Does Mining Escalate Human-Wildlife Conflict?: Insights from Human-Rhesus Macaque Conflict in a Coal-Mining Region in Southern India

Local wildlife respond to mining-induced environmental disruptions through a variety of adaptations, such as changes in habitat selection and diet, modifications in ranging patterns, avoidance behaviours, and disruptions in vocal communication, some of which precipitate human-wildlife conflict. We evaluated how landscape characteristics shaped by mining activities influence the forms and magnitude of human-primate conflict in a coal mining area in southern India. We employed household-level questionnaire surveys to evaluate occurrence and intensity of human-primate conflict and geospatial analysis to ascertain historical changes in the landscape. Our results revealed that in contrast to most rural regions experiencing human-primate conflict, house-raiding was the most frequent form of the conflict in the study area, while instances of crop damage were restricted. Primates avoided areas closer to mines and both occurrence and intensity of conflict incidents increased further away from mines. Landscape elements like monospecific plantations that have resulted from mining activities shaped the occurrence and intensity of conflict. Plantations were associated with decreased likelihood of crop damage, and strongly associated with occurrence and intensity of house-raiding. An overview of long-term land cover changes indicated that the movement of rhesus macaques towards human settlements and resulting conflict interactions are associated with the considerable increase in built-up area over the years. This study is the first systematic assessment of direct linkages between mining and human-primate conflict and provides strong evidence for the impacts of anthropogenically-shaped landscape structure on the nature on human-wildlife conflict.