Celebes crested macaque are nursed for approximately one year, becoming fully mature in three to four years, females somewhat sooner than males. Because it devastates crops and fields, the Celebes crested macaque is hunted as a pest. It is also hunted to provide bushmeat. Clearing the rain forests further threatens its survival. Its situation on the small neighbouring islands of Sulawesi (such as Bacan) is somewhat better, since these have a low human population. The total population of the macaque on Sulawesi is estimated at 4,000–6,000, while a booming population of up to 100,000 monkeys is found on Bacan. A series of survey
Crab-eating macaque and "M. f. condorensis" is vulnerable. All other subspecies are listed as data deficient and need further study; although recent work is showing "M. f. aurea" and "M. f. karimondjawae" need increased protection. One concern for conservation is, in areas where "M. fascicularis" is not native, their populations need to be monitored and managed to reduce their impact on native flora and fauna. The genome of the crab-eating macaque has been sequenced. On 24 January 2018, scientists in China reported in the journal "Cell" the creation of two crab-eating macaque clones, named "Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua", using the complex