Preventing Conflict Between Forest Farmers and Monkeys, PROFAUNA Plants Fruit Trees on the Slopes of Mount Arjuna

PROFAUNA Indonesia and local communities planted guava trees on the slopes of Mount Arjuna to mitigate conflict between long-tailed macaques (Macaca fasicicularis) and forest farmers. Planting began on Monday (June 8, 2026) in several social forestry locations managed by the Wonomulyo Forest Farmers Group.

The trees planted were water guava because the fruit is favored by monkeys and is relatively easy to grow in the forest. As an initial trial, 20 water guava seedlings were planted and their growth will be monitored regularly.

This conflict between forest farmers and long-tailed macaques is linked to the increasing encroachment of plantations into the forest. For years, the forest has been a habitat for long-tailed macaques. When farmers planted vegetables such as carrots or potatoes, the monkeys would damage and eat the crops.

As a result, the farmers killed the monkeys, considering them pests. Killing these monkeys is not the right solution, because the monkeys were already in the forest before the farmers.

"Long-tailed macaques are group animals; they can enter a farmer's field in the hundreds at a time. When a monkey is killed or injured, the other monkeys tend to become more aggressive, causing even more damage to the farmer's field," said PROFAUNA ecologist Rosek Nursahid.

In addition to providing tree seedlings for monkey food, PROFAUNA also assists forest farmers with paranet netting for fences. This paranet netting does not harm the monkeys; it simply prevents them from entering the farmers' fields. This mitigation program is supported by the International Primate Protection League.

Subandi, a forest farmer on the slopes of Arjuna, said, "PROFAUNA's assistance in planting fruit trees and this paranet netting is very helpful for farmers. We realize that we must be able to coexist with wildlife when we work in the forest."