Community-level awareness and attitudes towards human-monkey conflict in Polonnaruwa district, Sri Lanka.

Abstract

As the demand for resources has increased with the high population growth rate, people have been tempted to encroach on wildlife areas for activities such as logging, animal husbandry, agriculture, and developmental projects. This has led to the spread of human-inhabited areas into wildlife habitats and resulting conflict between humans and wildlife. Human-monkey conflict (HMC) is a developing issue in Sri Lanka, negatively impacting both nonhuman primate conservation and human welfare. To address and mitigate HMC, it is essential to assess community-level awareness about nonhuman primates in order to mitigate such conflict. The aim of this study was to evaluate awareness and public perception towards diurnal monkeys in Polonnaruwa district in North Central Sri Lanka. A structured questionnaire survey (N = 200) was carried out from December 2018 to November 2019. Respondents' knowledge about monkeys was found to depend on gender and occupation. Respondents' attitudes towards monkeys were dependent on gender, ethnic group, religion, state of education, and monthly household income. Those who had experienced many disturbances from monkeys held more negative attitudes towards monkeys than others. A nonlethal multidisciplinary approach is critical to reducing the increasing HMC in Polonnaruwa district. Similar approaches can be operated in other areas where human-wildlife conflict is causing strain on wildlife conservation and human welfare.