Diversionary feeding reshapes primate movement and reduces bark-stripping in pine plantations

Abstract

Bark-stripping by wildlife in commercial tree plantations is a widespread management challenge that causes substantial economic losses and can create tensions between production and conservation goals. Effective mitigation has been hindered by limited understanding of the ecological mechanisms driving bark-stripping. We tested whether diversionary feeding could reduce bark-stripping by black capuchin monkeys ( Sapajus nigritus ), a species of conservation concern, in loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda ) plantations in northeastern Argentina. During the seasonal peak of bark-stripping, we placed feeding platforms in native forest fragments within the home ranges of four wild capuchin groups using a crossover design, and quantified changes in habitat use and bark-stripping intensity. Diversionary feeding rapidly altered capuchin space use: groups increased their use of native forest fragments and reduced their use of medium-aged pine stands, the plantation age class most susceptible to bark-stripping. Behavioural transitions occurred within approximately 10 days of treatment onset, indicating a rapid response to predictable food sources. Diversionary feeding also reduced bark-stripping intensity, with model predictions indicating a 19% decrease in cumulative bark-stripped area across the annual cycle. These findings suggest that bark-stripping is shaped by seasonal foraging decisions and that bark-stripping can be mitigated by reducing encounters with susceptible stands. More broadly, our results show that management interventions grounded in movement ecology and optimal foraging theory can reduce wildlife-related impacts in production landscapes. Temporally targeted diversionary feeding may therefore provide a practical and potentially cost-effective strategy to reduce forestry losses while lowering the risk of retaliatory killing of wildlife.