rising temperatures, a new study says. And with 60% of primate species already vulnerable to habitat loss and human activity, researchers are pleading that conservationists consider both human and climatic impacts in their efforts.

Orangutans across Africa and Asia are already threatened by palm oil farming that destroys their habitat. A new study found they're also susceptible to extreme weather brought upon by climate change.

In the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change , researchers assessed the vulnerability of 607 primate species and subspecies with two sets of criteria: their "intrinsic susceptibilities," or traits such as their body mass, the daily distance they travel and the number of individuals in their group, and their previous exposure to cyclones and droughts over the last 46 years.

The study concluded that 16% of the world's primates, located mostly in Madagascar, are susceptible to tropical cyclones and 22% across Malaysia, Sumatra and West Africa are threatened by drought.

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Species such as the ring-tailed lemur, Sumatran orangutan and black howler monkey have already seen their populations decimated by habitat loss. The hope is that with the identified "hotspots" across Asia, Africa and South America most vulnerable to extreme weather, local wildlife groups develop conservation plans that incorporate climatic threats, the study's authors wrote.

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