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Abrha AM, Gedeon K, Podsiadlowski L, Weldesilasie DM, Töpfer T. Occupancy of the Ethiopian endemic Moorland Francolin in pristine and degraded Afroalpine biome using a camera trap approach. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10551. [PMID: 37915806 PMCID: PMC10617016 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Occupancy modeling is an essential tool for understanding species-habitat associations, thereby helping to plan the conservation of rare and threatened wildlife species. The conservation status and ecology of several avian species, particularly ground-dwelling birds, are poorly known in Ethiopia. We used camera trap-based occupancy modeling to investigate habitat covariate influence on occupancy (Ψ) and detection probability (ρ) estimates of Moorland Francolins Scleroptila psilolaema from spatially replicated surveys across both relatively pristine and disturbed landscapes in the Afroalpine biome of Ethiopia. Model-averaged estimate of ψ ^ across all sites was 0.76 (SD = 0.28) and ρ ^ was 0.77 (SD = 0.13) in the pristine landscape. The ψ ^ of the species in the disturbed landscape was 0.56 (SD = 0.19) and ρ ^ was 0.48 (SD = 0.06). As hypothesized, based on our model-averaged beta coefficient estimates (βmean ± SE), predators significantly negatively influenced the occupancy of Moorland Francolins in pristine habitat. We also found a significant positive association of occupancy with herb species richness. Contrary to our prediction, distance to road significantly negatively influence the occupancy of the species, suggesting that occupancy probability was highest in proximity to roadsides and trails in the pristine habitat. There was no significant influence of habitat covariates on the occupancy of the species in the disturbed habitat. The most important covariates that significantly influence the detectability of the species in pristine habitat included sampling occasion and precipitation. The greater occupancy and detectability of this endemic species in the pristine habitat could be linked with the particular conservation status and management of this biodiversity hotspot in the central highlands of Ethiopia. Our results suggest that strict legal enforcement is required to sustainably preserve Moorland Francolins and the ecological integrity of the entire Afroalpine biome. We recommend using camera traps in order to develop realistic and effective conservation and management strategies for rare, sensitive, cryptic, and ground-dwelling animals in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abadi Mehari Abrha
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity ChangeBonnGermany
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and EcologyUniversity of BonnBonnGermany
- Department of Animal, Rangeland and Wildlife ScienceMekelle UniversityMekelleEthiopia
| | - Kai Gedeon
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity ChangeBonnGermany
| | | | - Demis Mamo Weldesilasie
- Department of Wildlife and Ecotourism ManagementGuassa Community Conservation AreaMehal MedaEthiopia
| | - Till Töpfer
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity ChangeBonnGermany
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Knox J, Ruppert K, Frank B, Sponarski CC, Glikman JA. Usage, definition, and measurement of coexistence, tolerance and acceptance in wildlife conservation research in Africa. AMBIO 2021; 50:301-313. [PMID: 32557171 PMCID: PMC7782642 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-020-01352-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The terms 'coexistence', 'tolerance,' and 'acceptance' appear frequently in conservation literature, but lack consistent characterization, making them difficult to apply across intervention frameworks. This review aims to describe the common characterizations of these three terms using Africa-based research as a case study. Through systematic lexical searches, we identified 392 papers containing one or more of the three terms. We assessed their usage, definition, and measurement (or lack thereof) in wildlife conservation. Coexistence was used in 46% of papers, but was defined in only 2% and measured in 4%. Tolerance and acceptance were used in 63% and 61% of the papers in which they appeared, respectively, defined in 4% and 2%, and measured in 19% and 5%. These results confirm the lack of clear understanding of these concepts and evidence the need for a precise lexicon. This would allow conservationists to cohesively describe their work and increase replicability of research across contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian Knox
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027 USA
- Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, 111 E Taylor Street, Phoenix, AZ 85287 USA
| | - Kirstie Ruppert
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027 USA
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469 USA
| | - Beatrice Frank
- Capital Regional District-Regional Parks Canada, Victoria, BC V9B2Z8 Canada
| | - Carly C. Sponarski
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469 USA
| | - Jenny Anne Glikman
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027 USA
- Present Address: Instituto de Estudios Sociales Avanzados (IESA-CSIC), Campo Santo de los Mártires 7, 14004 Córdoba, Spain
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Kifle Z, Bekele A. Human-Gelada Conflict and Attitude of the Local Community toward the Conservation of the Southern Gelada (Theropithecus gelada obscurus) around Borena Saynit National Park, Ethiopia. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 65:399-409. [PMID: 31884563 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-019-01246-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the extent of human-primate conflict in areas where habitat overlap reaches at maximum level between local farmers and primates is crucial to developing conservation and management strategies. One of the threats of southern geladas (Theropithecus gelada obscurus) is conflict with the local farmers due to cereal crop raiding. This study was carried out to compare the intensity of human-gelada conflicts and the attitude of local farmers toward the conservation of geladas among local communities neighboring Borena Sayint National Park (BSNP) and an unprotected site far from the BSNP. Data from 356 randomly selected respondents were collected using questionnaire interview method. Overall, 92.13% of the respondents considered southern geladas as cereal crop pests. Those major complaints against geladas did not differ significantly between the two study sites: crop raiding (p = 0.435) and competition with livestock for pasture (p = 0.990). Overall, 61.78% of the respondents surrounding the Park had positive attitude while 60.00% from the unprotected villages had negative attitude toward geladas, and the difference was significant (p < 0.001). Most of the respondents from both sites had labor bottleneck and station themselves in the sites to guard their cereal crops from being raided by southern geladas. Respondents from the Park boundaries had more interest on the conservation of geladas than those respondents from the unprotected site (p < 0.001). Conservation education program and better human-gelada conflict mitigation measures should be taken to change the negative conservation attitude of local famers toward the southern geladas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zewdu Kifle
- Biology Department, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Khan TU, Luan X, Ahmad S, Mannan A, Khan W, Khan AA, Khan BU, Din EU, Bhattarai S, Shah S, Saeed S, Amara U. Status and Magnitude of Grey Wolf Conflict with Pastoral Communities in the Foothills of the Hindu Kush Region of Pakistan. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9100787. [PMID: 31614682 PMCID: PMC6826428 DOI: 10.3390/ani9100787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Despite higher loss due to disease, human–carnivore conflicts over livestock depredation is one of the major problems in carnivore conservation, both locally and globally. Locals share negative attitudes towards the wolf due to conflicts over livestock depredation. Using semi-structured questionnaires, we found that grey wolf is in a serious conflict with the locals, causing economic loss to them at the expanse of its own life. The locals considered the species a serious threat to their livestock, causing them economic losses, and wanted to reduce or even eliminate it from their area. Respondents having larger herd size and higher dependency on livestock for earning livelihoods shared more negative attitudes towards the wolves. In our study area the economic loss of the locals due to livestock mortalities from diseases was higher than that from wolf depredation. Therefore, we suggested that vaccination of the livestock and compensation schemes will help to change the perception of locals towards wolf. Abstract Pastoralist–wolf conflict over livestock depredation is the main factor affecting conservation of grey wolf worldwide. Very limited research has been carried out to evaluate the pattern and nature of livestock depredation by wolf. This study aims to determine the status and nature of human–wolf conflict across different villages in the Hind Kush region of Pakistan during the period January 2016–December 2016. For this purpose, a total of 110 local male respondents from all walks of life were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The grey wolf was declared as a common species in the area by 51.3% of the locals with an annual sighting rate of 0.46 each. During the year (2016), a total of 358 livestock were lost to grey wolf predation and disease. Of the total livestock loss, grey wolf was held responsible for a total 101 livestock losses. Goat and sheep were the most vulnerable prey species as they accounted for 80 (79.2%) of the total reported depredations. Out of the total economic loss (USD 46,736, USD 424.87/household), grey wolf was accountable for USD 11,910 (USD 108.27 per household), while disease contributed 34,826 (USD 316.6 per household). High depredation was observed during the summer season 58.42% (n = 59) followed by spring and autumn. Unattended livestock were more prone to grey wolf attack during free grazing in forests. Most of the respondents (75.45%) showed aggressive and negative attitudes towards grey wolf. The herders shared more negative attitude (z = −3.21, p = 0.001) than businessman towards the species. Herders having larger herd size displayed more deleterious behavior towards wolves than those having smaller herd size. Active herding techniques, vaccinating livestock, educating locals about wildlife importance, and initiating compensating schemes for affected families could be helpful to decrease negative perceptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tauheed Ullah Khan
- School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; (T.U.K.); (S.A.)
| | - Xiaofeng Luan
- School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; (T.U.K.); (S.A.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel./Fax: +86-139-1009-0393
| | - Shahid Ahmad
- School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; (T.U.K.); (S.A.)
| | - Abdul Mannan
- Forest, Wildlife and Fisheries Department, Government of Punjab, Lahore 54500, Pakistan;
| | - Waqif Khan
- Department of Zoology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal, Dir Upper 18000, Pakistan;
| | - Abdul Aziz Khan
- Laboratory of Animal and Human Physiology, Department of Animal Sciences, Quiad-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan;
| | - Barkat Ullah Khan
- Carnivores Conservation Lab, Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan;
| | - Emad Ud Din
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China;
| | - Suman Bhattarai
- Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44613, Nepal;
| | - Sher Shah
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; (S.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Sajjad Saeed
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; (S.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Ummay Amara
- Department of Environmental Sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan,
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Gutema TM, Atickem A, Tsegaye D, Bekele A, Sillero-Zubiri C, Marino J, Kasso M, Venkataraman VV, Fashing PJ, Stenseth NC. Foraging ecology of African wolves ( Canis lupaster) and its implications for the conservation of Ethiopian wolves ( Canis simensis). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190772. [PMID: 31598305 PMCID: PMC6774988 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
African wolves (AWs) are sympatric with endangered Ethiopian wolves (EWs) in parts of their range. Scat analyses have suggested a dietary overlap between AWs and EWs, raising the potential for exploitative competition, and a possible conservation threat to EWs. However, in contrast to that of the well-studied EW, the foraging ecology of AWs remains poorly characterized. Accordingly, we studied the foraging ecology of radio-collared AWs (n = 11 individuals) at two localities with varying levels of anthropogenic disturbance in the Ethiopian Highlands, the Guassa-Menz Community Conservation Area (GMCCA) and Borena-Saynt National Park (BSNP), accumulating 845 h of focal observation across 2952 feeding events. We also monitored rodent abundance and rodent trapping activity by local farmers who experience conflict with AWs. The AW diet consisted largely of rodents (22.0%), insects (24.8%), and goats and sheep (24.3%). Of the total rodents captured by farmers using local traps during peak barley production (July to November) in GMCCA, averaging 24.7 ± 8.5 rodents/hectare/day, 81% (N = 3009) were scavenged by AWs. Further, of all the rodents consumed by AWs, most (74%) were carcasses. These results reveal complex interactions between AWs and local farmers, and highlight the scavenging niche occupied by AWs in anthropogenically altered landscapes in contrast to the active hunting exhibited by EWs in more intact habitats. While AWs cause economic damage to local farmers through livestock predation, they appear to play an important role in scavenging pest rodents among farmlands, a pattern of behaviour which likely mitigates direct and indirect competition with EWs. We suggest two routes to promote the coexistence of AWs and EWs in the Ethiopian highlands: local education efforts highlighting the complex role AWs play in highland ecosystems to reduce their persecution, and enforced protection of intact habitats to preserve habitat preferred by EWs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tariku Mekonnen Gutema
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Natural Resources Management, Jimma University, PO Box 307, Ethiopia
| | - Anagaw Atickem
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Diress Tsegaye
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Claudio Sillero-Zubiri
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK
- IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group, Oxford, UK
| | - Jorgelina Marino
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK
- IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group, Oxford, UK
| | - Mohammed Kasso
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Peter J. Fashing
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, 800 North State College Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA
| | - Nils C. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Eshete G, Marino J, Sillero-Zubiri C. Ethiopian wolves conflict with pastoralists in small Afroalpine relicts. Afr J Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Girma Eshete
- Institute of Environmental Sciences; Conservation Biology Department; University of Leiden; Leiden the Netherlands
- North Wollo Zone Environmental Protection Department; Woldia Ethiopia
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Zoology Department; The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; University of Oxford; Tubney UK
| | - Jorgelina Marino
- Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme; Robe Bale Ethiopia
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Zoology Department; The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; University of Oxford; Tubney UK
| | - Claudio Sillero-Zubiri
- Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme; Robe Bale Ethiopia
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Zoology Department; The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; University of Oxford; Tubney UK
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