scholarly journals Mahakal Blessed My Crop: Community Dynamics and Religious Beliefs Influence Efficacy of a Wildlife Compensation Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aritra Kshettry ◽  
Nupur Bhave ◽  
Priyanka Das ◽  
Vidya Athreya
Keyword(s):  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Crop Losses ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Shared Spaces ◽  
Compensation Program ◽  
Local Traditions

Conservation conflicts or human-wildlife conflicts present one of the foremost challenges to wildlife conservation globally. The challenges of reconciling human safety and food security with the conservation of large-bodied wildlife are further compounded in the developing nations with a high spatial overlap of wildlife with people. Therefore, conservation models are required to offset losses faced by affected communities while at the same time ensuring the long-term conservation of wildlife species in shared spaces. Ex-gratia payment is one such widely used conflict mitigation instrument that aims to reduce losses and increase tolerance toward damage-causing wildlife species. However, the efficacy of such programs is rarely investigated and the complex interplay of local beliefs, traditions, and community dynamics are rarely incorporated in the compensation programs. This paper aimed to study an ex-gratia payment program for crop losses in India using ecological, economic, and social lenses. In this study, we used 119 interview surveys across 30 villages. Linear models and thematic analysis were used to understand the sources of crop losses, the propensity to claim ex-gratia payments, and the reasons for claiming or not claiming. We find that even though wildlife is the major cause of crop loss in the region, especially to elephants, the majority of the respondents (53%) did not claim compensation for the losses. The reasons varied from procedural failures to a negative evaluation of the process or the agency involved but the most recurrent reason for not claiming was a deep religious belief in certain communities on the elephant God, “Mahakal.” Our work indicates that the cultural reverence toward the species is enabling the acceptance of losses. We propose that such complex cultural beliefs and local traditions should be considered when designing schemes that aim to garner conservation support toward damage-causing wildlife species.

Perceptions of animal welfare and exotic pet ownership in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-178
Author(s):  
AV Weldon ◽  
M Campera ◽  
X Zhang ◽  
Q Ni ◽  
WW Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Domestic Animal ◽  
Pet Ownership ◽  
Attitudes Toward Animals ◽  
Administrative Units ◽  
Exotic Pets

China plays a critical role in global biodiversity conservation, as both a biodiversity hotspot and for its role in international and domestic animal trade. Efforts to promote wildlife conservation have sparked interest in the attitudes held by Chinese citizens towards animals. Using a questionnaire, we sought to investigate the attitudes of 317 Chinese nationals across 22 provincial-level administrative units regarding their uses of animals, their perceived emotional capacities and views on exotic pets. We reduced the variables related to perceived uses of animals via Principal Component Analysis and ran Generalised Linear Models and Structural Equation Modelling to test relationships between questionnaire-derived variables. Perceptions of animals were divided into two Kellert categories — Utilitarian and Humanistic uses — and 97% of participants believed in animals capacities to have and express emotions. We found few interactions, with exotic pets, ie playing with or taking photographs, but the acceptability of owning an exotic pet influenced the likelihood of purchasing one. A belief that animals express emotions encouraged people to look for them as pets but thinking that pets make people happy made exotic pet ownership less acceptable. The shift in attitudes to include humanistic perceptions of animals, a belief in animals as emotive beings and understanding of terminology changed from the previous utilitarian views of pre-reform China, suggesting a readiness to embrace further conservation efforts in China. This deeper understanding of Chinese attitudes toward animals and drivers of the exotic pet trade within China may enable conservation efforts to better target future campaigns.

Profile and Process: Subsistence Hunters in a Zambian Community

Africa ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart A. Marks
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Wild Mammals ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Colonial Expansion ◽  
Opening Paragraph ◽  
Local Traditions

Opening ParagraphMost descriptions of social life in rural communities in Central Africa contain some references to hunters or hunting practices. Despite the decimation of some wildlife species by rinderpest at the turn of the last century, wildlife continued plentiful in many regions and hunting and trapping were part of the subsistence routines of males in rural areas during the first three decades of this century. During this period in Zambia, European administrators (Gouldsbury and Sheane 1911; Melland 1923; Hughes 1933), missionaries (Smith and Dale 1920), and itinerants (Lyell 1910; Letcher 1911) often interspersed their exploitative accounts of ‘sport hunting’ with descriptions of chants, rituals, magic and other hunting lore of their African associates. These accounts of local traditions, often colored with the latent assumptions of the time, apparently intrigued and fascinated their European readership then mentally riding the crest of colonial expansion and technological superiority. In subsequent decades, large wild mammals declined in numbers and in importance as a subsistence base in most rural areas. Yet information on hunting customs, gleaned incidentally in the pursuit of the researchers' major interests, has been a continuous feature of ethnographies written subsequently by social scientists (Richards 1939; White 1956; Turner 1957; Scudder 1962; Stefaniszyn 1964; Reynolds 1968) suggesting a widespread enthusiasm for hunting even where wildlife is no longer of consequence. These fortuitous bits of information on the subsistence hunter's world still leave many unresolved questions as to the function and frequency of these customs, the numbers and types of hunters in each community, and the nature of subsequent changes.

scholarly journals Factors influencing Local Community Participation in Wildlife Conservation Projects in Northeast India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayan Banerjee ◽  
Ambika Aiyadurai
Keyword(s):  
Community Participation ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Northeast India ◽  
Conservation Projects ◽  
Periodic Feedback ◽  
External Actors

Participation by local communities in wildlife conservation projects have long been advocated since it is socially just and is effective to reach conservation and development goals. Socio–economic variables that drive participation and impact of participation have been studied, but the contextual process that stir up local community participation remains understudied. In this paper, we studied factors facilitating community participation in three wildlife conservation projects in Northeast India. Through ethnographic fieldwork at these sites we identified conservation actors and examined interactions between them.We found common modes of participation at these sites and these were related to gaining material incentives, providing labour, attending consultative workshops. Levels of interaction and coercion were found to be different in three sites. Three critical factors that drive participation were: (1) trigger, (2) negotiation and (3) sustenance. Trigger factors kickstart participation through establishment of a crisis narrative and facilitation by external actors. Negotiation factors emerge from day–to–day interaction between local community and external actors and involve effective entry stage activities, income opportunity, mediating voices within the community and intra–community dynamics. Sustenance factors affect the long term participation by community in the conservation project and involve tangible/intangible results, capability development of locals, funding and availability to critical information. In our paper we argue that investment of time and fund to understand the stakeholders and their concept of participation, periodic feedback sessions, capacity development of locals for self–mobilization, innovative information dissemination and securing long term funding are necessary for effective local community participation.

scholarly journals Human-wildlife conflicts and drought in the greater Calakmul Region, Mexico: implications for tapir conservation

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-563
Author(s):  
Jonathan Pérez-Flores ◽  
Sofía Mardero ◽  
Antonio López-Cen ◽  
Fernando M. Contreras-Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Community Participation ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Biological Corridor ◽  
Mesoamerican Biological Corridor ◽  
Alternative Water ◽  
Alternative Water Sources

Wildlife conservation efforts in the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor have focused on reducing negative interactions between humans and charismatic species. In recent years, droughts have increased in frequency and intensity in southeastern Mexico exacerbating conflicts with wildlife as they compete with humans for limited water. In the Yucatan Peninsula, Greater Calakmul Region of southeastern Mexico, Baird’s tapirs (Tapirus bairdii) are increasingly encroaching into local villages (ejidos) in search of water. This behavior could increase tapir mortality from hunting by Calakmul ejidos residents. We evaluated the trends between annual precipitation and tapir sightings near or within Calakmul ejidos from 2008 to 2019 to determine if the frequency of reported conflicts increased relative to decreased precipitation. In addition, with community participation, from 2016 to 2018 we monitored one of the ejidos where human-tapir conflicts were reported to be increasing to better describe the nature of conflicts. We did not find any relationship between the number of tapir sightings reported and annual precipitation. However, more tapirs were documented near ejidos in 2019, which is one of the years with the lowest rainfall (626.6 mm) in the last decade. Tapirs were reported as the most common wildlife species observed at waterholes (35.4%) and apiaries (32.1%). Our findings suggested that water scarcity has increased tapirs’ incursions into human-populated areas and subsequently the potential for human-tapir conflicts. We recommend that managers consider developing alternative water sources that could mitigate human-tapir conflicts and contribute to the long-term viability of other wildlife species that inhabit the Greater Calakmul Region of southeastern Mexico.

scholarly journals Wildlife Conservation at a Garden Level: The Effect of Robotic Lawn Mowers on European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1191
Author(s):  
Sophie Lund Rasmussen ◽  
Ane Elise Schrøder ◽  
Ronja Mathiesen ◽  
Jeppe Lund Nielsen ◽  
Cino Pertoldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Front Wheel ◽  
Safety Index ◽  
Erinaceus Europaeus ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Wheel Drive ◽  
Technical Features ◽  
Damage Categories ◽  
Extensive Damage

We tested the effects of 18 models of robotic lawn mowers in collision with dead European hedgehogs and quantified the results into six damage categories. All models were tested on four weight classes of hedgehogs, each placed in three different positions. None of the robotic lawn mowers tested was able to detect the presence of dependent juvenile hedgehogs (<200 g) and all models had to touch the hedgehogs to detect them. Some models caused extensive damage to the hedgehog cadavers, but there were noteworthy differences in the degree of harm inflicted, with some consistently causing no damage. Our results showed that the following technical features significantly increased the safety index of the robotic lawn mowers: pivoting blades, skid plates, and front wheel drive. Based on these findings, we encourage future collaboration with the manufacturers of robotic lawn mowers to improve the safety for hedgehogs and other garden wildlife species.

scholarly journals Assessment Of Human-Wildlife Conflict And Its Implication For Conservation at sundarpur, Udayapur, Eastern Nepal

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-30
Author(s):  
Chandramani Aryal ◽  
Manoj Pokharel
Keyword(s):  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Household Surveys ◽  
Crop Raiding ◽  
Wildlife Conflict ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Key Informant ◽  
Observation Method ◽  
Sloth Bear ◽  
Human Wildlife Conflict ◽  
Direct Observation Method

This study was carried out to document the prevailing situation of human-wildlife conflict in Sundarpur of Udayapur district, Nepal where significant numbers of sloth bear along with other troublesome wildlife species occur. Data about conflict and people's perception towards wildlife conservation was collected using household surveys supplemented by key informant interviews and direct observation method. Monkeys (93%) and elephants (86%) were found to be major animals involved in conflict mostly resulting into crop raiding, which was the major form of conflict as reported by (95%) of respondents. Livestock depredation cases were mostly by common leopard (84%) and sloth bear was involved in majority of human attack cases (90%). According to respondents, the trend of conflict was found to be increasing for elephants (63%) and monkeys (73%) while it was found to be decreasing for sloth bear (64%), wild boar (85%), and leopard (46%), where people believed natural attraction of wildlife towards crops/livestock to be the major driving factor of conflict. Despite the prevalence of conflict most of the respondents showed positive attitude towards wildlife conservation in Sundarpur. This implies a better future for wildlife conservation in this area if the issues associated with human-wildlife conflict are addressed effectively.

scholarly journals Leaving Habitat of Wild Animals in Gir National Park : a Critical Scenario and a Possible Solution

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1101-1105
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Wireless Sensor ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Biotic Factors ◽  
Natural Processes ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Asiatic Lion ◽  
The World ◽  
The Government

Wild animals are the ecosystem's main link. Wildlife is important to humans because it maintains a balance between the active environment and biotic factors. It plays an important role in making the various natural processes of nature stable. The tradition of protecting wildlife species and their ecosystems is wildlife conservation. In India the Asiatic lion is the wild animals species which has lowest population in the world. The government established Gir National Park to protect the Asiatic lion and start various programs through in which the population of Asiatic lion should increase. Even other such programs this wild animals faces lots of problem in the national park. This paper addresses the wild animals in India relevant issues and concerns. After the problems we have found, we have suggested a potential solution to these problems. The system uses the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) platform. This shows how WSN can be seamlessly integrated into the wildlife habitats / national park located in India to enhance the wildlife design.

Expending Rangers’ Efforts in Estimating Incidence of Threats to Wildlife Conservation in a Protected Area

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-14
Author(s):  
P.P. Agro, M. E. Nutsuakor, E. Danquah
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Critical Aspect ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Modern Methods ◽  
Illegal Activities ◽  
Implementation Management

Wildlife resources monitoring is considered a critical aspect for documenting trends in wildlife threats and yet the process is often plagued with poor design and implementation. Management of the Kalakpa Resource Reserve (KRR) in Ghana relies on ad hoc conservation strategies in dealing with wildlife threats. The study assessed the rate and trends of threats to wildlife species using field patrol records from 2007 to 2012 of all observations of illegal activities encountered by wildlife guards during regular law enforcement patrols Jonckheere Terpstra Trend and Kruskall Wallis H tests were conducted to compare and determine the linear associations in the yearly and monthly encounter rates of illegal activity (IA) as well as evaluate variations in incidences of IA respectively over the study period. The study revealed eleven (11) categories of illegal activities were in the area which varied significantly in the rate of encounter over the years. Significant decreasing trends were also observed illegal activities. and on a downward trends. Law enforcement efforts in KRR were effective in reducing wildlife threats however, efforts should be made to adopt modern methods of detecting wildlife threats during field patrol activities.

scholarly journals The Chinese View of Wildlife

Oryx ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 340-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Shen ◽  
Ernest D. Ables ◽  
Xiao Qian–zhu
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Exchange ◽  
Giant Panda ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Economic Rationale ◽  
Conservation Effort ◽  
Trained Manpower

The Chinese regard conservation as important, more for economic than for aesthetic or moral reasons. An economic rationale is a persuasive tool in a developing country such as China. The trade in wild-animal products plus the potential of rare and endemic wildlife species to attract much-needed foreign exchange are important factors. Rational use of wildlife through domestication and sustained-yield harvesting can alleviate pressures on wild populations and help to ensure genetic diversity for the future. Rare and endemic species such as the giant panda attract foreign exchange through tourism and research, and conservation measures preserve a cultural heritage, something of increasing importance to the Chinese.Several questions arise, however. How do economically unimportant species fit into this scheme? How can conflicts of interest created by economic incentives be resolved? Will the shortage of trained manpower undermine the conservation effort? Once these obstacles are resolved, China may become a leader i n wildlife conservation among the developing countries of the world, and show that conservation and development can co-exist.

scholarly journals Patterns of Human-Wildlife Conflict and People’s Perception towards Compensation Program in Nilambur, Southern Western Ghats, India

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelat Kandari Rohini ◽  
Tharemmal Aravindan ◽  
Karumampoyil Sakthidas Anoop Das ◽  
Pandanchery Arogyam Vinayan
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Crop Damage ◽  
Final Decision ◽  
Community Perception ◽  
Wildlife Conflict ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
Compensation Program ◽  
Human Wildlife Conflict ◽  
North And South

Aim: The aim of this research was to examine patterns of human-wildlife conflict and assess community perception towards compensation program implemented to ameliorate human-wildlife co-existence.Location: North and South Forest Divisions, Nilambur, South India.Material and Methods: Data were collected from the official archives of applications made by victims or their families at Divisional Forest Office, Nilambur North and South Forest Division, for the period 2010–2013. The data included (a) types of conflict, (b) wildlife species involved in the conflict, (c) dates of application made by applicants, (d) dates of final decision made by concerned authority and (d) relief amount sanctioned. People’s perceptions towards compensation program were gathered using a questionnaire survey (n=179).Key findings: Crop damage was the most common type of conflict, followed by property damage, injury and death by wildlife attack. Crop damage was contributed mainly by elephant (Elephas maximus) (59%) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) (32%). The other wildlife species involved in conflict were bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) (3.8%), leopard (Panthera pardus) (3.3%), Malabar giant squirrel (Ratufa indica) (0.47%), porcupine (Hystrix indica) (0.29%), Guar (Bos gaurus) (0.95%) and Sambar deer (Cervus unicolor)(0.29 %). On average, people took 13 days to claim compensation, which received decisions in 90 days. The majority of respondents (67%) were not satisfied with the compensation schemes. The main causes of such dissatisfaction were (a) allocation of insufficient money for the compensation (46.6%), (b) prolonged and difficult administrative procedures to make claims (20%), (c) people’s convictions that compensation scheme does not eradicate the conflict (20%) and (d) disbelief on the officials involved in compensation program (6.6%).Conservation implications: Our results suggest that compensation program has not gained acceptance among local community as an effective strategy to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Although it may reduce hostile attitude towards wildlife, alternative approaches are urgently needed that avoid conflicts.

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