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1
Omondi, Paul. "Wildlife-human conflict in Kenya : integrating wildlife conservation with human needs in the Masai Mara Region." Thesis, McGill University, 1994. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=28878.
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Masai Mara, a large nature reserve in south-western Kenya, was created in the midst of semi-arid agropastoralist rangelands to protect wildlife. Wildlife and indigenous people co-existed for many years, usually with limited conflict; but in recent years, the conflict has intensified, mainly due to increasing human population, changing land use patterns, and altered perceptions of wildlife. This study examines the causes and nature of wildlife-human conflict in the Masai rangelands of Kenya, and considers how wildlife conservation and human development needs can best be integrated.Findings indicate that common conflicts are livestock depredation and crop damage, human deaths or injuries, transmission of diseases, and competition for resources. Land surrounding the reserve can be divided into two distinct topographic and agroclimatic regions. The degree of conflict is spatially varied within the region. Upland ranches have high land use potential, high human and livestock population densities, and more development of agriculture. They experience limited conflict with wildlife. Lowland ranches are more arid, have lower human population density and little agriculture, but have high wildlife and livestock population densities and experience a high degree of conflict. These conflicts vary seasonally, and with distance from the protected area.
Perceptions of wildlife and attitudes towards conservation are related to past experience with wildlife. The degree of loss, effectiveness of damage control, fairness of government compensation, and involvement in wildlife tourism affect the degree of tolerance for wildlife conflict. Various socio-economic factors including level of education, knowledge of conservation priorities, and system of land ownership are related to attitudes towards wildlife. As human activity increases in the region, wildlife is more likely to be displaced. Because most animals are migratory, conflict in the land surrounding the reserve puts the viability of animal population in the protected area in question.
A two-phase program for integrating wildlife conservation with human needs is proposed. The first phase involves designation of the region into four zones: Zone A--the protected area, Zone B--the peripheral area, Zone C--multiple use, and Zone D--agriculture. The second phase of the program is the integration of the wildlife conservation with human interests through: community wildlife-damage-control, compensation for loss, sharing of tourism benefits with local people, conservation education, and local participation in wildlife conservation policy. The program provides a framework within which operational decisions can be made, and serves broader natural resource management and community development objectives in the rangelands.
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Fort, Jessica Fort. "Large Carnivore Occupancy and Human-Wildlife Conflict in Panama." OpenSIUC, 2016. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/1889.
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Although Panamá is an important global hotspot for biodiversity, basic information on large carnivore and prey distributions as well as habitat needs is largely unknown. Wildlife studies in Panamá have been limited to populations located in protected areas along the Panamanian Atlantic Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (PAMBC) and have not considered potentially important refuge habitats located outside the PAMBC. Further, research on human attitudes and perceptions associated with large carnivores, such as jaguars (Panthera onca), is limited in Panamá. My study was conducted in 2 disparate study areas: Cerro Hoya National Park (CHNP), an isolated remnant of tropical rainforest habitat 125 km from the PAMBC that straddles the Veraguas and Los Santos provinces on the Azuero Peninsula; and Serranía de Pirre (SP), a comparative study area in the PAMBC located in Darién National Park (DNP). I used remote cameras to investigate patterns of site occupancy and detection probabilities, as affected by habitat and anthropogenic influences, for 3 species of felids (jaguars, pumas [Puma concolor], and ocelots [Leopardus pardalis]) and 2 species of peccaries (white-lipped [Tayassu pecari] and collared [Pecari tajacu]). In addition, I assessed attitudes and perceptions of rural Panamanians about jaguars and the conservation of CHNP and DNP via oral surveys. Site occupancy did not appear to differ between study areas for any felid or peccary, but detection frequencies and detection probabilities of focal species were overall higher in SP than CHNP. For collared peccaries, probability of detection was a function of survey year, study area, and Julian date, and estimated occupancy was higher in CHNP than SP. For ocelots, probability of detection was significantly higher in SP than CHNP when an ocelot was detected in a previous occasion. For pumas, detection increased with Julian date in CHNP but was seasonally unaffected in SP. Puma occupancy was higher closer to river systems. For jaguars, detection probability decreased with Julian date, increased with number of camera days per occasion, and was higher in SP than CHNP. Jaguars were more likely to use habitat at higher elevations in both study areas. White-lipped peccaries were never detected in CHNP, which may indicate their local extirpation in this region of Panamá. Regarding surveys measuring perceptions of rural people, factors such as gender, level of education, land ownership, and number of cattle affected knowledge and attitudes towards jaguars and criticism towards park management. Additionally, there was a higher frequency of human-jaguar conflict in SP than CHNP and coyotes (Canis latrans) were the most commonly reported threat to livestock in CHNP. My research elucidates previously unknown distribution limits of jaguars and coyotes in the Azuero Peninsula, as well as providing evidence for the potential local extirpation of white lipped peccaries in CHNP. I provide wildlife managers with improvements for survey design of future occupancy studies in the Neotropics. Further, my research provides targeted areas to prioritize for future wildlife conservation efforts and mitigation efforts concerning human-jaguar conflict.
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Zimmermann, Alexandra. "Jaguars and people : a range-wide review of human-wildlife conflict." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:a5287544-710d-461e-8f65-da2c7590188c.
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Conflict with livestock farmers is the most serious threat to the survival of the jaguar (Panthera onca) across its range of 19 countries of the Americas. In this thesis I examine the needs for mitigating human-jaguar conflict at a range-wide scale by: a) reviewing the state of knowledge on the topic, b) modelling the risk of conflict across the range, c) analysing a series of empirical field case studies, and d) proposing appropriate approaches for different levels of conflict. Findings from 43 published studies and 117 expert-described cases show that human-jaguar conflict occurs on large cattle ranches, mixed farms and smallholdings alike. Depletion of prey and poor livestock husbandry are reported as the key reasons for depredation, regardless of ecological, cultural or socio-economic context. Attitudes and tolerance towards jaguars are not necessarily linked to losses, so recent research has focussed on understanding the behaviours of farmers. With 65% of the remaining jaguar range outside of protected areas, effective strategies for coexistence with farmers are essential. By combining geospatial datasets with expert-based information, spatial patterns of human-jaguar conflicts were presented in a predictive model of conflict hotspots. Around 85% of the total jaguar range, 72% of the total Jaguar Conservation Units area and 90% of the Jaguar Corridor area overlap with livestock, and 15% of the jaguar range has risk of conflict. Regions in which jaguars are repeatedly persecuted may become ecological traps and decimate populations. An aggregate study of 17 case studies across seven countries exposed a very large variety of geographic, agronomic and socio-economic contexts. Both within and across case studies there are considerable differences in farmers’ experiences with livestock losses, concerns about depredation, levels of tolerance and attitudes, as well as social norms towards jaguars in each community. No situational factors could be used to predict how farmers perceive jaguars and deal with depredation. The only pattern consistent across case studies was that attitudes towards jaguars are most likely predicted by a factor of perceived loses combined with the social norms of the community. In most scenarios, correctly balanced strategies of improving husbandry combined with behaviour-influencing methods may be the best way forward. To this end, a conceptual model is proposed, which distinguishes three levels of conflict and explains the importance of addressing any underlying history of grievances or incompatibility of values as part of any human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategy.
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Gilleland, Amanda H. "Human-Wildlife Conflict Across Urbanization Gradients: Spatial, Social, and Ecological Factors." Scholar Commons, 2010. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3489.
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As suburban and exurban residential developments continue to multiply in urban areas, they encroach on wildlife habitats leading to increased human-wildlife interactions. The animals involved in direct conflict with homeowners are often relocated or exterminated by the homeowners. Often the homeowners contact state licensed wildlife trappers to eliminate the problem animal. In this study I examined how landscape, ecological, and social factors influence the incidence of human-wildlife conflict of thirty two residential areas in the Tampa, Florida metropolitan area. These residential areas, totaling over 300 km2, are part of the urban development gradient representing a range of urban land use from the urban core to exurban residential areas. This study consisted of four phases. In the first three phases, I investigated which landscape, ecological, and social factors contribute to homeowner conflict with wild animals on their property. In the last phase, I combine the significant factors contributing to human-wildlife conflict from the first three phases to build a more complete model.
A spatial analysis of the locations of human-wildlife conflict events recorded by licensed wildlife trappers showed the most significant development and landscape factors affecting human-wildlife conflict reporting in a residential area were human population density and total area of natural habitat immediately adjacent to the residential area. A survey of the relative abundance of conflict prone animals living near and in remnant patches of habitat in suburban residential areas revealed that greater abundance was not correlated with the reported conflict of that species within that residential area. Species that were social, omnivorous, and had some flexibility in home range size were involved most often in conflict in highly urbanized environments. Species that were less social, and were not omnivorous, were not significantly involved in human-wildlife conflict in highly urbanized residential areas. These species tended to be restricted to intermediately urbanized areas like suburban and exurban residential areas.
Several social factors were also significant contributors to human-wildlife conflict as revealed through personal interviews with suburban homeowners in Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Interviews confirmed that most people have positive attitudes toward wildlife, but some form of conflict was reported by thirty four percent of suburban residents, although only seventeen percent of those perceived it as a problem worth spending money to solve. Analysis of the attitudes of residents who reported having experienced problems associated with wildlife on their property, revealed significant negative correlations with statements of environmental concern and concern for the treatment of animals.
Using all the significant variables from the physical landscape, ecological evaluation, and the human attitude study in the suburbs, I developed a statistical model of human-wildlife conflict across the urbanization gradient. While the model has marginal success in terms of practical application for prediction, it is quite valuable for defining the importance of these variables in relation to conflict with certain types of species across the gradient. This set of papers collectively defines relationships between variables existing in urban, suburban, and exurban residential areas and human-wildlife conflict. These factors should be considered when planning new residential areas to minimize human-wildlife conflict while maximizing the residents’ enjoyment of natural areas and species within the residential area.
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Woolaston, Katie M. "Legal Responses to Human-Wildlife Conflict: Individual Autonomy vs Ecological Vulnerability." Thesis, Griffith University, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/392407.
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This thesis employs socio-legal critical analysis to deconstruct the problem of human-wildlife conflict. Biodiversity is in crisis, and a large part of the crisis is the relationship that people have with wildlife. The current species extinction rate is one hundred times higher than it would be without human occupation of the planet. Human-wildlife conflict is a primary contributor to global biodiversity loss because it is a manifestation of the destructive relationship that humans have with wildlife. It is considered that human-wildlife conflict is a cause of biodiversity loss because it usually ends in wildlife being killed, but also because the long term effects of negative interaction with wildlife are detrimental to a conservation ethic in people at the forefront of the conflict. Traditionally, the study of human-wildlife conflict focused on problematising wildlife and managing their behaviour, movements, population size and density, and genetics, combined with measuring the values and attitudes of people towards wildlife so that the most acceptable wildlife management techniques could be employed. By critically analysing the problem of human-wildlife conflict and it’s representations in law and policy, this thesis aims to transform the way in which human-wildlife conflict is viewed and managed.
While many wildlife managers and ecologists are conducting studies on differing human values and attitudes towards wildlife and management practices, and are moving toward interdisciplinary collaboration, the studies are often conducted without an adequate understanding of the philosophy surrounding human relationships with each other, society, and the greater environment. Without an adequate conceptual framework that discusses and theorises the different dimensions of the human side of the conflict, there is little hope of uniting stakeholders and implementing a consistent, cohesive outcome to situations of conflict. A theoretical understanding of the role society and relationships play in the conflict is necessary to formulate an effective model of action that addresses the greater societal influence over human attitudes to wildlife.
This thesis utilises Martha Fineman’s theory of vulnerability, together with social eco-feminism to provide an account of the dynamic natural relationship between humans and wildlife and outline how current management strategies deviate from that dynamic yet natural state. It posits that humans and wildlife have individual and interconnected vulnerabilities that are not accounted for by current management policies. Instead, legal institutions ensure separation through the promotion of false individual liberal autonomy. Furthermore, that autonomy is not universally attributed to all humans. Instead, autonomy is something that is considered relevant to those that already hold the power over the concept itself, are most likely to benefit from it, and are already considered to have it (although as this thesis will demonstrate, no-one can ever be autonomous).
This thesis concludes that legal institutions structurally deny human-wildlife conflict around the world, whilst simultaneously exacerbating conflict by promoting values consistent with individual autonomy. The way to rectify this paradox and return the human-wildlife relationship to its natural state is to promote State responsiveness to the interconnected vulnerabilities of people and wildlife, by shifting institutional focus from autonomy to eco-vulnerability. Methods of achieving this shift include establishing the relevance of non-human vulnerability to the problem of conflict, acknowledging all interconnected oppressions with a conflict scenario, their historical bases and barriers to recovery, implementing community collaboration and some devolution of state decision-making power, increasing positive wildlife experiences and emotional connections, and finally, promoting the leadership of alternate epistemological communities, such as local and indigenous groups.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Griffith Law School
Arts, Education and Law
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Latteman, Holly M. "Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) Range Expansion: An Example of Human Wildlife Conflict." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1556813177983405.
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Acharya, Krishna Prasad [Verfasser], and Michael [Akademischer Betreuer] Köhl. "Conservation conflict in Nepal : An examination of the pattern and ecological dimension of human-wildlife conflict and wildlife conservation / Krishna Prasad Acharya ; Betreuer: Michael Köhl." Hamburg : Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1169358446/34.
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Hemson, Graham A. "The ecology of conservation of lions : human wildlife conflict in semi-arid Botswana." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.404163.
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Avomo, Ndong Sandy Steven. "Human-wildlife Conflict and Ecotourism : Comparing Pongara and Ivindo National Parks in Gabon." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/23139.
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Human-wildlife conflicts around protected areas are important issues affecting conservation, especially in Africa. In Gabon, this conflict revolves around crop-raiding by protected wildlife, especially elephants. Elephants’ crop-raiding threaten livelihoods and undermines conservation efforts. Gabon is currently using monetary compensation and electric fences to address this human-elephant conflict. This thesis compares the impacts of the human-elephant conflict in Pongara and Ivindo National Parks based on their idiosyncrasy. Information was gathered through systematic review of available literature and publications, observation, and semi-structured face to face interviews with local residents, park employees, and experts from the National Park Agency. This thesis argues that the impacts of human-elephant conflict are more severe in Ivindo compared to Pongara National Park due to their specific characteristics. To effectively address this human-elephant conflict, an adaptive management strategy is needed. This adaptive management strategy should integrate conservation, livelihood security, and combine to the specific characteristics of each park.
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Musyoki, Mutua Charles. "Human-wildlife conflict in Kenya : crop raiding by elephants and other wildlife in Mahiga 'B' village of Nyeri district." 京都大学 (Kyoto University), 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2433/137063.
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Kyoto University (京都大学)0048
新制・課程博士
博士(地域研究)
甲第13195号
地博第45号
新制||地||15(附属図書館)
UT51-2007-H468
京都大学大学院アジア・アフリカ地域研究研究科アフリカ地域研究専攻
(主査)教授 太田 至, 助教授 重田 眞義, 助教授 山越 言, 助教授 西崎 伸子
学位規則第4条第1項該当
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Hartel, Colleen M. "The Role of Wildlife Value Orientations in Framing Interactions with Wildlife Near the Home: A Mixed-methods Analysis of Self-reported Problems with Wildlife." The Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1525541681974028.
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Hiser, Karen Louise. "Crop raiding and conflict : farmers' perceptions of human-wildlife interactions in Hoima district, Uganda." Thesis, Oxford Brookes University, 2012. https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/items/428ab6a2-fad5-4301-8bb5-0320a0506d82/1/.
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Conflict between humans and crop raiding wildlife is a growing problem, particularly in tropical, unmechanised farming communities where increased competition for resources intensifies the likelihood of human-wildlife interactions. However, conflict can arise as much from perceptions of risk as actual damage, and perceived and actual degrees of risk do not always match. Hoima District in Uganda reportedly has a long-standing issue of crop raiding. Forest fragments in northern Hoima District support chimpanzees and other primates, and are surrounded by a mosaic of farms. During this study crop damage was monitored in farms next to four forest fragments each week for one year (November 2006 to November 2007), and farmers’ attitudes to crop raiding were explored through interviews and focus groups. Most farms lost less than 1% of their crops, and more than half of farms did not experience crop damage by large vertebrates (primates, porcupine, bush pig and civet). Cattle were responsible for over one third of the total area of damage; more than all other large vertebrates combined. Whilst local people do not consider crop raiding by wildlife to be as severe a risk to crops as disease and weather, conflict with wild animals does exist. Farmers’ attitudes appear less influenced by the area of crop damaged than by the frequency of damage events (real or perceived) and by factors external to crop loss: i) ability to control loss and impacts of loss, ii) a fear of personal safety, iii) labour requirements of managing crops. That farmers’ opinions of crop raiding animals appear to be shaped more by these external factors than by actual levels of crop loss is a likely consequence of the low level of damage present in the study sites. This research illustrates that perceptions of conflict between humans and crop raiding animals should always be examined in tandem with actual losses, and that conflict may persist in areas where little loss occurs. Employment of amelioration techniques must therefore be selected with care, as inappropriate use of these tools risks focusing farmers’ frustrations onto crop raiding activities and exacerbating conditions.
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Laver, Peter Norman. "The foraging ecology of banded mongooses (Mungos mungo): Epidemiological and human-wildlife conflict implications." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/50973.
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Free-ranging banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) in northeastern Botswana are infected by a novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex pathogen, M. mungi, which putatively infects mongooses through lesions in the skin (often the planum nasale) from an environmental reservoir. To understand the epidemiology of the yearly and highly seasonal outbreaks of M. mungi in this population of banded mongooses, researchers need to understand what factors influence banded mongoose exposure to M. mungi and banded mongoose susceptibility to M. mungi infection. Researchers have no baseline data on the behavioral ecology of this population of banded mongooses - such as home range dynamics, denning ecology, movement ecology, and foraging ecology, all of which may play a role in banded mongoose exposure to M. mungi. Further, researchers have highlighted the potential role of prolonged elevations of glucocorticoids in impairing cell-mediated immunity, which would play a significant role in determining susceptibility to a mycobacterium such as M. mungi, however, researchers have no data on the endocrinology of banded mongooses. Finally, researchers have not detected M. mungi infection in any other population of banded mongooses. Our study population has a gradient of troops (social groups) that vary from troops with extremely close association with humans in a town, to troops associated with humans at tourist lodges within the Chobe National Park, to troops with no discernible association with humans within the national park and surrounding forest reserve. Researchers have few data on how synanthropy (living with humans) affects banded mongoose behavioral ecology and no data on how synanthropy affects banded mongoose endocrinology. Researchers do not know whether or how the high level of synanthropy in this population of banded mongooses plays a role in the epidemiology of M. mungi outbreaks.
Thus, we document here some aspects of banded mongoose home range dynamics, movement metrics, denning ecology and foraging behavior for our study population in northeastern Botswana. We present a novel method for screening data from global positioning system (GPS) collars for large measurement error and we present a detailed home range study. We also document the spatio-temporal dynamics of glucocorticoid production among several banded mongoose study troops across our study site, using a non-invasive assay for fecal glucocorticoid metabolites, which we validated and also present here. We tested to see which factors, including nutritional limitation, predation risk, and reproduction (and associated competition, agonistic encounters, and predation), best explained the variation in glucocorticoid production among our study troops over several years.
We found that the metrics traditionally used to screen data from GPS collars, horizontal dilution of precision (HDOP) or fix dimension (2-D or 3-D), performed poorly relative to a new screening metric that we propose, the estimated elevation error (EEE). We propose that researchers use our screening method, which combines test data and a model-averaging information-theoretic framework that uses a priori candidate models of telemetry measurement error. Although we recommend including EEE in a priori candidate models, it may not describe telemetry error in other systems as well as it did in our own.
Banded mongooses in our study population formed troops of a median of 13 adults (IQR: 11 to 21 adults) and these troops used home ranges of a median of 68 ha (IQR: 39 to 134 ha) with core areas of a median of 15 ha (IQR: 9 to 28 ha). These cores (statistically-clumped space use) occurred at a median volume contour of 66 % (IQR: 58 to 71 %). Synanthropic troops showed more clumped area use than apoanthropic troops (those living away from humans). Synanthropic troops also used man-made structures for den sites in SI{81}{percent} of nights, fed from refuse sites in 13 % of foraging observations, and drank from anthropogenic water sources in 78 % of drinking observations.
From our conducted adrenocorticotropic hormone challenge, we detected valid increases in fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in mongoose feces using our four tested enzyme-immunoassays. An 11-oxoetiocholanolone assay detecting 11,17-dioxoandrostanes (11,17-DOA) performed best. Using this assay, we detected expected decreases in fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations 48 h after administering dexamethasone sodium phosphate. We also validated this assay using biological events as challenges, in which captive mongooses showed higher fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations during reproductive activity, agonistic encounters, and depredation events. The time delay of fecal glucocorticoid metabolite excretion approximately corresponded with food transit time, at a minimum of approximately 24 h. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite metabolism was minimal up to 8 h post-defecation.
Reproduction and its associated challenges dramatically increased glucocorticoid production, which otherwise remained low and stable in a captive troop with a constant food supply and lowered predation risk. Variation in glucocorticoid production in free-ranging banded mongooses was best explained by food limitation as described by current nutritional limitation (proportion of fecal organic matter), recent rainfall (which increases soil macrofauna availability), and access to concentrated anthropogenic food resources. Habitat differences in soil macrofauna density and reproductive events also explained variation in glucocorticoid production in free-ranging mongooses, but to a much lower degree. Predation risk, as measured by canopy cover (escape from aerial predators) and group size (decreased per capita vigilance) explained very little of the variation in glucocorticoid production. In the late dry season, banded mongooses in our population may face a ``perfect storm\'\' of nutritional limitation, agonistic encounters at concentrated food resources, aggressive evictions, estrus, competition for mates, parturition, and predation pressure on pups. We suspect that this prefect storm may push glucocorticoid responses into homeostatic overload and may impair cell-mediated immunity in banded mongooses.
Ph. D.
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Goodyear, Sarah Elizabeth. "Habituation to Auditory Stimuli by Captive African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana)." TopSCHOLAR®, 2015. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1481.
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Elephants are cognitive species that exhibit many types of learning. Associative, social, and insight learning have been investigated with elephants, but one of the simplest forms, habituation, has not. As an individual learns that a stimulus is neither harmful nor beneficial, it will decrease its response to the stimulus through the process of habituation. Elephants possess a well-developed sensory system and may habituate to stimuli that could be used for enrichment and/or management. The aim of this study was to examine the habituation process of elephants in response to repeated presentations of two auditory stimuli –buzzing by a disturbed beehive and the sound of banging on pots and pans, as these sounds invoke alert and avoidance behaviors in wild elephants as part of humanelephant conflict mitigation. I hypothesized that elephants would initially exhibit strong reactions to both sounds, but these responses would diminish over repeated trials. I also hypothesized that their responses to the bee sound would decrease more slowly than to the pot/pans sound because bee buzzing represents a biological cue that a threat is nearby. This study was conducted using four female African elephants (Loxodonta africana) at the Nashville Zoo. Elephants received each stimulus for a 10-day period. On the first sound presentation, the elephants reacted by exhibiting distress, avoidance, and vigilance behaviors. Over repeated presentations, the elephants stopped responding to the stimuli, suggesting habituation had occurred. They also seemed to generalize their habituation between the first and second sound, resulting in a faster habituation to the second sound. Although a preliminary study, the results suggest that elephants learn which stimuli are non-threatening and subsequently stop responding to them, most likely through habituation. Specifically, the elephants habituated to bee buzzing and banging pots and pans, two deterrents used to stop elephants from entering farmlands and eating crops. Habituation is a major concern for the development of effective human-wildlife conflict mitigation and zoo enrichment programs. The results from this study indicate that habituation is an important learning process that should be considered during the implementation of captive and wildlife management, even for highly intelligent species such as elephants.
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Egan, Conor Christopher. "Evaluating the Potential Utility of Drones to Deter Birds from Areas of Human-Wildlife Conflict." Thesis, North Dakota State University, 2018. https://hdl.handle.net/10365/29171.
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Predator-prey dynamics shaped the evolution of morphological and behavioral adaptations that foraging animals use to detect and avoid predators. Wildlife managers can potentially exploit antipredator behavior when attempting to deter animals from areas of human-wildlife conflict. A promising new tool in the field of wildlife damage management is the unmanned aircraft system (UAS; or drone), which might be able to overcome the mobility limitations of other deterrent strategies. The main objective of my study was to determine the behavioral response of blackbirds (Icteridae) to three drones, using a predator model, a standard fixed-wing, and a multirotor as candidate platforms. I evaluated the behavioral response of individual, captive red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) to the three drones approaching at direct and overhead trajectories, and I evaluated their efficacy on eliciting escape and resource-abandonment behavior in free-ranging blackbird flocks.North Dakota State University. Environmental and Conservation Sciences program
North Dakota State University. Department of Biological Sciences
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
Wildlife Services (WS)
National Wildlife Research Center (#7438-0020-CA; QA-2731)
Federal Aviation Administration (via Interagency Agreement DTFACT-14-X-400007)
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Lindsey, Kieran J. "Privatization and regulatory oversight of commercial wildlife control activities in the United States." [College Station, Tex. : Texas A&M University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1638.
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Welden, Robert Foster. "Framing Human-Wildlife Conflict in the Intermountain West| Content Analysis of Daily Newspapers to Diverse Audiences." Thesis, Colorado State University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10635671.
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Connection to and appreciate for the natural world are directly linked to positive experiences participating in outdoor nature-based activities. These direct experiences have been declining over the past decade, causing concerns about the perceptions of nature by populations that don’t participate in nature-based activities. This study examines framing of media coverage about human-wildlife conflicts and its implications for perception building by those audiences with less experience in the natural world. Data were collected via daily newspapers across the Intermountain West from 2010 to 2015. Results demonstrated that there were significant differences between newspapers serving larger, more urban communities and smaller, more rural communities. Findings indicate that urban audiences are exposed to messages that discourage participation in the natural world. Messages regarding human-wildlife conflict in newspapers serving larger, more urban communities should be reframed to avoid negative perceptions of nature and to motivate connection to the natural world.
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Blair, Alec. "Human-wildlife conflict in Laikipia North, Kenya: comparing official reports with the experiences of Maasai pastoralists." Thesis, McGill University, 2009. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=32371.
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The support of local communities has become accepted as critical for success in wildlife conservation, particularly in developing areas such as Kenya. Human-wildlife conflict is a major cost to people living amongst wildlife, and a threat to support for conservation. This research focused on conflict experienced by Maasai pastoralists in Laikipia, Kenya, an area of conservation importance and the site of many community conservation initiatives. It was found that the levels of conflict experienced by the communities were much higher than suggested by official reports from the Kenya Wildlife Service. Livestock depredation, mainly by hyenas, was identified as particularly underrepresented. These inaccuracies in the official reports are likely to lead to complications in conservation planning, and should be addressed in order to ensure that the benefits of conservation are going to be sufficient to outweigh the costs of conflict, and satisfy the expectations of local people.L'appui des communautés locales est considéré comme essentiel pour le succès des projets de conservation de faune, en particulier dans des régions en voie de développements tels que le Kenya. Le conflit humain-faune a un coût important pour les personnes vivant parmi la faune, et il est une menace de la conservation. Cette recherche s'est concentrée sur le conflit éprouvé par les pastoralists de Maasai Laikipia, au Kenya, une région d'haute valeur à la conservation et l'emplacement de beaucoup d'initiatives communautaire de conservation. Cette étude conclue que les niveaux du conflit éprouvés par ces communautés étaient beaucoup plus élevés que suggérés par les rapports officiels du Kenya Wildlife Service. La déprédation de bétail, principalement par des hyènes, est identifiée comme particulièrement sous représenté. Ces inexactitudes peuvent mener aux complications dans la planification de projet de conservation. Elles devraient être adressées afin de s'assurer que les avantages de la conservation sont supérieurs aux coûts du conflit, et satisfont les espérances des personnes locales.
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Lewis, Ashley Lauren. "Human-wildlife conflict and mobile phone use among Maasai pastoralists near Tarangire National Park, northern Tanzania." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/73792.
Full textAbstract:
Mobile phones are transforming many aspects of rural areas in the developing world. Much of the early research on phones and related information and communication technologies (ICTs) in developing countries has focused on social networking and economic benefits in primarily urban or agricultural settings. Few studies, however, have examined the implications of mobile technologies on pastoralist livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. To build on this opportunity, this study examines the impact of mobile phone technology on four Maasai communities near Tarangire National Park in northern Tanzania. I asked the questions: (1) How do phones affect human-wildlife interactions?; and (2) What are the effects of mobile phone use on measures of human-wildlife conflict (HWC)? This research uses a mixed methods approach to address these two questions and test the hypothesis that mobile phone use reduces HWC. Qualitative group interviews revealed that households use phones to manage wildlife interactions in every aspect of their lives - especially when the interactions relate to pastoralism and crop-based agriculture. Maasai use mobile phones as tools of information distribution to mitigate and reduce the severity of effects of HWC. Multivariate analyses of survey measures of phone use and exposure to conflict (i.e., crop and livestock predation and human attacks) offer mixed evidence that mobile phone use is correlated with a perception of less recent HWC events. These findings provide an indication that the expansion of mobile digital technologies may be able to support livelihoods and biodiversity simultaneously.Master of Science
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Wallace, Graham Edward. "Monkeys in maize : Primate crop-raiding behaviour and developing on-farm techniques to mitigate human-wildlife conflict." Thesis, Oxford Brookes University, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.532035.
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Understanding and addressing conflict between subsistence farmers and wildlife due to crop-raiding is an increasingly crucial conservation issue. Raiding often compromises local food security, reduces tolerance of wildlife, and undermines management efforts. Although many primates consume crops regularly, there are very few quantitative accounts of on-farm primate behaviour or techniques to deter primates from raiding. Working in partnership with farmers, this study was conducted over two primary crop-growing seasons in six villages adjacent to Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda. Using systematic observational sampling techniques, interviews, and focus groups, the research examined the behaviour of farmers, primates, and other wildlife at farm-forest interfaces to understand the dynamics and parameters of crop-raiding. This information was then used to develop and evaluate a series of effective and locally-appropriate deterrents to raiding. Primates were the predominant diurnal raiders while bush pigs were the mam raiders at night. Six species of primate were observed to raid. Rates of raiding were directly aligned with the availability and maturation of crops, with maize and beans being raided most frequently. Patterns of raiding varied spatially and temporally, and raiding behaviour differed across species. Raiding-group size, duration of raid, and distance travelled onto farm determined crop loss during raiding events. Although crop losses were relatively small they were costly for farmers. Farmers did not detect crop-raiding completely and may underestimate raiding activity. Farmers used a wide range of responses to raids, typically In combination. Deterrents implemented at study farms included alarm systems to improve early detection of wildlife, barriers (nets or fences) and border crops, natural repellents, systematic guarding, and alternative crop locations. Farmers identified benefits and shortcomings for each deterrent, and considered most to be effective and valuable. Insights from. the research may be used to inform intervention strategies to address raiding issues and extend options to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Recommendations for further research are provided.
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Hansen, Oliver Kai. "Can cormorants be used as indicators of local fish abundances? : A diet study of cormorants on Gotland." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för biologisk grundutbildning, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-447637.
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Human wildlife conflicts can represent missed opportunities for ecological monitoring, including tracking invasive species. The great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis is the centre such a conflict, where the lack of concrete scientific evidence is often replaced by anecdotal evidence, leading to the vilification of these birds. The primary aim of this study was to assess the extent of the overlap between cormorant diet and the fish the fishermen are allowed to catch on the North West coast of Gotland, the Baltic seas´ biggest island. To assess cormorant diet, the otoliths in the cormorant pellets were analysed. Secondary aims included assessing the potential to use cormorant diet as a proxy for local fish abundances by comparing it to monitoring fisheries in the same area. Highly contentious species only included cod, herring and flounder, none of which were commonly consumed by cormorants. Cormorants and the monitoring fisheries found comparable proportions of all species except for flatfish herring sprat, sculpin. We conclude that the cormorant poses a relatively low risk to the fishing industry on the North Western coast of Gotland and that they could potentially be used as a sentinel for local fish abundances, including tracking invasive species such as the round goby.
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Castaldo-Walsh, Cynthia. "Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence in a More-than-Human World: A Multiple Case Study Exploring the Human-Elephant-Conservation Nexus in Namibia and Sri Lanka." Diss., NSUWorks, 2019. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dcar_etd/134.
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This qualitative multiple case study explored human-elephant conflict-coexistence relationships and issues of conservation in Namibia (Damaraland) and Sri Lanka (Wasgamuwa) from a posthumanist, multispecies perspective. Within each region, conflict between humans and elephants is considered high, elephants are considered endangered and are of high conservation priority, the human population has grown significantly, and community-based organizations are implementing holistic approaches to increase positive relations between humans and elephants. This study was guided by research questions that explored the current landscape of the human-elephant-conservation nexus within each region, the shared histories between humans and elephants over time, and the value in utilizing more-than-human theoretical and methodological frameworks to enhance human-elephant relationships and support conservation efforts. Data collection methods included participant observation, naturalistic observation, interviews, visual data, and documents. Data was triangulated and analyzed within each case, as well as across cases. Major themes were identified within each case that describe unique contexts, cultures, and shared histories. These findings were then analyzed comparatively. Emergent themes across cases identified ways that a more-than-human framework may be useful in fostering coexistence between humans and elephants and supporting conservation efforts. This study contributes to the evolving scholarship on multispecies approaches to inquiry and methodology from the position of conflict resolution scholar, supports a more inclusive framework for analyzing human-wildlife conflicts, discusses theoretical and methodological implications in multispecies research, and provides recommendations for future research.
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Signor, Kari D. "Investigating Methods to Reduce Black Bear (Ursus americanus) Visitation to Anthropogenic Food Sources: Conditioned Taste Aversion and Food Removal." DigitalCommons@USU, 2009. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/547.
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Conflicts between humans and black bears (Ursus americanus) jeopardize the safety of both humans and bears, especially when bears become food-conditioned to anthropogenic food sources in areas such as campgrounds. Interest in using non-lethal techniques, such as aversive conditioning, to manage such conflicts is growing. I conducted a captive experiment at The Wildlife Science Center in Minnesota and two field experiments in the La Sal Mountains, Utah, to investigate the effects of taste aversion conditioning using thiabendazole (TBZ) with a novel flavor cue and food removal on black bear food consumption and visitation to human food sources. In 2007, I conducted food trials with 6 captive black bears (3 control, 3 treatment). Controls received 1 kg baked goods scented with a peppermint-canola oil mixture and treatments received 1 kg baked goods also scented with a peppermint-canola oil mixture but mixed with 10-20 g TBZ. In the 2007 field experiment, I baited 24 field sites with 300 g of baked goods during a baseline phase for approximately 3 weeks. Half of these sites were then treated with 10 g of TBZ and camphor during a treatment phase for 4 weeks. In 2008, I baited 22 sites with 300 g of baked goods during a baseline phase for approximately 4 weeks. I then removed food and discontinued baiting at half of the sites for 4 weeks. Infrared cameras and barbed-wire hair snags were established at field sites to document bear visitation. I did not establish taste aversion in treated bears in captivity and bears fully consumed food in the majority of trials. Treating food supplies with 10 g TBZ and camphor flavor did not significantly reduce bear visitation (P = 0.615) or food consumption at field sites (P = 0.58). However, I observed a significant reduction in bear activity at sites where food was removed (P = 0.006). Potential reasons for my failure to reduce bear visitation using thiabendazole include insufficient conditioning, reluctance of bears to desist in investigating sites that previously contained untreated food, and masking of a treatment effect due to continued encounters of sites by new individuals.
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van, Eeden Lily Mahailah. "Learning to live with dingoes: improving wildlife management by understanding social constraints on coexistence with carnivores." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2019. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/21918.
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Conflict between humans and wildlife impacts both biodiversity and humans. I explored Australian dingo management to understand how humans shape wildlife management outcomes. There is little evidence available to inform dingo management decisions, so I explored social and historical dimensions to understand contemporary practices, how they came to be, and how they might change. I focused on livestock producers and the Australian public. The main goal of dingo management is to protect livestock, so I explored graziers’ historic and contemporary interactions with and attitudes towards dingoes. I analysed the results of a nation-wide survey conducted in the 1950s and recreated aspects of this study in a newer survey to explore changes over time. Doing so revealed that management practices have not changed greatly in the past six decades, remaining focussed on lethal control, and that current behaviours are primarily predicted by social factors. I then explored public awareness of and attitudes towards management of dingoes and other species deemed pests in a nation-wide survey. There was little public support for current lethal control, but some support for nonlethal management and for maintaining dingoes in the landscape to perform a role as top predator. Australians justified lethal control of wild animals based on whether they considered a species to be native or non-native and/or a pest. The dingo has been portrayed as both native and non-native, agricultural pest and conservation hero, meaning public awareness and attitudes have likely been influenced by framing by different stakeholders. I suggest that limited public awareness has resulted in little scrutiny of contemporary practices. Based on these findings, I develop a Theory of Change using behaviour change theory to promote evidence-based policy and management. My framework promotes appropriate monitoring and evaluation, raising public awareness, and marketing tailored to suit rural social norms and cultures.
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Bhattarai, Babu. "Conflict and conservation : sharing the costs and benefits of tiger (Panthera tigris) conservation in communities adjacent to tiger reserves in Nepal." Thesis, Federation University Australia, 2020. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/174057.
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Human wildlife conflict (HWC) is a highly studied but unresolved aspect of wildlife management. To further knowledge on HWC, this study used a multidisciplinary approach to investigate HWC implications for local people living adjacent to two key tiger conservation reserves in Nepal. The study also assessed the potential to redistribute financial benefits accruing from predator conservation to those bearing costs through associated HWC. Secondary data and anecdotal reports suggest that local people experience significant direct and indirect costs from predator conservation through livestock losses following attacks by common leopards and Bengal tigers, and additionally, crop losses due to their prey species plus two mega herbivores (elephant and one-horned rhinoceros). To investigate this situation, data regarding HWC incidents and costs were sourced through interviews with 422 local households, direct observations, and stakeholder interviews. Collected data included livestock loss (5-year time-period) and crop loss (1-year time-period). Complementary direct observation data collated livestock loss and crop damage for 12 months. Interviews were conducted also with park visitors (N=387) and tourism business owners (N=74). Results showed that tigers are involved in significantly fewer depredation events compared to leopards. Leopards predominantly killed small to medium livestock whereas tigers selected both small to medium and large sized livestock. Livestock depredation events occurred more frequently in livestock corrals relative to forest zones or crop fields. Rates of livestock losses per household per year self-reported during interviews with local people were found higher when compared to those observed by direct measurement. Prey species of tigers and leopards (most often wild boar and chital) were involved in more frequently in crop raiding events, and caused more crop damage, when compared that caused by mega herbivores. Quantities of crops lost per household were lowest in communities where effective physical barriers to wildlife were present. Park visitors and tourism business owners indicated willingness to pay for conservation of tigers and for compensation of farmers for the losses caused by tigers and their prey species. Study findings support several key recommendations proposed to mitigate negative HWC effects in the study area. These include financial support for local communities to build predator proof livestock corrals and establishment of effective physical barriers at the park borders. A dedicated tariff for park visitors and a levy for tourism business owners are also recommended to fund ongoing predator conservation and support financial compensation for local farmers affected by HWC.Doctor of Philosophy
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Findlay, Leah Jayne. "Human-primate conflict : an interdisciplinary evaluation of wildlife crop raiding on commercial crop farms in Limpopo Province, South Africa." Thesis, Durham University, 2016. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11872/.
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Understanding and addressing conflict between farmers and wildlife due to crop raiding is of increasing conservation concern. Raiding impacts farmers’ livelihoods, reduces tolerance to wildlife and often results in lethal methods of retaliation. Although crop raiding occurs on commercial as well as subsistence farms, there are very few quantitative accounts of on-farm primate behaviour or techniques to deter primates from raiding commercial farms. Working in partnership with commercial crop farmers, this study was conducted in Blouberg Municipality, South Africa. Using systematic behavioural observations, camera trapping techniques, vegetation transects, interviews and a workshop, this research adopts an interdisciplinary approach to examine farmers’ perceptions of nature, behaviour of primates, and crop damage by other wildlife to understand the nature and extent of crop raiding. This information was used to develop and evaluate effective and locally appropriate deterrents to wildlife crop raiding. The farmer-baboon relationship is complicated and filled with ambiguity. Farmers are happy to see baboons in the wild, but on the farm baboons are not welcome. High population numbers and the inability to control baboons are particular concerns for commercial farmers. Baboons were the dominant raiders, whose rates of raiding were influenced most by natural food availability. Vervet monkey raiding was also frequent and was influenced by the presence of baboons on the farm. In addition to primates, 18 other wildlife species were observed within crop fields. Farmers’ perceptions were influenced by duration of raiding, average group size and overlap between farmer activity and crop raiding. Farmers underestimated crop loss to wildlife, but were able to accurately estimate where most damage occurs. The use of bells as an alarm system was not effective at alerting field guards to the presence of vervet raiders. Motion-activated sounds were effective at reducing baboon raiding for a short time, but baboons soon habituated. Electric fencing was effective at keeping most wildlife out of crop fields. The information obtained throughout the thesis was used to provide recommendations to commercial crop farmers to reduce crop raiding by wildlife.
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Bastholm, Isabelle, and Victoria Fransson. "Impact and Perception of the Human-Wildlife Conflict; a Spatial Case Study of Management and Strategies in Skåne County." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-21926.
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This study seeks to find the best strategies to be implemented to decrease the human-wildlife conflict (HWC). Other countries management practises and strategies to manage HWC was reviewed, in order to identify if Skåne county in Sweden could pursue improvements. To be able to tackle HWC, a greater understanding of people's ethical views were investigated and their perceptions of improvements were documented and researched. This study aims to provide quantitative data with web based surveys and spatial mapping of impacts from the HWC in Skåne county. It further aims to map the values that affects society caused by the HWC, and to answer the following questions; What are the optimal strategies in order to decrease HWC in Skåne? Where can cost effective improvements be implemented? This was both answered in the interviews conducted, and the gathered data. Optimal strategies that were detected where Skåne county can improve were; extensive implementations of ecoducts and passages for game, reducing the use of fencing, translocating, compensation actions, increase hunting opportunities and an installment of further game warning systems. Ethical views of different respondents’ towards the HWC were also analyzed. The online survey revealed that there were a difference in respondents views of HWC, based on if they were environmental science students, hunters or the general public. The gathered data and result, stated that the general public and the environmental students/workers were categorized in the ethical views of ecocentrism. The hunters ethical views could not be determined, due to the inconsistency of the answers of the questions. By showing differences and similarities in ethical views and how to manage HWC, strategies and incentives can more easily be adapted, to reach a better community base that can work together to reduce the HWC. Because of the different knowledge of the respondent groups and of their ethical views, there needs to be a broader incentive program that can maintain different interests of people and reduce conflicts, as well as preserve the biological state of ungulates in Skåne. In the online survey, all of the respondents agreed that the stakeholder, most suitable to handle and manage the problematics regarding HWC, is the government/county government. Other stakeholders that were believed suitable for managing HWC in Skåne, were organisations, for-profit companies and lastly, private self-acting individuals. Furthermore, the respondents beliefs on coexistence between humans and wildlife were also studied. The data showed that the general public and the hunters believed that future were to be positive, and the environmental students/workers believe the HWC would still be a problem in the future.
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Kesch, Kristina Verfasser], and Jörg U. [Akademischer Betreuer] [Ganzhorn. "Game fencing as a human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategy and its implications for conservation / Kristina Kesch. Betreuer: Joerg Ganzhorn." Hamburg : Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg, 2015. http://d-nb.info/1065805411/34.
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Faulkner, Sally. "Integrating GIS approaches with geographic profiling as a novel conservation tool." Thesis, Queen Mary, University of London, 2018. http://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/46763.
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Geographic profiling (GP) was originally developed to solve the problem of information overload when dealing with cases of serial crime. In criminology, the model uses spatial data relating to the locations of connected crimes to prioritise the search for the criminal's anchor point (usually a home or workplace), and is extremely successful in this field. Previous work has shown how the same approach can be adapted to biological data, but to date the model has assumed a spatially homogenous landscape, and has made no attempt to integrate more complex spatial information (eg, altitude, land use). It is this issue that I address here. In addition, I show for the first time how the model can be applied to conservation data and - taking the model back to its origins in criminology - to wildlife crime. In Chapter 2, I use the Dirichlet Process Mixture (DPM) model of geographic profiling to locate sleep trees for tarsiers in dense jungle in Indonesia, using as input the locations at which calls were recorded, demonstrating how the model can be applied to locating the nests, dens or roosts of other elusive animals and potentially improving estimates of population size, with important implications for management of both species and habitats. In Chapter 3, I show how spatial information in the form of citizen science could be used to improve a study of invasive mink in the Hebrides. In Chapter 4, I turn to the issue of 'commuter crime' in a study of poaching in Savé Valley Conservancy (SVC) in Zimbabwe, in which although poaching occurs inside SVC the majority of poachers live outside, showing how the model can be adjusted to reflect a simple binary classification of the landscape (inside or outside SVC). Finally, in Chapter 5, I combine more complex land use information (estimates of farm density) with the GP model to improve predictions of human-wildlife conflict.
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Osorio, Popiolek Christian Thomaz. "Wild carnivore habitat use and community ecology in a biodiversity hotspot and human-wildlife conflict with pumas and dogs across Chile." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/103440.
Full textAbstract:
Habitat loss and fragmentation and human-wildlife conflicts, often resulting in retaliatory killing in response to livestock predation, are one of the main threats to wild felids worldwide, including pumas (Puma concolor). However, mesocarnivores are more abundant than large carnivores, live closer to human settlements, and drive community structure and processes in similar or different ways from large predators. Understanding both large and small carnivores' habitat use is key to their conservation and management. Thus, there is need to explore the ecological roles of predators (including invasive ones like free-ranging dogs [Canis lupus familiaris] and cats [Felis catus]) to examine how ecological context modulates the ecological roles of carnivores . This is especially important in my study area, which was severely burned by a catastrophic mega-wildfire in 2017.
I used dynamic occupancy modeling of human-wildlife conflict (HWC) across 52 provinces for 8 years in Chile and found that free-ranging dogs outpace pumas in livestock depredation, killing substantially more livestock than pumas. Occupancy models show that HWC occurrence for both dogs and pumas increased with sheep density. Unexpectedly, dog HWC decreased with anthropogenic habitat degradation indicating that dogs may travel far to prey on livestock. The emergence of puma HWC in a site where it did not occur in the previous year was positively associated with anthropic disturbance. Countrywide, dogs HWC occurrence probability was higher than pumas in 43 out of the 49 provinces where both species occurred. I discuss livestock vulnerability, management strategies, and policy to mitigate HWC, and also highlight threats that free-ranging dogs pose to biodiversity conservation and even human public health.
I also used single-species, single-season occupancy models fit to camera-trap data to investigate the patterns of site occupancy and response to mega-wildfires of native mesocarnivores in southern-central Chile: guignas (Leopardus guigna), culpeo foxes (Lycalopex culpaeus) and chilla foxes (Lycalopex griseus). I found that vulnerable guignas avoided burned sites, preferring sites with native, dense vegetation while culpeo foxes were intermediate in being able to use plantations, but avoiding burned sites. Chilla foxes were most tolerant to landscape change with no response to burns and were found closer to human habitation and rivers.
Finally, I used two-species, single season occupancy models, and Kernel Density Estimation on circular data, to investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics, and overlap of native and exotic carnivores. I found that feral cats are a potential threat to pumas, guignas, and native foxes given they overlap extensively in time of activity with these species. Also, feral dogs had the widest distribution of all species indicating that their effects could be ubiquitous on the landscape. Thus, exotic species are damaging to wildlife, to livestock industry, and even to public health. I urge dialog between government authorities, wildlife managers, and scientists to generate a legal and public policy framework to properly managing habitat and HWC in southern-central Chile.Doctor of Philosophy
Landscape transformation and human-wildlife conflict (HWC), which often result in retaliatory killing of wildlife in response to livestock predation, is one of the main global threats to wild cats, including pumas (Puma concolor). Medium-sized carnivores (mesocarnivores or mesopredators) are more abundant than large carnivores, live closer to human settlements and, like large predators, impact ecosystem structure and function significantly. Understanding habitat use of these carnivores is key to their conservation and management and to biodiversity preservation. Thus, there is need to investigate the ecological roles of carnivores (including invasive ones like free-ranging dogs and cats) to determine how interactions with other carnivore species and with the physical environment influence ecological roles of such species. This is especially important in my study area, which was severely burned by a catastrophic mega-wildfire in 2017, and for which there is scant information on wildlife responses to the mega-fire. I determined the distribution and causes of HWC across 52 provinces for 8 years in Chile and found that free-ranging dogs accounted for higher livestock depredation than pumas, killing substantially more livestock. Occurrence of HWC for both dogs and pumas increased with the sheep density of the province. Unexpectedly, dog HWC increased in less degraded habitats, indicating that dogs may travel far to prey on livestock in remote areas. The emergence of puma HWC in a site where it did not occur in the previous year increased with human-caused disturbance. Countrywide, dog HWC was higher than pumas in 43 out of the 49 provinces where both pumas and dogs occurred. I discuss livestock vulnerability, management strategies, and policy changes to address HWC, and discuss the threats that free-ranging dogs pose to biodiversity conservation and even to human public health. I also used remotely-triggered, camera-trap records to explore distribution of three mesocarnivores (guignas, culpeo foxes and chilla foxes across the landscapeand in response to mega-wildfires in southern-central Chile. I found that guignas, a small and vulnerable wild cat, avoided burned sites, preferring sites with native, dense vegetation while culpeo foxes were intermediate in being able to use plantations, but avoiding burned areas. Chilla foxes were most tolerant to landscape change with no response to burns, and they were found closer to human settlements and rivers. Finally, I examined overlap in space and time of day between native species pairs and native and exotic species pairs. I found that dogs were the most widely distributed species across the landscape, but were mostly diurnal while native species were primarily nocturnal. Cats however had high temporal overlap with guinas and chilla foxes, highlighting the potential for competition between them.. Thus, exotic species are damaging to wildlife, livetock and even huan health. I discuss the management implications and urge dialog between government authorities, wildlife managers, and scientists to generate a legal and public policy framework to properly managing habitat and HWC in southern-central Chile.
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Hjert, Carl-Johan. "People vs. Wildlife : Buffer zones to integrate wildlife conservation and development?" Thesis, Södertörn University College, School of Life Sciences, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-728.
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Tanzania is famous for it’s beautiful nature and rich wildlife. Proud of it’s natural heritage, Tanzania has dedicated over 20% of it’s territory as protected areas to shield the wildlife from human interference. But the wildlife is regarded as a menace by the local communities that lives close to the impressive national parks. At the same time, the increasing human population threatens the survival of the large migratory species in the parks by blocking vital dispersal areas.
This essay describes the human/wildlife conflict around Tarangire National Park and focuses on communities close to park borders. The intention is to examine if a buffer zone could solve the conflict in this area. By studying the political ecology of wildlife conservation in Tanzania, from local to global scale and through a historical perspective, it is concluded that the poor state-society relation as experienced in local communities is a crucial factor for the diminishing wildlife.
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Klein, Rebecca Ann. "An assessment of human carnivore conflict in the Kalahari region of Botswana." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013132.
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Human wildlife conflict is a considerable conservation challenge that threatens many carnivore species worldwide and is a result of complex socio-economic and ecological processes. An understanding of the drivers of conflict is essential for any efforts to achieve coexistence. This study investigated the levels of conflict, livestock management and tolerance amongst the farming communities of the Southern and Western Kalahari in Botswana. A questionnaire survey was completed with 310 farmers throughout the region. The majority of respondents regarded coexisting with carnivores as a challenge, with losses due to depredation perceived as the greatest problem facing farmers. Conflict was widespread throughout the study area, with some spatial variations for certain species. Cattle management levels were low and while smallstock management was better, the use of improved levels of management could reduce current levels of conflict. Tolerance levels were generally low with few respondents seeing the benefits of coexistence with carnivore species. The results indicated that farm type, gender, education level, source of income, livestock numbers, location and land use all have an effect on perceived conflict and tolerance levels and strongly interact with each other. In general cattleposts were characterised by higher proportions of females, lower education levels, more benefits derived from wildlife and veld products and fewer livestock than fenced ranches. They also experienced more conflict, carried out more management and had better tolerance levels. It could be that closer connections to the land and deriving benefits from natural resources resulted in more tolerance and this is certainly worth further investigation. An improvement in the use of effective methods of livestock management, targeted environmental education programs to develop a greater awareness for the conservation value of carnivores and a diversification of livelihoods to include benefits from natural resources have the potential to reduce conflict and improve tolerance in the Kalahari region.
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Harris, Hannah B. "THE RETURN OF THE BLACK BEAR TO EASTERN KENTUCKY: CONFLICT AND TOLERANCE BETWEEN PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE." UKnowledge, 2011. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/830.
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The black bear (Ursus americanus) has returned to Kentucky and is now part of a reproducing population in the southeastern Cumberland Mountain region. The broad objective of this project was to examine the interactions between people and bears, with the ultimate goal of improving bear management in a way that addresses stakeholder concerns. Using interviews of regional stakeholders, participant observation, and media reports collected between summer 2003 and fall 2006, I investigated how the presence of black bears in Harlan and Letcher counties in Kentucky has had an impact on area residents. I complemented this information with observations of bear behavior and an analysis of bear capture and handling data collected within the study period. Artificial provisioning of bears was widespread and >60% of black bears captured were confirmed to use anthropogenic foods at least some of the time. I found a significant difference (P<0.0001) in the apparent physical condition of confirmed anthropogenic feeding bears and bears whose feeding behavior was unknown, and similar differences in physical condition between bears captured along traplines in Harlan and Letcher counties when compared to bears captured along traplines in Bell County (P<0.01). Mean litter size was 3.25 ± 0.11 (SE), significantly above average for eastern North America (P<0.05) although cub survival remains unknown. All documented mortality of adult bears was human-caused. Anthropogenic food sources may affect bear behavior, survival, reproduction, and physiology, as well as bring bears into close contact with humans. Artificial provisioning is currently an important part of bear-human interaction in eastern Kentucky, both facilitating bear tourism as well as precipitating nuisance problems. Cessation of provisioning could have important consequences for the developing tourism industry in the region and for the bears themselves. Both the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and many local people have an interest in conserving bears, but problems have arisen due to differing conceptions of appropriate or desirable management. A better understanding of the human dynamics and cooperation taking place in this situation could provide much-needed information both in Kentucky and in other localities where stakeholders are debating how to co-exist with wildlife.
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McDonald, Lucian R. "Urban Alaskan Moose: An Analysis of Factors Associated with Moose-Vehicle Collisions." DigitalCommons@USU, 2019. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7547.
Full textAbstract:
As human populations continue to grow and encroach into wildlife habitats, instances of human-wildlife conflict are on the rise. Increasing numbers of reported wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) provide tangible evidence of anthropogenic impacts on wildlife as well as increasing threats to human health and safety. Increasing WVCs are of particular concern, especially those involving large-bodied ungulates such as moose (Alces spp.), because of the increased risk of property damage, personal injuries, and human fatalities. Motorists directly involved in a WVC are at risk of injury or mortality, but other motorists are also put at risk due to road obstructions and traffic congestion associated with WVCs. Mitigating these impacts on motorists and wildlife requires investigation into the temporal and spatial factors leading to WVCs.
In Alaska, most WVCs involve moose (Alces alces), a large bodied ungulate capable of threatening human life when involved in a collision. Each moose-vehicle collision (MVC) in Alaska is estimated to cost $33,000 in damages. With this analysis, I analyzed the plethora of factors contributing to moose and motorist occurrence on the road system and motorist detection based on a historical dataset of MVC reports throughout Alaska from 2000 to 2012 and a dataset of field-derived measurements at MVC locations within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough from 2016 to 2018. My first analysis focused on the daily and annual trends in MVC rates as compared to expected moose and human behavioral patterns with a focus on guiding mitigation strategies. Fifty percent of the MVCs reported between 2000 and 2012 occurred where the commuter rush hours overlapped with dusk and dawn in winter, and the artificial lighting differences between boroughs suggest a link between artificial lighting and reduced MVCs.
To focus more specifically on roadside features contributing to MVC risk, I collected and analyzed local and regional scale land cover and road geometry data at reported MVC sites in an area with a rapidly growing human population. I compared these data to similar data collected at random locations near documented MVC sites and at locations where moose that were fitted with global-positioning system (GPS) transmitters crossed highways. I used generalized additive mixed models to delineate which of the variables impacted the risk of both moose road crossings and MVCs. Moose road crossings were influenced by approximations of spatial, seasonal, and daily moose density as well as the proportion of deciduous-coniferous and coniferous forest in the area and the number of possible corridor or land cover types surrounding the site. The best MVC risk model was described by expected seasonal and daily changes in moose density and local scale measurements, including the sinuosity of the road, the height of vegetation near the road, and the angle between the road surface and the roadside. Together this information should guide transportation and urban planners in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to use roadside vegetation removal, seasonal speed reduction, improved lighting strategies, dynamic signage, or partnerships with mobile mapping services to reactively reduce MVCs and to focus future road planning in areas with lower moose abundance and build roads that increase visibility and detection distances in areas where moose are common.
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Mountjoy, Natalie. "The Effects of Human/Wildlife Conflict on the Potential for Community-Based Ecotourism in the Kasigau Region of Southeast Kenya." TopSCHOLAR®, 2007. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/409.
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Many believe community-based ecotourism (CBE) can assist in conservation efforts and community development; however, little research has been done to assess the potential of CBE in a specific region. As part of a large, long-term, international research project, I define three problematic areas that may impede successful CBE efforts in the Kasigau location of southeast Kenya: bushmeat utilization, community attitudes and wildlife abundance. Samples of meat purchased from butcheries and meat markets are identified to species using molecular analysis, community attitudes are ascertained via written social surveys and transect sampling methods are used to determine the relative abundance and diversity of wildlife on Maungu Ranch in Kasigau. Through these three separate analyses a clear picture of problematic issues facing CBE in Kasigau becomes clear. This study provides valuable baseline data that can be used in future research to determine the impacts of CBE in the region.
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Atkins, Alexander. "An experimental assessment of the efficacy of falconry to mitigate human-wildlife conflict: Egyptian Geese Alopochen aegyptiaca at golf courses." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15501.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliographical referencesHuman-wildlife conflicts are increasing globally and are believed to be one of the most prevalent and intractable issues that face conservation biologists today. One such conflict is found on golf courses, where high numbers of geese can come into conflict with residents and members. In South Africa, the indigenous Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca population has increased dramatically over recent years and as a result they are often seen as nuisance animals whose population requires active management. Most non-lethal methods of goose control have had little success due to habituation to their presence, whilst the use of lethal methods are often deemed socially unacceptable. In this study we experimentally investigated the efficacy of falconry as a management tool to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. We hypothesised that the use of falconry would re-establish a landscape of fear, whereby habitat choice is influenced by the perceived fear of predation, resulting in the local departure of geese to a safer habitat, thereby reducing the population of geese to a tolerable level. Absolute counts of geese and analysis of vigilance levels were conducted at three golf courses in the Western Cape which included two control sites and a treatment site. The results of the experiment indicate that goose abundance declined by 73% at the treatment site after falconry was initiated, and that this was well over the losses due to direct predation. Vigilance levels increased by 7 6% during the treatment period, with no such changes observed at either control site. Additionally, vigilance was higher when filmed from a golf buggy compared to when filmed on foot, which may suggest the geese also learned to associate the golf buggy with the threat of predation, enhancing the overall efficacy of the falconry. While there is a relatively small lethal aspect to falconry, the results of this study confirm that a reduction in the population of geese can be achieved by simulating the naturally occurring non-lethal effects of predation that have been lost in some habitats, as a result of anthropogenic changes to the landscape. To our knowledge, this is the first truly experimental test of the efficacy of falconry to reduce nuisance birds and these important ecological findings have relevance for techniques that people deploy for dealing with human wildlife conflict, particularly where lethal options are unfavourable.
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Murison, Megan Kate. "The roles of black-backed jackals and caracals in issues of human-wildlife conflict in the Eastern Cape, South Africa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018667.
Full textAbstract:
[Partial abstract]: Human-wildlife conflict is a widely observed phenomenon and encompasses a range of negative interactions between humans and wildlife. Depredation upon livestock and game species proves to be the prevalent form of this conflict and often results in the killing of carnivores. Within the South African context, despite intense lethal control, two sympatric mesopredators, the blackbacked jackal (Canis mesomelas) and the caracal (Caracal caracal), remain common enough to be considered a major threat to human livelihoods through depredation. Wildlife ranches and livestock farms dominate the landscape in the Eastern Cape Province. Moreover, human-predator conflict within the region is extensive as both the black-backed jackal and caracal are seen to be inimical by landowners. Understanding this conflict is essential for mitigating any potential adverse environmental reactions (i.e. range collapses or extinctions) and requires knowledge of anthropogenic, ecological and environmental factors. I interviewed 73 land owners across five municipal boundaries in the Eastern Cape to quantify perceptions of predator control methods.
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Bergman, Trygg Elias. "An investigation of human-wildboar conflict : - the perceived need for economical compensation among farmers due to crop damage caused by wild boars -a case study in Arboga, Sweden." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Kulturgeografiska institutionen, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-226839.
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Karimi, Rebekah R. Schulte Bruce A. "An assessment of perceived crop damage in a Tanzanian village impacted by human-elephant conflict and an investigation of deterrent properties of African elephant (Loxodonta africana) exudates using bioassays." Diss., Statesboro, Ga.: Georgia Southern University, 2009. http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/archive/fall2009/lyndsay_a_itoh/Itoh_Lyndsay_A_200908_MS.pdf.
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"A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science." Title from PDF of title page (Georgia Southern University, viewed on June 19, 2010). Bruce A. Schulte, major professor; Lissa M. Leege, J. Michelle Cawthorn, committee members. Electronic version approved: December 2009. Includes bibliographical references (p.76-78).
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Couper, Amy. "Understanding perceptions of human-wildlife conflict and policy responses: An examination of the Western Australia shark hazard mitigation drum line program 2013-2014." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2020. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/204256/1/Amy_Couper_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis examines stakeholder perceptions of shark bite events and policy responses by using a Western Australian shark hazard mitigation policy as a case study. It determined that stakeholder groups use different techniques to create social problems that can influence policy outcomes and that there is a disconnect between policy and scientific evidence regarding cases of human-wildlife conflict.
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Binge, Elizabeth Naudé. "Guarding dogs as a mitigation tool in human-wildlife conflict - case study: the Anatolian Shepherd Dog breeding project in Namaqua National Park." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25013.
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This study conducted an evaluation of farmer and shepherd perceptions on Anatolian Shepherd dogs, used as livestock guarding dogs to mitigate farmer–wildlife conflict and meet conservation ends. The case study involved Anatolian Shepherd dogs bred at the Anatolian Shepherd Dog Breeding Project in the Namaqua National Park, and placed mostly on farms and at stock posts near the Namaqua National Park in the Northern Cape. The data were collected during structured and semi-structured interviews with livestock farmers and shepherds that received Anatolian Shepherd dogs from the Breeding Project. Anatolian Shepherd dogs were evaluated in terms of their contribution to reduce livestock losses and conservation of wildlife species. In terms of effectiveness in preventing or reducing livestock losses, 84% of the dogs eliminated or reduced livestock losses. Respondent satisfaction with the dogs was high, with 95% of respondents willing to recommend the Breeding Project and the use of Anatolian Shepherd dogs. Of the respondents, 95% perceived their dogs to be economically beneficial. Another 48% of respondents reported some form of behavioural problems at least once during the placement of the dogs. The most common reported problem was resting in the shade rather than accompanying the livestock. However, corrective training was effective in all cases where training was undertaken immediately. In terms of conservation, fewer respondents used lethal predator control methods in the years after placement of the dogs than before their placement. The overall perception regarding the use of lethal control methods (e.g. gin traps, shooting and poison) was that such control is cruel and that it is better to use non-lethal control methods only. However, a few respondents reported that lethal control measures were occasionally necessary to make a living when no other control measures were available, especially when the herd was relatively large. The effects of Anatolian Shepherd dogs on non-predator species in this study were minimal. The presence of the dogs therefore aided predator conservation and improved farmer tolerance of predators, especially by effectively reducing livestock losses.
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Van, Rooyen Jacques. "Livestock production and animal health management systems in communal farming areas at the wildlife-livestock interface in southern Africa." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/60128.
Full textAbstract:
Development of transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) in southern Africa depends, among other, on
the ability of stakeholders to find practical and sustainable solutions for wildlife‐livestock integration in
the conservation landscape. Due to the presence of buffalo Syncerus caffer in most of the TFCAs in
southern Africa, foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) has to be controlled in susceptible livestock species
sharing the rangelands with wildlife. Conventional FMD control measures act as an additional burden
on communal livestock producers and may hamper rural development and wildlife‐livestock integration
even further. However, commodity‐based trade in the form of an integrated approach to the control
of both food safety and disease risk along the entire beef value chain has been proposed as a more
favourable alternative for ensuring market access for beef produced at the wildlife‐livestock interface.
Such a non‐geographic based approach could allow for trade to continue despite high risk of FMD if
appropriate disease risk and food safety measures are implemented by farmers and subsequent role
players along the value chain and hence, could promote greater wildlife‐livestock compatibility.The objective of the present study was to analyse beef production, health and trade systems of farmers at the wildlife‐livestock interface within foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) protection zones in order to identify challenges, risks and limitations that may limit compliance with proposed commodity‐based trade prerequisites as well as value chain participation. Based on the findings of this study a holistic, integrated approach is proposed at the village level that could be implemented to serve as an incentive for equitable participation by farmers whilst 1) addressing the risks and limitations of a farming system, 2) ensuring greater wildlife‐livestock compatibility, and 3) promote consistent market access by fulfilling the requirements of an integrated value chain approach based on commodity‐based trade standards.
A farming systems approach was used to investigate beef production, health and trade systems in FMD protection zones mainly within the Zambezi Region (ZR) of Namibia, which is situated within the KAZA TFCA (Kavango‐Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area), but also the Mnisi study area (MSA) in South Africa adjacent to the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA). A combined qualitative and quantitative approach was used to assess and describe farmers’ perceptions in selected study areas about beef production, trade, and wildlife conservation. Secondary data obtained from state veterinary services, the Meatco abattoir in Katima Mulilo, as well as previous studies were analysed and modelled to describe spatial‐temporal trends in trade as well as cattle distribution in relation to resource availability.
The results indicate that beef production systems in some of the most remote areas of the ZR as well as in the MSA resemble a typical low‐input low‐output production system, mainly due to the high level of risk farmers had to cope with and the limited opportunity to offset losses. The major challenges within livestock farming in all the areas studied were animal diseases, grazing competition, predation, stock theft and contact with wildlife, although the importance of each varied between study areas. Herd size effect in the MSA significantly explained the variation in attitude towards trade, production and management of cattle between farmers with below average and farmers with above average herd sizes. In the MSA, home slaughter contributed significantly more to direct household food security in households with larger herd sizes than in households with smaller herd sizes, and in the ZR farmers with smaller herd sizes were discouraged from participation in formal trade.
The attitudes and perceptions of farmers In the ZR towards wildlife and conservation often varied between survey areas as a consequence of the variation in the geophysical properties of the landscape, proximity to conservation areas, as well as the form of the interface with conservation areas. The perceived spatial‐temporal movement of buffalo varied between survey areas in the ZR. However, the frequency and nature of buffalo‐cattle interaction was generally high and intimate. Most farmers associated buffalo with risk of disease, especially FMD, but some were more concerned about grazing competition and the negative effect on husbandry practises. Farmers readily deployed traditional risk mitigation tactics in the form of kraaling at night and herding at day to control the movement of their animals and to reduce risks. Herding was found to be a potential strategy to specifically mitigate cattlebuffalo contact despite the lack of evidence that an overall strategic approach to herding exist. Although the majority of farmers in the ZR were in favour of conservation and its benefits, the negative impact of increasing wildlife numbers on farmers’ attitudes was an indication that the generally positive sentiment was changing and may in future deter conservation efforts.
Indications are that the cattle population in the ZR at its estimated density and distribution had reached the ecological capacity of the natural resource base in the ZR and animal performance and survival was therefore subjected to increased variability in resource availability linked to climate change. The cattle population’s existence at ecological capacity and the inability of farmers to offset the loss of condition in the dry season with supplementary feed were reflected in the changes in carcass quality and grades across seasons. However, there was sufficient forage produced in the ZR to sustain animal performance to some extent throughout the year, but those areas with surplus forage existed beyond the assumed grazing range around villages and perennial rivers where most cattle and wildlife concentrate. The future ability of farmers to access such underutilised grazing resources in order to strategically counter the negative consequences of climate change and growing wildlife numbers could be an important coping and risk management mechanism linked to commodity‐based trade and sustained animal quality.
Regular FMD outbreaks had a significant impact on the consistency with which the Meatco abattoir in the ZR operated between the years 2007‐2011, with negative consequences to both farmers and the abattoir itself. It was found that the formal trade system in the ZR discriminated against farmers with below average herd sizes, and that the disposition held by farmers with smaller herd sizes are most significant in areas further than approximately 55km away from quarantine camps. Vegetation type and possible contact with buffalo or previous FMD outbreaks in the area did not significantly affect market participation nor off‐take rates at a crush‐pen level in the ZR. The negative effect that distance from a quarantine station had on formal off‐take rate and the level of sales to Meatco at crush‐pen level, was the most significant in the winter months and crush‐pens situated beyond 55km from a quarantine station. The results indicate that the trade range of the Meatco abattoir was less than its trade threshold which contributed to its struggle to sustain throughput and profitability.
Finally the loss of income farmers experienced in both the ZR and the MSA during simultaneous FMD outbreaks in the year 2012 was quantified, as well as the impact it had on livelihoods in the ZR. A commodity‐based trade approach may have reduced the impact on farmers’ income significantly. However, we farmers are unable to comply with the proposed requirements for mitigating risk and ensuring food safety and quality in such communal systems in the absence of interventions to build the necessary capacity and awareness. It is recommended that at the wildlife‐livestock interface such as those investigated in this study, an integrated value chain approach to trade could serve as a catalyst to incentivise and enable farmer participation in holistic, integrated rangeland and livestock management practises that will promote conservation and rural development.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016.
The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
University of Pretoria
National Research Foundation of South Africa
Veterinary Tropical Diseases
PhD
Unrestricted
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Tug, Senem. "Conflicts Between Humans And Wolf: A Study In Bozdag, Konya Province, Turkey." Master's thesis, METU, 2005. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12606655/index.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Canis lupus is one of the most important but least studied species of Turkish fauna, however, livestock depredation and recently increased number of publications on attacks on humans intensifies human-wildlife conflict. In this study, wolf depredation is studied in Bozdag in the province of Konya where conflicts between wolves and livestock holders are well known.
The study site holds >50,000 sheep and covers 9 villages and a small town. A total of 13 shepherds are interviewed in 2004 and 2005 to reveal husbandry methods and vulnerability of livestock to wolf attacks in Bozdag. Each flock is attended by a shepherd and several livestock guarding dogs (LGDs), and experiences 1.96 wolf attacks per year, on average, independent of flock size. The flocks attended by less LGDs experience less attacks and therefore, the quality of the LGDs &
#8211
not their numbers- are more important. Confining sheep in corrals that are attended by a shepherd and good quality LGDs appears to be the most effective husbandry method to decrease depredation. Human attitude towards wolf is also assessed and the perception of wolf is generally negative
8 out of 11 shepherds are in favour of the eradication of this carnivore. Publicized wolf attacks on humans are compiled from 21 news sources on the internet and records of wolf rabies are sought from various sources. There were five publicized cases of attacks on humans, no verified records of human death between 2000 and 2005. Rabies stands out as the primary reason of wolf attacks, but it requires further research because proper records are missing.
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Olsson, Linnea. "Human-elephant conflicts : A qualitative case study of farmers’ attitudes toward elephants in Babati, Tanzania." Thesis, Södertörns högskola, Institutionen för naturvetenskap, miljö och teknik, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-24091.
Full textAbstract:
It is widely recognized that human-wildlife conflicts can reduce farmers’ support for long-term species conservation. The subject of human-elephant conflicts is highly relevant in villages around Babati District in North Central Tanzania because of the closeness to Tarangire National Park. The purpose of this study is therefore to examine local farmers’ attitudes toward elephants and the attitudes’ effects on conservation efforts. Primary data was collected through a qualitative approach of semi-structured interviews with twelve farmers in four villages around Babati, with Wildlife Officer Nashon Macokesha at Babati District Council and with Allan Carlson, Nature Conservation Expert at WWF. A thematic analysis was done to make comparisons between the answers from farmers, Macokesha and Carlson. The Theory of Planned Behavior and the Value-Belief-Norm theory were also used to analyze the underlying factors of the farmers’ attitudes. The results of this study show that around half of the farmers have positive attitudes toward elephants, while the other half think negatively of them. Elephants were identified as the most problematic species and crop-raiding as the most problematic type of human-elephant conflict. The problems that farmers experience do to crop-raiding and other types of human-elephant conflicts include the direct effects of lost livelihood and income and indirect effects like health impacts and security issues. The result also indicates that factors affecting farmers’ attitudes toward elephants include: 1) the proportion of available land affected by elephants, 2) the closeness of farmers’ fields to Tarangire National Park, 3) the lack of compensation, 4) the ability to affect the decision-making concerning the human-elephant conflicts and 5) the information about and knowledge of elephants and their importance. The underlying cause of the human-elephant conflicts is identified to be the spatial overlap of the two species. To prevent human-elephant encounters in the first place, thereby reducing the risk of human-elephants conflicts, better land use planning can be used to avoid settlement and cultivation close to protected areas. Buffer zones can be established around national parks and reserves to reduce the overlap between humans and wildlife. Mitigation through preventive and deterrent methods like lighting fires, making noises, using chili-dung or chili-grease to scare elephants off farmers’ fields can also be used. Another alternative is to switch from growing high-risk crops that elephants prefer to crops like chili or sesame which rarely gets eaten by elephants.Att konflikter mellan människor och djurliv kan minska bönders stöd för artbevarande åtgärder är välkänt bland forskare. Konflikter mellan människor och elefanter är vitt förekommande i byar i Babati-distriktet i norra Tanzania på grund av närheten till nationalparken Tarangire. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka bönders attityder till elefanter och attitydernas effekter för bevarandeåtgärder. Primärdata samlades in genom ett kvalitativt upplägg med semistrukturerade intervjuer med tolv bönder i fyra byar i Babati, med Wildlife Officer Nashon Macokesha på Babati District Council samt med Allan Carlson, naturvårdsexpert på WWF. En tematisk analys utfördes för att jämföra svaren mellan bönderna, Macokesha och Carlson och the Theory of Planned Behavior samt the Value-Belief-Norm theory användes för att analysera de underliggande orsakerna bakom böndernas attityder. Resultatet från denna studie visar att ungefär hälften av bönderna har positiva attityder till elefanter, medan den andra hälften har negativa åsikter om dem. Elefanter identifierades som den mest problematiska arten för bönderna och förstörandet av grödor som den mest problematiska typen av konflikt mellan människor och elefanter. Problemen som bönderna upplever till följd av dessa konflikter inkluderar direkta effekter som förlorad inkomst och försämrade försörjningsmöjligheter, men också indirekta effekter som hälso- och säkerhetsproblem. Faktorer som enligt resultaten i denna studie kan påverka böndernas attityder till elefanter innefattar: 1) andelen tillgänglig mark som påverkas av elefanter, 2) närheten från böndernas mark till nationalparken Tarangire, 3) bristen på kompensation, 4) möjligheten att påverka beslutsprocessen gällande konflikten mellan människor och elefanter samt 5) information och kunskap om elefanter och deras betydelse. Den underliggande orsaken till konflikterna mellan människor och elefanter identifieras vara överlappet i användningsområden mellan de båda arterna. För att förhindra möten mellan människor och elefanter, och därmed minska risken för konflikter, behövs bättre markanvändningsplanering så att bosättning och jordbruk undviks i närheten av skyddade områden. Buffertzoner kan också anläggas runt nationalparker och reservat för att minska överlappet mellan människor och djur. Avskräckande åtgärder, som att tända eldar, göra oväsen, tända chilibriketter eller sätta upp chili-rep, för att hålla elefanter borta från böndernas åkrar kan också användas. Ett annat alternativ är att bönderna byter från att odla högriskgrödor som elefanter föredrar till att odla grödor som chili eller sesam, vilka sällan eller aldrig äts av elefanter.
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Merson, Samuel David. "Bushmeat hunting, retaliatory killing, habitat degradation and exotic species as threats to Fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox) conservation." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2017. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:cae515e4-5b08-4228-a38e-3bb5929887af.
Full textAbstract:
Large carnivores are in global decline, chiefly resultant of anthropogenic persecution, habitat reduction and disturbance. Fosas represent Madagascar's largest carnivore, occupying much of the island's forest. This thesis examines the threats of bushmeat hunting, retaliatory killing, habitat alteration and exotic species using sociological and remote-sensing methodologies. Habitat degradation was not associated with reduced fosa occupancy, indicating some resilience within large, contiguous forests. However, competition with exotic species (cats, dogs) was associated with reduced fosa occupancy and potential temporal shifts towards greater nocturnality. Poor households were more likely to consume protected species. Conversely, wealthier households consumed more fish and eel. This pattern is reflected in Malagasy reported taste preference to consume domesticated animals and certain legally hunted wild species. Protected areas were not associated with reduced protected species consumption. Fosas' predation was a major cause of rural poultry mortality. Predation was more likely to occur in deciduous forests, in the dry season, during the evening. Fosa predation, and lower education was associated with negative Malagasy attitudes. Wealthy households, and those that had experienced fosa predation were most likely to retaliatory kill a fosa. Strategies to safeguard fosas' long-term persistence should seek to improve domestic husbandry, build robust coops with the use of watchdogs, promote education, and reduce exotic species abundance.
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Knight, Catherine Heather. "The bear as barometer : the Japanese response to human-bear conflict : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Japanese Studies at the University of Canterbury /." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Languages and Cultures, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/991.
Full textAbstract:
The Asiatic black bear, or 'moon bear', has inhabited Japan since pre-historic times, and is the largest animal to have roamed Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu since mega-fauna became extinct on the Japanese archipelago after the last glacial period. Despite this, the bear features only rarely in the folklore, literature and arts of Japan's mainstream culture. This relative cultural invisibility in the lowland agrarian-based culture of Japan contrasts markedly with its cultural significance in many upland regions where subsistence lifestyles based on hunting, gathering and beliefs centred on the mountain deity (yama no kami) have persisted until recently. However, in recent decades the bear has been propelled from its position of relative cultural obscurity into the forefront of mainstream society's attention. As more and more of the bear's habitat is destroyed or degraded through forestry and development, the bear is increasingly encroaching onto human territory in its search for food, leading to pestilence and bear attacks. This thesis examines the nature of the contemporary human-bear relationship in Japan, dominated by human-bear conflict, or the so-called 'bear problem'. To better understand the contemporary response to the bear, the thesis explores the historical relationship of the Japanese with both the bear and its habitat, the forested uplands. The thesis further seeks to understand how cultural, historical, social and geographic factors influence a society's response to wildlife conflict and what can be learnt from the Japanese example which can be applied to the understanding of human society's response to wildlife conflict elsewhere.
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Smith, Emma Ruth. "An assessment of caracal population density and human-predator conflict in the Winterberg, Eastern Cape, South Africa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005326.
Full textAbstract:
Human-wildlife conflict frequently involves carnivores, mainly because of their large home ranges and dietary requirements. As such, carnivores tend to be the first animals to be lost in human-dominated ecosystems. This is significant because the removal of carnivores can alter the functionality of ecosystems. However, the conservation of carnivores depends as much on the socio-political and socio-economic landscapes as it does on the ecological one. The consolidation of vast, un-fragmented conservation areas in Africa and the world is unlikely. Thus, unravelling the factors (both biological and sociological) responsible for and influencing human-predator conflict is critical for carnivore conservation. The Winterberg district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa has been a sheep (Ovis aries) farming stronghold for nearly 200 years. Consequently, conflict between farmers and predators is commonplace and depredation of livestock by caracals (Caracai caracal) remains a perennial problem. However, the extent of this human-predator conflict (including a reliable assessment of caracal density) has not been quantified. This study used camera trapping to estimate the density of caracals (a nonindividually recognisable species) in the Winterberg and a structured questionnaire to gauge the general attitudes of the farmers of the region. Caracal density was estimated to be 0.20 caracals/km². This estimate equates to a population of approximately 54 caracals across the entire district. Therefore, caracals do not appear to occur at high densities in the Winterberg. However, the survey of the residents of the Winterberg Conservancy revealed that predators were rated as the greatest problem faced by farmers in the area. Although not significant, it also showed that the size of a respondent's property and sheep mortality due to caracals had the greatest probability of affecting attitudes towards predators. The farmers lost less than 10% of their stock to caracal depredation on an annual basis. Therefore, the general perception that predators were the most important factor in stock loss in the area does not appear to be fully supported by my data. The Winterberg is a male-dominated, multigenerational society and it is likely this propagates certain perceptions towards predators which are a reflection of long-held family traditions and beliefs. Such situations can result in reactions which are disproportionate to the actual scale of the problem. However, my study was limited to a sub-set of the landowners in the Winterberg. Thus, more intensive assessments of caracal space use and community attitudes towards predators are recommended.
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Minnie, Liaan. "Socio-economic and ecological correlates of leopard-stock farmer conflict in the Baviaanskloof mega-reserve, Eastern Cape." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1044.
Full textAbstract:
The leopard, Panthera pardus, is particularly threatened outside conservation areas in South Africa. This has been attributed to a reduction in natural habitat, decreasing natural prey populations, and commercial exploitation such as trophy hunting, and most importantly, persecution by stock farmers (Woodroffe 2001). The leopard population in the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve (BMR) has undergone a substantial decrease in range and numbers in the past 200 years, resulting in a highly fragmented population in the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve, and is regarded as being insecure. There is thus a need to investigate the nature and extent of leopard-stock farmer interactions to provide the foundation for an effective leopard conservation plan. Here I investigated the ecological and socio-economic factors influencing leopard-stock farmer conflict via landowner surveys and estimated potential leopard numbers using a prey-based density model. Leopards are not necessarily the most important causes of livestock mortality in the BMR. On average, leopards killed significantly less livestock (0.7 percent livestock per year) than black-backed jackals (4.7 percent per year) and caracal (2.5 percent per year), yet 67 percent of farmers had negative attitudes towards leopards. These negative attitudes were not significantly related to stock losses. However, most of the farmers that had negative attitudes towards leopards did not have any stock losses attributed to leopards. Thus if predator-stock conflict is not reduced it will result in the retaliatory killing of leopards. This will have severe consequences for this relatively small population (estimated at 59 – 104 individuals by the prey-based model), which may ultimately lead to the local extinction of these leopards (Woodroffe & Ginsberg 1998).
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Rottstock, Thomas. "A comparative approach to livestock-wildlife interactions in central Europe and sub-Saharan Africa." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2021. http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/18452/24031.
Full textAbstract:
Diese Dissertation, befasst sich mit Wechselwirkungen zwischen Weidevieh und Wildtieren und basiert auf der Hypothese, dass sich stark transformierte europäische Landschaften und weniger gestörte afrikanische Savannen gegenseitig als Referenz dienen können. Aufgrund von Parallelen in der Domestikationsgeschichte, fungieren europäische und afrikanische Hausrinder als theoretischer Rahmen. Die Daten wurden mittels Kamerafallen und Interviews in vier Fallstudien erhoben. Die Untersuchungsgebiete befinden sich in räumlicher Nähe zu Schutzgebieten in Deutschland (Nationalpark Unteres Odertal und Naturpark Westhavelland), Namibia (Etosha Nationalpark) und Tansania (Serengeti Nationalpark). Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass bestimmte Praktiken des Weidemanagements in Deutschland Potential haben, die Nachhaltigkeit der Weidetierhaltung in Afrika zu erhöhen. In Afrika sind die Reaktionen der Wildtierzönosen auf verschiedene Weidesysteme stärker ausgeprägt als in Europa. Ein gemeinsames Phänomen in allen Fallstudien sind hohe Konflikte mit streng geschützten Wildarten. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass Agrobiodiversität nur erfolgreich geschützt werden kann, wenn Managementstrategien den Anforderungen der Landwirte gerecht werden. Es gibt Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen den Untersuchungsgebieten in Deutschland und privatem Farmland in Namibia. Sorgfältige Anpassungen an die standortspezifischen Bedingungen sind erforderlich wenn ein in Europa entwickeltes Weidesystem in Afrika praktiziert wird. Die Ergebnisse aus Tansania sind ein Indikator für die extreme Veränderung der Landschaft und ausgeprägte Mensch-Wildtier-Konflikte. Besonders dort, wo Rinder hohe kulturelle Bedeutung haben, ist es nötig, die Menschen für Nachhaltigkeit im Weidemanagement zu sensibilisieren. Traditionelle Praktiken des schwindenden Pastoralismus erscheinen vielversprechend um die Nachhaltigkeit der Weidehaltung auf kommunalem Land in Afrika zu erhöhen.These comparative studies deal with the interactions between grazing cattle and wildlife. The thesis is based on the central hypothesis that strongly transformed European landscapes and less disturbed African savannas can provide each other a valuable reference. Due to parallels in the domestication history, European and African cattle function as theoretical framework of these studies. The data were collected via camera traps and interviews in four case studies. The study areas are in close vicinity to protected areas in Germany (Lower Oder Valley National Park and Westhavelland Nature Park), Namibia (Etosha National Park) and Tanzania (Serengeti National Park). The results show that certain practices of the pasture management in Germany have potential to increase the sustainability of livestock grazing in Africa. In Africa, the responses of the wildlife communities to different grazing systems are more pronounced than in Europe. A common phenomenon in all case studies is a high level of conflict with strictly protected wildlife species. The results suggest that agro-biodiversity can only be successfully protected if management strategies meet the requirements of farmers. There are several similarities between the study areas in Germany and private farmland in Namibia. Careful adaptation to the site-specific conditions is required when a grazing system developed in Europe is practiced in Africa. The results from Tanzania are an indicator of the extreme change in the landscape and pronounced human-wildlife conflicts. Especially where cattle are of high cultural value, it is necessary to sensitize people to sustainability in pasture management. Traditional practices of declining pastoralism appear promising to increase the sustainability of grazing on communal land in Africa.
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Falcetto, Andrea. "Perceptions of Conservation and Ecotourism in the Taita-Taveta County, Kenya." TopSCHOLAR®, 2012. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1186.
Full textAbstract:
This is a qualitative study examining conservation attitudes and resource use of 63 individuals in Kasigau, Kenya. Community members described their perceptions of conservation, the resources that they use, the location and availability of these, their support for the protection of Mt. Kasigau, their likes and dislikes of plant and animal species, and their support of ecotourism in Kasigau. All individuals listed conservation behaviors and agreed that protecting Mt. Kasigau is important. Many recognized the mountain as the only source of water. Some resources were limited, especially at certain times of the year. All interviewed community members except one would like tourists to visit Kasigau and are interested in cultural exchange. There is an apparent difference between conservation and ecotourism attitudes in Makwasinyi and the other six villages which could be because Makwasinyi has a lower level of education and is isolated on the northeastern side of the mountain. Gender differences between males and females were also present as each gender uses different resources coupled with a division of labor. The main theory that evolved was rational choice theory. People of Kasigau are trying to sustain their livelihoods and will pick conservation activities due to their benefits and chance they will increase income. When developing a community-based conservation model, these attitudes, education level, and gender differences must be considered to make a plan the whole community can agree on and from which it will benefit.