Newswise — According to a study conducted by The University of Queensland, rapidly increasing populations of wild pigs and macaque monkeys in Southeast Asia pose significant threats to native forests and can lead to disease outbreaks in livestock and humans.
Dr. Matthew Luskin, along with his research team from UQ's School of the Environment, gathered and analyzed population data of various species across the region, utilizing a network of cameras to aid their research.
Dr. Luskin highlighted the concerning trend, stating, "Macaques and wild pigs are rapidly dominating disturbed forests in Southeast Asia. Humans bear significant responsibility for this issue due to activities such as deforestation through logging and the establishment of palm oil farms, which offer abundant food and ideal breeding conditions for these animals."
The research revealed that populations of wild boars and macaques were four times higher in forests near plantations compared to untouched environments. These animals exploit the availability of farmland, raiding crops and thriving on high-calorie foods.
While setting up and monitoring camera traps, Dr. Luskin and his team had firsthand encounters with the surging animal populations. "During our research in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, I encountered massive troops of macaques. They were omnipresent on the forest edges, following us and interfering with our equipment," Dr. Luskin recalled. Initially frustrating, the experience eventually turned eerie as they found themselves completely surrounded by these animals.
According to Dr. Luskin, the rising populations of wild pigs and macaque monkeys pose significant risks to human health.
He emphasized that the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged from wildlife, highlight the fact that mammals in human-altered ecosystems often carry high pathogen loads, presenting serious risks of zoonotic diseases. Pigs and macaques are recognized carriers of diseases that can be transmitted to humans, and they are particularly common in Southeast Asia, which is considered a global hotspot for zoonotic diseases.
Collaborator Professor Carlos Peres from the University of East Anglia (UK) pointed out that abnormally high populations of wildlife species that serve as disease reservoirs are often found in human-altered tropical forests. This study reinforces the concern that densely populated rural areas in Southeast Asia may become sources of future human epidemics.
Jonathan Moore, a PhD candidate from the University of East Anglia and the Southern University of Science and Technology (China), highlighted the immediate ecological impacts of these population explosions on native flora in the affected regions. Both pigs and macaques have detrimental cascading effects on these pristine ecosystems. They destroy the seeds and seedlings of native plants and consume bird and reptile eggs. In the case of Malaysian pigs alone, their presence led to a reduction of rainforest tree regeneration by 62 percent.
The researchers emphasize the necessity of taking action to curb the population growth of wild pigs and macaque monkeys.
Dr. Luskin highlights that previous attempts to manage the populations of these species have been unsuccessful due to their fast reproductive rates and public resistance. While nobody advocates for indiscriminate wildlife killing, the detrimental social and ecological consequences resulting from the excessive abundance of these pest species necessitate urgent and ethical management solutions.
The research is published in Biological Reviews.
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