Differing trajectories: understanding coexistence through the human–macaque interface in India

Radhakrishna, Sindhu and Anand, Shaurabh and Sengupta, Asmita (2025) Differing trajectories: understanding coexistence through the human–macaque interface in India. International Journal of Primatology, 46 (6). pp. 1276-1290. ISSN 0164-0291

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Abstract

The concept of human wildlife coexistence has generated a great deal of attention and support in human-wildlife interactions literature; however, the precise nature of coexistence or its operationalisation is not very clear. The paradigm of coexistence has primarily been debated from a conservation perspective and largely by western conservationists. Coexistence with wildlife though can take on a multiplicity of forms in different human cultures and function in the absence of active conservation. We aimed to understand how coexistence operates in the context of species that are not prioritised for conservation and may even be threatened by governance policies. Drawing on work on the human macaque interface in India, we examined the ecology, population dynamics, and coliving trajectories of two common macaque species in India: the bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) and the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). Our findings showed that while there are many apparent similarities in the behaviour and ecology of the two species, they crucially differ in their ecological flexibility, distribution and density patterns, and interactions with human communities. These differences have shaped their different coexistence patterns with humans across their geographic ranges. Coexistence, like conflict, exists in varied forms, and it is unlikely that an ideal state of coexistence will ever exist uniformly across the range of a wildlife species. Instead of aiming for a perfect state of coexistence that connotes mutual benefit for humans and wildlife, it would be more pragmatic for researchers and conservationists to foster different states of human–wildlife coadaptation, that reflect species biology and the culture and value systems of coliving human communities.

Item Type:	Article
Authors:	Radhakrishna, Sindhu and Anand, Shaurabh and Sengupta, Asmita
Document Language:	Language English
Subjects:	Social sciences Natural Sciences > Life sciences; biology Natural Sciences > Life sciences; biology > Ecology
Divisions:	Azim Premji University - Bengaluru > School of Development
Full Text Status:	None
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/6890
Publisher URL:	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-025-00485-3

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