Effects of Vegetation Structure on the Habitat Utilization of Free-Ranging Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata) in a Coniferous Plantation Area

Abstract. We studied home range use of crop-raiding Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) in Shiga Prefecture, central Japan, to address the effects of vegetation structure, specifically forest edge, on their habitat utilization. We compared the home range use of a troop inhabiting a rural area surrounded by a coniferous plantation with that of a troop inhabiting deciduous/coniferous forest mixed area. We then conducted a vegetation survey to evaluate the forest structure and food availability within their home ranges. Both troops frequently used the coniferous plantations and preferred them. The rural troop also preferred deciduous forest. Both troops preferred bamboo forest and avoided other vegetation types. The vegetation survey found that food availability in deciduous forest was the greatest. Both troops frequently used the forest edges, likely due to higher food availability as well as its role as a refuge. We found higher similarity in composition of food plant species between coniferous plantation and the deciduous forest, which implied that the former can be converted to the latter through thinning. We suggest an idea on the habitat management through thinning of the coniferous plantation to improve the present situation of the human-macaque conflict.