Culture and provisioning: the case of Human-Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis (Raffles, 1821) interactions in Sumile, Butuan City, Philippines

Understanding human-macaque interactions is crucial for species conservation and management. Hence, this study investigated the Human-Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis (Raffles 1821) interactions in Sumile, Butuan City from July 2022 to April 2023 through one-on-one interviews. A total of 271 randomly selected respondents were surveyed to determine their demographic and socioeconomic profiles. Their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of human-macaque interactions such as provisioning, regulation measures, and associated factors were also determined. Most of them were aware of the cultural importance of macaques (86.35%). The majority were not aware of the ecological (73.43%) and socioeconomic importance of macaques (52.03%), as well as RA 9147 or Wildlife Act (61.26%). Most residents provisioned macaques (99.26%). Macaque behaviors were household food foraging (94.84%), crop foraging (31.78%), trash consumption (69.37%), and trash dropping (30.63%). Most residents did nothing to food foraging in households (53.51%) or crop foraging (58.30%) while some resorted to throwing hard objects, hand clapping, or dog chasing. Educational attainment was the most common factor significantly associated with residents’ knowledge. Length of residency and educational attainment were significantly associated with provisioning frequency while length of residency and occupation were associated with the prohibition of provisioning to avoid negative human-macaque interaction. This study implies that cultural factors influence rampant macaque provisioning. If uncontrolled, provisioning may lead to economic and health losses and negative attitudes toward macaques and conservation efforts. The top three human-macaque regulation measures suggested by most residents were government action, effective waste disposal, and increasing the food base in the forest. Researchers further recommend local conservation area establishment; culture-sensitive and controlled provisioning; and community-based conservation. This also entails educating the public on the adverse impacts of uncontrolled provisioning. Furthermore, periodic monitoring of macaque populations and conservation management strategies that balance ecological, socio-economic, and cultural considerations for human-macaque co-existence is necessary.