Abstract
Human-wildlife conflict, in particular crop-foraging, challenges conservationists worldwide. Endangered golden monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis kandti) are frequent crop-foragers around Volcanoes National Park (VNP), Rwanda. To evaluate the impact of crop-foraging behaviour on monkeys and farmers, we interviewed 45 farmers near VNP using a structured questionnaire and organised a workshop for local and regional actors to discuss mitigation measures. To investigate differences in monkey behaviour when foraging inside versus outside VNP, and to inform mitigation strategies, we collected ad libitum behavioural data from one habituated golden monkey group for 11 weeks. We tested the feasibility of a taste aversion technique to deter monkeys, by placing chilli-laced potatoes in harvested potato fields adjacent to the study group’s home range but found that experimental aversion techniques were logistically challenging. Of 38 farmers, 95% experienced potato loss to monkeys and 36% of 44 farmers threw objects at/chased monkeys in the previous farming season. Farmers and workshop participants judged the most effective way to mitigate crop-foraging to be through improvement of existing crop-guarding. Behavioural observations indicated increased vigilance behaviour and decreased social behaviour when in farmland. Monkeys (N = 9) that visited the experimental area avoided chilli-laced potatoes but continued to forage on nearby crops. In conclusion, our results indicate that crop-foraging can negatively impact farmers' livelihoods and attitudes and can increase vigilance behaviour of monkeys. Our multi-faceted approach enabled the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders, highlighted the urgent need to improve existing management measures and explored alternatives to facilitate positive coexistence between monkeys and farmers.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Rwanda Development Board for providing research permission to conduct research in the Volcanoes National Park. Many thanks to the University of Chester, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s Karisoke Research Center, and the Primates Society of Great Britain for kindly funding this project. Also thanks to Ildephonse Munyarugero for proofreading the Kinyarwanda version of the questionnaire used in this study, Pacifique Nshimiyimana for his assistance during the survey, and the workshop’s participants for their active participation and valuable inputs. Thanks to anonymous reviewers and editors for very useful comments on the manuscript.
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EN, WE, and AWF developed the idea; EN collected the data, EN and AWF analyzed the data; EN, WE, and AWF wrote the manuscript.
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Ndayishimiye, E., Eckardt, W. & Fletcher, A.W. Human-Wildlife Conflict in Golden Monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis kandti) of the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Int J Primatol 44, 856–880 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-023-00365-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-023-00365-8