Moroccan macaques raid orchards for easier meals
Endangered Barbary macaques in the Middle Atlas forests are turning to farms for food, researchers found.
Morocco's endangered Barbary macaques are increasingly raiding fruit orchards for food, a new study reveals. Researchers observed that monkeys living near farms spent less time foraging and travelled shorter distances compared to those in natural forest habitats. This shift is driven by the accessible and concentrated food supply orchards offer, especially as forest vegetation declines due to drought.
A study published in Global Ecology and Conservation between 2015 and 2023 found that the recruitment of immature macaques in forest populations fell by approximately half. While access to agricultural food was associated with better recruitment in the orchard population, researchers could not establish that eating crops alone caused the difference. These monkeys also displayed greater avoidance of humans in agricultural areas, recognizing the risks.
The macaques' reliance on farmland poses a challenge for farmers who may suffer crop losses and view the animals as pests. Protecting the endangered Barbary macaques, a key species in Morocco's Middle Atlas forests, requires ensuring their food security. However, this new feeding behaviour risks intensifying human-wildlife conflict.
Why it mattersMoroccan farmers face crop losses as endangered Barbary macaques raid their orchards for food.