Protecting Primates in Bali & Lombok: How Your Support Made a Difference
18th Aug 2025
At Trentham Monkey Forest, we’re passionate about primate conservation, not only for our free-roaming Staffordshire-based Barbary macaques, but for monkeys and apes across the world. Thanks to your visits and the baby monkey adoption packs our kind adoptees have purchased, we’re able to support vital international conservation work through the Primate Society of Great Britain (PSGB).
In spring 2024, your support helped fund an important project in Indonesia, home to some of the world’s richest biodiversity!
The monkeys of Bali and Lombok
Indonesia is the third most primate-diverse country in the world, with 65 primate species. But 85% of them face threats from deforestation and human-wildlife conflict. On the islands of Bali and Lombok, only two monkey species remain:
The long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) - listed as Endangered.
The ebony langur (Trachypithecus auratus) - a Vulnerable species, and is found only in Indonesia.
Both species are struggling as forests shrink and people and monkeys come into conflict, particularly when monkeys raid crops in community-managed forests.
The Project We Funded
Led by researchers from Oxford Brookes University, this study ran from May to July 2024.
Working with local students and researchers, the team set out to:
- Survey monkey populations - walking over 220 km and recording 24 groups of ebony langurs and 61 groups of long-tailed macaques.
- Understand human perspectives - conducting 106 farmer interviews across Bali and Lombok to learn how people view monkeys and how they cope with crop damage.
- Explore solutions - identifying strategies that reduce conflict without harming monkeys.
What They Found
The results showed clear differences between the two islands:
In Bali, cultural values foster greater tolerance for monkeys, and non-lethal methods were common.
On Lombok, some farmers resorted to lethal methods against macaques, showing an urgent need for conservation support and conflict-mitigation strategies.
The project didn’t just gather data - it also worked to share solutions with communities, highlighting non-lethal methods that farmers elsewhere found effective.
Why It Matters
The findings are already being written up into scientific papers and reports for local communities. By improving understanding of where primates live, how they interact with people, and how to reduce conflict, this project provides the tools needed to protect Bali and Lombok’s last two monkey species.
Your Role in This Success
Every adoption, every ticket, and every visit helps us fund projects like this. Thanks to you, we were able to support this research and ensure that farmers and primates in Bali and Lombok can find ways to coexist.
When you adopt the babies at Trentham Monkey Forest, you’re not just giving a fun gift; you’re helping save endangered monkeys across the world.
