Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
researchers also have specific interests and goals regarding management
of conflict. In general, we place a high value on supporting the endurance
and health of macaque populations, increasing the public appreciation of
macaques, and facilitating a sustainable intra-specific relationship by redu-
cing interspecies conflict.
Common contexts for human interaction with long-tailed macaques include
urban landscapes, village and gardens, temples, and parks, all of which pro-
vide “edge” niches readily exploited by long-tailed macaques (see
Chapter 1
,
Table 1.2
). In most human-macaque interface zones, conflict arises principally
from (1) overlap in use of space, (2) the raiding of food sources by macaques,
and (3) damage to property. Core management goals include the creation of
landscapes and infrastructure that minimize overlap between humans and
macaques, effective waste management, and measured public awareness of
appropriate behavior around macaques.
Reducing human/macaque conflict at the interspecies interface
There are three approaches to managing conflicts at the human-macaque inter-
face: (1) modifying the environment in which humans and macaques come
into contact; (2) attempting to change the composition and/or behavior of the
macaque population; and (3) attempting to change the composition and/or
behavior of the human population. Specific situations may call for interven-
tions in one or more of these areas. Box 12.1 highlights nearly two decades
of management strategies in Hong Kong, where macaques on Kowloon Hills
have been thriving in a small, human altered-environment. In Singapore, where
thriving populations of
M. fascicularis
exist along the edges of highways and
urban structures next to forested areas, multiple management strategies are
employed to varying effect (Box 12.2).
The environmental dimension
Managing the environment: Landscaping
the human-macaque interface
Developing innovative structures and landscapes is an important task for
wildlife managers, developers, and other stakeholders charged with con-
structing and managing communities where humans and macaques inter-
face. Landscaping and infrastructure should keep in mind the capabilities and
behaviors of macaques.
Table 12.1
summarizes several aspects of the human
