Environmental Change and Zoonotic Disease Risk at Human-Macaque Interfaces in Bangladesh

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Public Health
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Anthropogenic land-use change drives habitat alteration, increasing human-primate interactions.
• These interactions are critical pathways for zoonotic disease transmission.
• Macaque populations face habitat loss and resource scarcity due to landscape transformations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the links between land-use change and human-macaque interactions.
• To assess the potential for zoonotic disease transmission in affected areas.
• To understand local perceptions of human-macaque conflict and disease risk.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative ethnographic study utilizing interviews and focus group discussions.
• Conducted in Old Dhaka, Madaripur, and Chandpur, Bangladesh.
• Explored local observations of landscape changes and macaque behavior.

Main Results:

• Significant landscape alterations (deforestation, urbanization, infilling water bodies) reported by participants.
• Increased macaque reliance on human-altered resources (backyard fruit trees, human water sources).
• Reported increase in aggressive human responses to macaques, leading to more bites and scratches; low perceived disease risk.

Conclusions:

• Environmental changes directly correlate with increased human-macaque contact.
• Habitat alteration forces macaques into closer proximity with human populations.
• Effective mitigation strategies are needed to manage risks of zoonotic disease spillover at human-wildlife interfaces.