Agent-based modelling of urban macaque-human conflict: evaluating mitigation strategies in Guwahati, India

Agent-based modelling of urban macaque-human conflict: evaluating mitigation strategies in Guwahati, India | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Agent-based modelling of urban macaque-human conflict: evaluating mitigation strategies in Guwahati, India Langtuk Terang, Jitakshor Nath, Maitreyee Goswami, Hina Brahma, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9487556/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Urban human–monkey conflict is a growing management concern across India, particularly in cities where forest fragments, food provisioning, and unmanaged waste draw monkeys into human settlements. Guwahati represents one such conflict hotspot, yet testing mitigation measures in real settings is costly, slow, and ethically sensitive. To address this challenge, we developed an agent based model in NetLogo that integrates GIS derived land use data with primate behavioural rules to simulate monkey-human interactions across the Guwahati landscape. The model captures movement, foraging decisions, and conflict generation, and was used to experimentally evaluate six mitigation strategies: feeding prohibition, population control, garbage management, fruiting tree plantation, translocation, public awareness and enforcement. Simulations show that interventions targeting human behavior are far more effective than those targeting monkey numbers or habitat modification. Public awareness and enforcement produced the consistent and significant reduction in conflict across human population scenarios, while other ecological strategies showed limited additional effect when evaluated alongside education. Translocation in isolation provided little benefit and occasionally worsened conflict temporarily. This work demonstrates the potential of agent based modeling as a practical decision support framework for urban wildlife conflict mitigation before real world implementation. Human-wildlife conflict Agent-based model NetLogo Urban ecology Macaque Guwa hati Mitigation strategies Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 28 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 28 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 28 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 21 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9487556","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":632490134,"identity":"aadc7d7e-43de-492a-96bd-6a5b0b9b4c19","order_by":0,"name":"Langtuk 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