Farmers’ Perceptions and Actions to Decrease Crop Raiding by Forest-Dwelling Primates Around a Rwandan Forest Fragment

• Published in: Human dimensions of wildlife 2014-03, Vol.19 (2), p.179-190
• Main Authors: Mc Guinness, Shane, Taylor, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: agriculture and natural resources; Cercopithecus; chimpanzee; corn; crop damage; Crops; economic costs; Farmers; farming systems; food security; Forests; Gishwati; habitat fragmentation; household income; human-wildlife conflict; human-wildlife relations; interspecific variation; interviews; legumes; monkeys; Pan troglodytes; Perceptions; Primates; Rwanda; Wildlife conservation; Zea mays
• ISSN: 1533-158X; 1087-1209; 1533-158X
• DOI: 10.1080/10871209.2014.853330

Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) presents an increasing challenge to conservation, particularly in densely populated parts of low-income countries. This article assessed one form of conflict, crop raiding by forest-dwelling primates, along the boundary of a tropical montane forest fragment (Gishwati Forest) in western Rwanda. Variation in species involved, crops affected, differences in magnitude with season and distance to the forest boundary, and the nature of mitigation efforts were assessed through semi-structured interviews with farmers and field-based observations during June and July 2009. Substantial losses of crops were reported, with replacement costs possibly reaching 10–20% of total household income. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and Cercopithecus monkeys were the sole reported raiders, mainly affecting maize and legumes. Mitigation was restricted to guarding of crops and modification of farming practices, the latter potentially having significant dietary consequences for subsistence farmers. These findings highlight the potentially high economic costs, and food security effects of HWC.