Meet Kurnia Ilham
Primate Conservation Limelight
Kurnia Ilham
In this interview, NEPC’s Zachary Lussier sat down with Kurnia Ilham, an Indonesian conservationist whose work spans animal behavior, human-wildlife conflict, and community-based conservation. Since 2021, Ilham has been a driving force behind the Long-Tailed Macaque Project, overseeing initiatives in Indonesia both on the mainland and Simeulue Island while pursuing a PhD focused on human-monkey interactions.
Drawing on his unique experiences studying urban and agricultural populations of macaques, Ilham reflects on the striking differences between these groups and the challenges they face. He shares thoughtful insights into the delicate balance between protecting wildlife and supporting communities, offering a glimpse into innovative efforts to create solutions that work for both.
Growing up in Indonesia, long-tailed macaques lived right in my backyard, so I’ve always been around them. As a kid, I was afraid of them because of their big canine teeth. Whenever my friends and I were outside and the macaques showed up, we would run away.
My mom lives near a forest, so we often saw macaques. There was even a group in our backyard years ago. At the time, I didn’t think much about issues like crop raiding or human-wildlife conflict—I just saw the monkeys as part of the natural landscape.
When I returned years later, I was shocked to find no macaques around. Since the area is agricultural, I assumed they had moved away. I didn’t realize then that people had been killing them.
It wasn’t until later when I asked my uncle, a farmer, that I learned the truth. “Oh, they’re gone,” he said. “We killed them.” That was a wake-up call for me.
When I was an undergraduate, I thought I might study mangroves. Growing up in a coastal area, I had experience with those forests and found them familiar and interesting. But my path changed when my supervisor introduced me to the social behavior of long-tailed macaques. I was fascinated by the idea of biological market theory—how macaques use grooming and other behaviors as a form of currency to trade within their group. I thought, Wow, these monkeys have their own economy!
For my first project, I studied grooming exchanges and became deeply interested in their social dynamics: aggression, dominance, submission, and how these interactions shape their societies. Over time, my focus shifted to conservation.
In 2012, Dr. Andie Ang from Singapore asked me to help survey East Sumatran banded langurs in Riau province. It was believed they were there, but there were no records. We traveled over 300 kilometers, but instead of langurs, we found only seven groups of long-tailed macaques across a vast area. I was shocked. Farmers told me they used to see the monkeys often but had killed them to protect their crops. Some even shared their methods proudly.
This was a turning point. Until then, I’d mainly studied urban macaques or those in protected areas, where populations seemed fine. But in agricultural landscapes, it became clear something was very wrong. When I returned to West Sumatra to survey, I saw the same pattern—declining macaque populations and widespread conflict with farmers.
At first, many of my colleagues didn’t believe me; the literature still described long-tailed macaques as abundant. But I found that agriculture and crop-raiding behavior had made them targets, leading to sharp declines. That’s when I decided to focus on conservation, working to understand and mitigate human-macaque conflicts.
As a primatologist, it’s easier for me to empathize with the macaques [who raid crops to eat], but for a farmer whose livelihood is being impacted, it’s much harder to have that same empathy. I often remind my team that we won’t be able to conserve these animals if the people on the island continue to live in poverty. We have to find a way to empathize with both the farmers and the macaques.
The human-macaque relationships differ significantly between urban and agricultural settings. In urban Padang (West Sumatra) macaques have a kind of mythology surrounding them—they’re considered sacred. Even though people might be bothered by the macaques, they’re hesitant to harass them, believing that mistreating the macaques could bring bad luck. While they don’t necessarily like the macaques, they still want to keep them around.
This is in stark contrast to the situation on Simeulue Island, a small island on the west coast of Sumatra, where the environment is more rural and agricultural. Here, people are more hostile toward the macaques because they raid crops. This is an endemic and critically endangered subspecies of the long-tailed macaque, so it’s a complex situation with no simple solution. The Long-Tailed Macaque Project began its work there in 2023.
As a primatologist, it’s easier for me to empathize with the macaques, but for a farmer whose livelihood is being impacted, it’s much harder to have that same empathy. I often remind my team that we won’t be able to conserve these animals if the people on the island continue to live in poverty. We have to find a way to empathize with both the farmers and the macaques.
Yes. When I interview the farmers in Simeulue, they overwhelmingly say they don’t want these monkeys around. The farmers feel frustrated that the macaques raid their coconut plantations, which affects their incomes. That’s what they say, but it could be an exaggeration. While macaques may cause some crop loss, the real damage might come from other wildlife, like insects, that go unnoticed. Because macaques are bigger and more visible, they become an obvious target for blame.
That’s why I have one of my students currently working on quantifying the actual damage caused by macaques. With better data, we can offer farmers a clearer understanding of the situation.
We chose to focus on Simeulue Island after receiving reports that the local monkey population was rapidly declining due to culling. We wanted to investigate the situation and understand what was happening.
Simeulue is known for its biodiversity, so we initially didn’t think the situation would be as severe as it turned out to be. When we first arrived, we couldn’t find any monkeys for the first seven days of our survey. It wasn’t until later that we observed one group.
As we continued our research and spoke with local farmers, we realized the problem was much worse than we had imagined. A previous publication estimated the macaque population at around 50,000 individuals, but our survey suggested the population had dropped to fewer than 5,000.
This sharp decline was alarming. While earlier research had indicated human-wildlife conflict, particularly over crop-raiding, we didn’t fully grasp how significant the problem was until we conducted our own fieldwork. It became clear that this conflict was driving the rapid decline in the macaque population.
I had never seen the Simeulue long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis ssp. fusca) before, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I was only familiar with the common long-tailed macaques—the ones with gray fur and slightly larger bodies. In my previous study sites, the macaques were often well-fed and quite big.
I had read in papers that the Simeulue long-tailed macaques were black, but it was still surprising to see them in person. Their fur is dark gray, and they look so different from the lighter-colored macaques on the mainland. When I first encountered them, I was stunned. They are truly beautiful—almost like the Tonkean macaques or other Sulawesi macaques. Their appearance is striking and unique, and seeing them for the first time left a strong impression on me.
One of the most surprising things I’ve observed is their vocalizations. Simeulue long-tailed macaques have a barking sound at the end of their calls. It’s a sound you don’t hear in common long-tailed macaques. It’s incredible! When I first heard it, I discussed it with one of the original researchers, and he confirmed that this barking is unique to the Simeulue macaques. We don’t yet know why they do it—it could be influenced by their environment, but more research is needed to understand it.
Another key difference is their behavior around humans. Unlike the common long-tailed macaques, which often live close to human settlements and are easy to observe, Simeulue long-tailed macaques are incredibly shy. They tend to avoid humans, hiding behind trees and leaves. Spotting them in the forest is extremely challenging because their black fur blends into the shadows of the canopy. Sometimes it can take hours to locate them, even when you’re in the right area.
On Simeulue, there’s no provisioning of monkeys by humans like in urban areas on the mainland of Sumatra. Instead, the macaques keep their distance, possibly as a survival strategy to avoid being hunted.
Overall, they are fascinating animals—we likely don’t know yet just how unique they actually are!
That’s an interesting question. No, I’ve never seen them swimming. I’ve observed them near riverbanks, but I’ve never seen them entering the water to swim.
What I have noticed, though, is that they like playing in the mud. Some populations, especially those living near coconut plantations, will head to muddy areas in the late afternoon. They’ll sit there, seemingly looking for insects or other resources in the mud.
Interestingly, these muddy areas are often used by buffalo, and the macaques are sometimes seen around the buffalo, possibly foraging for insects stirred up by their presence. It’s fascinating to watch, but difficult to study closely since the macaques will flee if approached.
Simeulue long-tailed macaques are the only primates on the island, and there are no records of people attempting to smuggle them off Simeulue or introducing other primate species to the area.
As for how they arrived on the island, there are theories but little concrete evidence. Unfortunately, there has been very little research on Simeulue long-tailed macaques. Beyond a single population study in 1990, their habitat preferences, feeding ecology, social behavior, and genetic lineage remain largely unknown. This lack of data makes them an exciting subject for further research, with some researchers even speculating that Simeulue long-tailed macaques could represent a distinct species.
There is potential, but further evidence is required. Compared to other long-tailed macaques, Simeulue long-tailed macaques have distinct physical traits, such as dark facial skin, fur that ranges from dark gray to pure black, and possibly shorter tails. However, to confirm whether they are a distinct species, detailed studies are necessary.
Until this research is conducted, the question of whether Simeulue long-tailed macaques represent a unique species remains unknown.
The Simeulue long-tailed macaques face several threats, even though about 60-70% of the island’s forests remain intact. While habitat loss due to palm oil plantations and road construction is a concern, the biggest threat comes from human-wildlife conflict, particularly crop damage to coconuts.
When I first arrived, I wondered if disease was behind the sharp decline in the macaque population, from 50,000 in 1989 to just 5,000. But as I looked deeper, I discovered something more alarming: large-scale trapping operations. I found traps set up across the island, capturing entire groups of macaques—sometimes as many as 50 at once. This has been happening since at least 2009.
Farmers, frustrated by crop damage, received financial support from the Simeulue government to set up traps and even buy weapons to kill the monkeys. The goal was to protect coconut crops. This policy continued until 2019, but with the recent change in government, those funds were cut. The problem remains, though: while habitat loss is a factor, the primary issue is the ongoing extermination efforts.
When I first visited Simeulue, I needed to fully understand the challenges the farmers were facing. Many of them live in poverty. Everything is expensive, and the income they earn from coconuts is not enough to sustain them. For example, the price they receive for coconuts is very low—around 2,500 rupiah (less than 50 U.S. cents) per kilogram. It’s a difficult situation.
It became clear that conservation efforts had to begin with supporting the farmers. My manager at the Long-Tailed Macaque Project, Ramseyer Krog, and I agreed that we couldn’t focus solely on the macaques without first helping to improve the farmers’ livelihoods.
One key issue the farmers consistently brought up in my conversations with them was the damaged coconuts. When macaques destroy coconuts, they can’t be sold or used, which increases the farmers’ financial burden. To address this, we came up with a coconut fiber initiative, where farmers could repurpose damaged coconuts into a valuable product—fiber. This initiative aimed to give them the tools and resources to process the coconuts themselves and create an additional income stream. We only decided to implement it after the farmers agreed and were willing to participate. In that way, it’s more of a collaboration than a top-down solution. Rather than imposing a fix, we wanted to work with the farmers to find an approach that benefited both them and the macaques. By repurposing coconuts that would otherwise go to waste, the initiative not only helps reduce conflict but also provides economic benefits to the community.
We also worked on empowering local women to create handcrafts from the coconut fiber, such as flowerpots, which could be sold as souvenirs or household items. This opened up opportunities for families to diversify their income. For instance, if a woman made 50 items in a day, she could add 50,000 rupiah to her household income.
The idea behind these programs was to provide the farmers with sustainable alternatives and encourage them to spend more time on their land, which could also help reduce crop damage by macaques. While we’re still monitoring the impact, the initiative has already engaged 20 farmers, and we’re optimistic about its potential.
We’re also collaborating with local resorts to create a market for the handcrafted products. Simeulue attracts many tourists, and this could be a valuable opportunity to connect farmers with buyers and help the community gain independence in managing and selling their products.
One of my students is currently quantifying the income loss caused by macaque damage. Once we have those figures, we can assess whether initiatives like the coconut fiber program are making a difference. While it’s still early, we’re hopeful that these efforts will bring long-term benefits for both farmers and macaques.
No. Let’s say we made an agreement with a farmer: “If you want to work with this initiative, you must stop culling the macaques.” That approach might create external pressure, which could backfire or feel coercive. Instead, we focus on removing the root cause of the conflict—the economic losses caused by crop damage.
By helping to reduce the damage caused by the macaques, we aim to naturally remove the incentive for culling. This approach allows farmers to see the benefits firsthand and come to their own conclusions about protecting the macaques. When that decision comes from within, it’s more sustainable and has a greater chance of success in the long term.
The Simeulue long-tailed macaques are endemic, and we still have so little information about them. It's crucial to protect them because they are at risk of extinction, and losing them would mean losing valuable knowledge. From a scientific perspective, these macaques play a critical role in dispersing seeds, and they are the only primates living in the area.
No, initially we didn’t. The farmers didn’t know I was from the Long-Tailed Macaque Project right away. At first, they thought I was just someone from outside Simeulue offering help, not necessarily connected to monkeys.
No, I didn’t. My approach was to focus on their lives, not the macaques. I didn’t bring up the monkeys directly because I knew that if I did, they’d just give me the answers they thought I wanted to hear. I started by asking about their daily struggles. It wasn’t until they brought up the macaques on their own that we could talk about it.
Exactly. Once they started talking about the macaques, I introduced the idea of selling the damaged coconuts.
In research interviews, it’s easy to get surface-level answers in just 15 minutes, but I believe it’s more effective to spend the whole day with a farmer, from morning until evening. That’s when you really understand their challenges and can get more honest, thoughtful answers.
Exactly. You have to show you understand their difficulties and build trust. If you just stick to a list of questions, you might get answers that aren’t genuine. But when they trust you, they’ll be open about their real issues.
The Simeulue long-tailed macaques are endemic, and we still have so little information about them. It’s crucial to protect them because they are at risk of extinction, and losing them would mean losing valuable knowledge. We need to study them to learn more about their evolutionary history, ecology, and behavior—not just to understand the macaques, but to gain insights into ourselves as humans.
From a scientific perspective, these macaques play a critical role in dispersing seeds, and they are the only primates living in the area. In fact, they share their habitat with only one other mammal species: the wild boar. This wild boar is also distinct from other wild boar populations in West Sumatra. Its color is darker, and its body size is slimmer compared to the common wild boar. The whole ecosystem on Simeulue is unique, and that makes it paramount to conserve all of the island’s species.
Currently, there are no official protected areas on Simeulue. However, there was an effort by WWF back in 1989 to protect the northern part of the island, known as Teluk Dalam. This area still contains intact forests, but unfortunately, the proposal to protect it wasn’t continued or was postponed. I’ve tried reaching out for more information, but I haven’t received a response yet.
That said, there is hope for the future. The idea of conserving the forest is gaining traction. A few years ago, many people didn’t see the benefit of protecting the forest, but now, with the growing recognition of carbon storage and the potential for eco-tourism and sustainable jobs, the conversation is shifting. Perhaps with a change in government perspectives and increased knowledge, we can make progress.
It’s my goal to reapply for a proposal to protect Simeulue’s forests in the near future. I believe there’s still hope for creating protected areas here, and for conserving the island’s special macaques.
Except where otherwise noted, photos courtesy of ©Kurnia Ilham
THE LONG-TAILED PROJECT
The Long-Tailed Macaque Project works with people and macaques across disciplines and countries to further coexistence and share knowledge.
Activities include conducting and facilitation research to build local capacity and conserve local ecosystems respecting both human and animal agency.