A manual has been designed to assist farmers in protecting crops from damage by Green Monkeys without harming them.
Best Practices in Green Monkey Deterrence: A Manual for Farmers in Barbados, has been produced by the Biodiversity Conservation and Management Section of the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification.
A statement from the ministry said due to a spike in complaints last year from farmers about crop damage caused by Green Monkeys, Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Trevor Prescod, requested the reconvening of the Green Monkey Sub-committee of the Working Group on Biodiversity.
Prescod said the concerns of farmers had become a national priority. To this end, various stakeholders from biodiversity conservation agencies, animal rights groups, agriculture development agencies and tourism management developed an action plan that was informed by accurate data.
The statement said some short-term measures were agreed upon to address the immediate problems, especially of farmers and the residents of areas frequently visited by Green Monkey troops.
 The Ministry of Environment commissioned Justin Springer of Mosaic Consulting to develop a manual for farmers experiencing crop losses. It consists of a review of techniques used both locally and internationally to deter monkeys from raiding cultivated foods. The aim is to reduce monkey crop damage, and not methods to reduce monkey numbers.
The manual may be downloaded at the Biodiversity Conservation and Management’s website https://biodiversity.gov.bb/best-practices-in-green-monkeydeterrence-a-manual-for-farmers-in-barbados/. (BGIS)