We examined current crop damage by Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) and evaluated the control methods that are employed. The frequency of crop damage was highest in winter, followed by summer, autumn, and spring. Wild Japanese macaques primarily consumed leafy and stem vegetables (e.g., welsh onion, spinach) in winter and spring, fruit vegetables (e.g., pumpkin, cucumber) in summer, and fruits (e.g., Japanese persimmon, Chinese gooseberry) in autumn. In winter, the distance between the forest edge and farmland areas receiving crop damage increased, and the maximum distance recorded was 180 m. Japanese macaques also fed on crop residue and waste in winter. These observations suggest low food availability in the forest habitat; thus, to reduce crop damage in winter, food availability in the forest habitat should be augmented. Moreover, to reduce crop damage in farmland, it is necessary to properly dispose of raw crop waste and crop residue, and it is critical to educate the local communities. There was no management strategy to limit crop damage in most areas in which damage occurred. Damage prevention, by constructing net walls to exclude macaques, was exercised at only eight sites (2.9%). However, of the 47 days when wild Japanese macaques were observed in residential areas or surrounding farmland, residents chased them off on only 18 days (38.3%), and the average number of people who participated in this artificial exclusion management procedure was only 1.61 per event. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a cooperative management system that includes the participation of women from local communities to reduce crop damage.
View full abstract