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Farmers’ Perceptions of White-Faced Capuchins (Cebus imitator) and Human–Primate Coexistence in Rural Communities of Renacimiento District, Chiriquí Province, Panama

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Abstract

As human modification of primate habitats expands, overlapping use of resources and conflict between people and primates are becoming more common, particularly at the forest–farm edge where primates feed on crops. Although there is anecdotal evidence that the white-faced capuchin monkey (Cebus imitator) feeds on crops in Panama, to our knowledge farmers’ perceptions of this behavior have not been systematically investigated. We assessed farmers’ perceptions of and attitudes toward crop-feeding by white-faced capuchins by conducting freelisting exercises with 37 farmers and in-depth interviews with 29 farmers in rural communities of Renacimiento District, Chiriquí Province, Panama. We also set up 26 camera traps in five maize fields to capture crop-feeding behavior. Our findings indicate farmers perceived the white-faced capuchin to be one of the main crop feeders causing crop damage. Although two-thirds of the farmers we interviewed said that crop-feeding by white-faced capuchins has decreased over the years, 70% of farmers are still greatly affected by capuchin crop damage. Camera trap data revealed the white-nosed coati to be the most frequent crop feeder; capuchins were identified only in two crop-feeding events. Farmers identified several techniques that they use to deter white-faced capuchins, most of which are currently nonlethal. Farmers expressed sympathy for the capuchins, noting the impact of deforestation on wild food abundance and recognizing that “capuchins need to eat too.” These findings indicate that rural communities in Chiriquí province, Panama may be receptive to conservation messaging that emphasizes human–capuchin coexistence.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT México) and The Rufford Foundation for funding our research. We are extremely grateful to Rodny Chavarría and Franklin De León for assisting with the interview data collection and camera trapping, Karla Aparicio for her useful identification of bird species mentioned by farmers, and the Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario (specifically agricultural extensional officers, Kirtvin Mojica and Evelio Guerra). We thank Dr. Alberto González Romero for data analysis advice. We would like to express our gratitude to all farmers who partook in the interviews and the five farmers who provided their land for camera trapping. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and Dr. Joanna M. Setchell for their useful comments that improved the manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), Mexico (Grant number: 636577), and The Rufford Foundation (Grant number: 24386-1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Red de Biología y Conservación de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., El Haya, Xalapa, Veracruz, México

    Luz I. Loría, Sonia Gallina & Juan Carlos Serio Silva

  2. Departamento de Suelos y Aguas, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de Panamá, Sede Chiriquí, Chiriquí, Panamá

    Luz I. Loría

  3. Fundación Pro-Conservación de los Primates Panameños, Panamá City, República de Panamá

    Luz I. Loría

  4. Department of Anthropology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Erin P. Riley

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  1. Luz I. Loría
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  2. Sonia Gallina
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  3. Juan Carlos Serio Silva
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  4. Erin P. Riley
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LIL, SG, JCSS, and EPR formulated the idea and developed methodology. LIL conducted fieldwork, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. SG, JCSS, and EPR provided editorial input.

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Correspondence to Luz I. Loría.

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Handling Editor: Joanna M. Setchell.

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Loría, L.I., Gallina, S., Serio Silva, J.C. et al. Farmers’ Perceptions of White-Faced Capuchins (Cebus imitator) and Human–Primate Coexistence in Rural Communities of Renacimiento District, Chiriquí Province, Panama. Int J Primatol 42, 859–875 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-021-00244-0

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