Browsing by Subject "Human-wildlife conflict"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
Developing the Cost of Large Carnivore Conflict Rapid Response Units - A Namibian Case Study
(2015-04-24) Bauer, Melissa J
Namibia is home to half the world’s remaining wild cheetahs and - provides critical habitat for lions, leopards, spotted and brown hyena and African Wild Dogs. Despite such ecological importance, only 5% of cheetah's, <1% of African Wild Dogs', and similar percentages of remaining habitat for other large carnivores exists on officially protected lands. As a result, human/carnivore conflict is a large problem on private lands, where 60% of surveyed farmers will shoot any large carnivore on sight. This project explores building a carnivore rapid response team equipped to mitigate human/carnivore conflict through researching the financial costs of such an endeavor, with an eye on capitalizing potential benefits to all 6 Namibian large carnivore species.
Open Access
Local Community Values and Perceptions of Natural Resource Management in Northeast Gabon
(2017-04-28) Hamilton, Nina
Conservation and development activities could positively or negatively affect communities dependent upon natural resources to sustain their livelihoods. Yet, community values and priorities are often not considered in landscape-level management decisions. This study pilots the use of value mapping as a means of documenting the importance of forest resources for rural communities living in multi-use forests in northeastern Gabon. Community mapping with a resource prioritization activity, in which participants distribute tokens across the map to score resources by their importance to local livelihoods, was conducted in 10 villages to assess local values and perceived threats to natural resources, and identify potential solutions to address local concerns. Perceptions of forest access and community forests as a community-based environmental management approach were also investigated through surveys and key informant interviews. Findings suggest that crops are the most highly valued resource and communities value a wide range of forest resources. There are significant differences in how men and women value natural resources, closely linked to the traditional roles that each gender plays in natural resource use. Community members identified forests elephants and logging operations as the greatest threats to resources, but put the onus of designing and implementing solutions on the State. Despite an overall positive perception of forest access, satisfaction with forest access increased with distance to the national park. There was widespread awareness among village chiefs about the benefits of community forests for forest protection and community development. However, there remain significant barriers to the establishment of community forests, including the lack of village scale community organizing and technical assistance. To integrate local communities into the decision-making process regarding access rights to natural resources, I recommend prioritizing: (1) mitigation of crop raiding with transition to intensified agriculture, (2) work with forestry operators and NGOs to improve local perceptions of industrial logging operations and promote community forestry, and (3) implement a decentralized approach for communities to access information on and participate in regional land-use decisions. These steps would likely mitigate tension that could derail national conservation and development goals, while promoting strategies that are compatible with both local and national interests.
Open Access
Loups Marin: Exploring Human Dimensions of Conflicts with Wildlife through Filmed Interviews about Gray Seals Returning to Cape Cod
(2024-04-26) Hillard, Ashley
When it comes to human-wildlife conflict, wildlife is often found at fault but in reality is it us or is it them? Through the story of the return of gray seals to Cape Cod, the complexities of modern species management is shared via a short documentary titled Loups Marin (sea wolves). Once abundant, gray seals were extirpated from the Gulf of Maine after years of bounty hunting. Protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, their numbers have steadily increased along with white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod. As the gray seal population rebounds, fish stocks have declined leading some to believe that the seals are eating too many fish along with drawing white sharks to popular beaches. Similar to misconceptions about wolves and their role in ecosystems, gray seals can be misunderstood and blamed for problems that are actually caused by people. As fisherman Doug Feeney shares, “it’s not the seal, but it's a great scapegoat.”
Open Access
Predicting conflict over scarce resources: Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and Fulɓe pastoralists
(2011-04-28) Massa, Brooke E.
The western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) is considered the most endangered subspecies of chimpanzee. The populations living at the furthest extent of its range, in southern Senegal – a country situated directly south of the Sahara Desert - are considered to be nearly extinct. These ‘savanna chimpanzees’ have adapted to living in an arid environment and are now facing more threats to their survival as climate change and deforestation have forced nomadic pastoralists further into their habitat in search of fodder and water. Combining field-collected data on both chimpanzee and pastoralist habitat use with GIS and remote sensing data, I spatially predicted areas of potential habitat conflict among chimpanzees and pastoralists. Using species distribution modeling, I found that large swaths of forested habitat in Bandafassi are predicted to be used by nomadic pastoralists. Their presence is expected in 86 percent of the land which is predicted to be used by chimpanzees. Statistical modeling using the Dirichlet distribution predicted overuse of gallery forests by herders. Since herders remove most of the crowns of 9 species of trees, 7 of which provide important resources for chimpanzees, the impact of herders on chimpanzee resources is likely detrimental. Strategies to protect chimpanzee habitat and increase resources for herders should be considered in community-based conservation projects.