Abstract:
This paper presents the preliminary results on initial intervention to harmonize farmers-monkeys conflict by developing monkeys’ management technique on the farm-forest interfaces. In-situ monkeys’ control experiment was developed, whereby dogs were trained and used to guard 20 Experimental Pilot Farms (EPF). Furthermore, other 20 Experimental Control Farms (ECF) were selected and farmers were advised to continue using the tradition techniques. The EPF and ECF farms have relatively similar characteristics in term of location from the forests, vegetation cover, farming systems and crops grown. Farmers were responsible for recording the incidence of crop raiding. The preliminary results shows that dogs reduced monkeys crop raiding incidences from 33.3% in ECF to 12.8% in EPF. The statistical results in ECF were relatively low compared to farmers’ perceived crop raiding incidences of 37.8% and estimated crop damage up to 41.1%. The weather conditions and crop seasons seem not to be associated with monkeys’ crop raiding behaviour in Uluguru Mountains. Therefore, the preliminary results suggest that the use of trained dogs in farms is cheap and can save up to 61.5 % of the current crop losses.
