Abstract
In earlier times, human-monkey interactions were not a severe problem in Sri Lanka, but has recently intensified as a result of habitat fragmentation and urbanization. Due to these changes, Semnopithecus vetulus nestor has been listed among the 25 most Endangered primates. The objective of our study was to evaluate the intensity of human-S.v. nestor negative interaction by identifying the crop and property damages in villages bordering Danawkanda Forest (7.001N & 80.049E), Gampaha, Sri Lanka. We collected data using structured questionnaires interviewing households (N= 80) bordering the Danawkanda Forest from August 2014 to January 2015. Households were most affected by damage to fruits, leaves, and buds of commercially important trees (93%), followed by damage to roof tiles (76%), and frightful confrontations with the monkeys (43%). Average monthly loss per household from crop and property damage was estimated at between (Sri Lankan Rupees) LKR 2,700 and LKR 1,500. Lighting firecrackers was the most common method used by the residents (99%) to deter monkeys, where as electrified barriers were rarely used (4%). Households in close proximity to Danawkanda Forest experienced a considerable loss to their monthly income due to crop and property damage, compared to households further away. As an alternative, residents now grow ornamental plants and short trees, eliminating the structures that attract and facilitate damage by S.v. nestor. Awareness and active participation of residents, authorized government, and non-governmental organizations are needed to manage unplanned construction and agriculture plot extensions into the forest. These two factors trigger the human-wildlife negative interactions in general and are not limited just to monkeys.
Highlights
Crop raiding by animals is a concern for small-scale subsistence farmers (Garriga 2014) in countries around the world like Sri Lanka, where nearly 28.5% of the population depends on agriculture (CBSL 2014)
We found that residents near the Danawkanda Forest are experiencing a considerable financial loss due to crop and property damage by S.v. nestor compared to their monthly income
Twelve villages are located within a 4km radius of Danawkanda Forest, of which 75% are located within a radius of 2km
Summary
Crop raiding by animals is a concern for small-scale subsistence farmers (Garriga 2014) in countries around the world like Sri Lanka, where nearly 28.5% of the population depends on agriculture (CBSL 2014). Parasitic invertebrates and vertebrates like birds (Bruggers et al 1998; Maurice et al 2019), rodents (Lathiya et al 2003; Sarwar 2015), Mouse Deer (Linkie et al 2007), porcupine (Linkie et al 2007), Wild Boar (Shafi & Khokhar 1986; Gobosho et al 2015), Elephants (Sukumar 1990; Barnes 1996; Hill 1998; Chiyo et al 2012) and non-human primates (Boulton et al 1996; Pirta et al 1997; Hill 2000; Dittus et al 2019) are considered as crop raiding pests responsible for humanwildlife negative interactions. The presence of an organized social hierarchy, cooperative behavior, communication skills, combined with intelligence, dietary and behavioral flexibility, manual dexterity, and extreme agility make these primate species difficult for farmers to prevent from damaging crops (Hill 2005)
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