This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: One of the hardest challenges in wildlife conservation arises when the habitat of a species in need of protection overlaps with land used by humans. Wolves and bears can kill livestock, elephants can damage homes and other property and wild boar can damage crops.
In such situations, conservation is not only about protecting wildlife. It is also about finding ways to reduce conflict between people and animals. That challenge grows when the animals involved are highly adaptable and can learn to overcome attempts to keep them away from humans.
This is the case with the Barbary macaque, an endangered primate native to North Africa. In Béjaïa province, northern Algeria, macaques and people share a mountainous landscape where many families engage in small-scale farming. In our recently published research in Scientific Reports, colleagues and I surveyed 94 farms to understand the severity of farmer-macaque conflict, the crops most affected, when crop-foraging occurs, the deterrents farmers use and the farm and landscape characteristics associated with frequent crop-foraging.
The Barbary macaque is legally protected in Algeria, and hunting it or using prohibited methods such as poison can result in fines and prison sentences. Few farmers reported using poisoned bait or guns. However, continued crop losses could increase hostility toward the species if farmers lack practical ways to protect their crops.
Therefore, it is vital to develop ways of protecting animals that minimize troublesome encounters with humans. About one-third of the surveyed farms had been abandoned because of crop losses associated with Barbary macaques. On average, farming contributed about 35% of household income, and for some families it was their only source of income.
For these households, crop damage represents a substantial economic burden. The problem was also frequent. Around 68% of farms experienced daily crop-foraging by the macaques during conflict periods, while over half of farmers reported damage to infrastructure such as roofing materials and drip-irrigation systems.
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