How and Why People Provision Primates

Primates are provisioned by people in diverse contexts, with significant implications for humans, primates, and their ecosystems. Provisioning is a complex human-primate interaction shaped by numerous factors with both parties influencing each other’s behavior. In many cases, unregulated provisioning of primates is not problematic to either humans or primates. However, there are also many examples of negative consequences resulting from provisioning, which can lead to widespread media coverage, pressuring those responsible (for example, policymakers and local authorities) to resolve these issues. Current management strategies focus on signage and drastic methods such as the translocation of primate groups or population control. So far, however, these approaches have proven largely ineffective. Abrupt cessation of provisioning may harm primates by depriving them of food they rely on, and humans may be harmed by increasing negative encounters in other contexts. Research and management strategies often focus on the provisioned primates rather than their human provisioners, limiting the understanding of this interaction. To encourage a more balanced approach by conservation practitioners looking for ways to manage challenging situations, we examined the existing literature and incorporated personal observations from primate conservation practitioners on how and why people provision primates and the efficacy of existing management strategies. We suggest that using an ethnographic approach to understand the human dimension of this two-way interaction may pave the way for more innovative and effective strategies that can enhance both human and primate well-being in these contexts.