scholarly journals A Need for Context-Based Conservation: Incorporating Local Knowledge to Mitigate Livestock Predation by Large Carnivores

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajay Bijoor ◽  
Munib Khanyari ◽  
Rigzen Dorjay ◽  
Sherab Lobzang ◽  
Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Livestock Depredation ◽  
Livestock Predation ◽  
Community Based Conservation ◽  
Strategic Support ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
The Village

Mitigating livestock predation by carnivores is crucial to ensure carnivore conservation and facilitate human-carnivore coexistence. Mitigation measures proposed by conservation agencies, however, are often technocratic and perceived as being an external imposition on the local community. Herders affected by the depredation may have the knowledge to design locally relevant solutions, but they might lack financial and technical support to implement these effectively. Their inability to act can result in the communities being viewed as antagonistic rather than a part of the solution. We present a case study on co-development of a conservation intervention by a traditional pastoral community together with a conservation NGO, to mitigate livestock depredation inside night-time corrals in Ladakh, India. Between January and June 2020, livestock corrals in Sumdoo TR village were attacked 10 times by carnivores such as snow leopards and wolves, killing over 100 sheep, goat, yak, and horses and causing loses of over 10,400 USD. Local people were agitated, and there were strong demands for capture or removal of the carnivores from the area. We operationalized the PARTNERS (Presence, Aptness, Respect, Transparency, Negotiation, Empathy, Responsiveness, and Strategic Support) principles framework for community-based conservation to help the village effectively implement an intervention based on a novel predator-proof corral design conceptualized by the community. We demonstrate that empowering the community to design and implement a conservation intervention helped them take ownership of the effort, improve trust with conservation agencies, and hence likely to be a long-term solution to conservation conflicts in the region. Our approach of using the PARTNERS principles has relevance for conservation agencies who are trying to implement interventions, particularly those geared toward reducing livestock depredation by carnivores. Our approach further helps communities to view themselves as part of the solution and not the problem.

scholarly journals What Factors Predispose Households in Trans-Himalaya (Central Nepal) to Livestock Predation by Snow Leopards?

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2187
Author(s):  
Mahesh P. Tiwari ◽  
Bishnu P. Devkota ◽  
Rodney M. Jackson ◽  
Bir Bahadur Khanal Chhetri ◽  
Sistata Bagale
Keyword(s):  
Economic Loss ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Livestock Depredation ◽  
Livestock Predation ◽  
Domestic Livestock ◽  
Average Loss ◽  
Snow Leopards

Livestock depredation across the trans-Himalaya causes significant economic losses to pastoralist communities. Quantification of livestock predation and the assessment of variables associated with depredation are crucial for designing effective long-term mitigation measures. We investigated the patterns and factors of livestock depredation by snow leopards (Panthera uncia) using semi-structured questionnaires targeting herders in the Narphu valley of the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. During the two years (2017/18 and 2018/19), 73.9% of the households interviewed (n = 65) lost livestock to snow leopards, with an annual average loss of two livestock per household. Of the total depredation attributed to snow leopards, 55.4% were yak (mainly female: 79%), 31.7% goat, 6.8% sheep, 3.2% horse and 2.8% cattle. Results from applying Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) revealed the total number of livestock owned and the number of larger bodied livestock species as the main explanatory covariates explaining livestock depredation. Forty-one (41%) of all herders considered snow leopard’s preference for domestic livestock as the main factor in livestock predation, whereas only 5% perceived poor herding practice as the main reason for the loss. Our study found poor and changing herding practices in the valley, whereby 71% herders reported careful herding as a solution to snow leopard depredation, and 15% of herders considered the complete extermination of snow leopards as the best solution to the problem. Tolerance levels and awareness among herders towards snow leopard conservation is increasing, mainly due to the Buddhist religion and strict law enforcement within this protected area. We recommend the effective implementation of a community-based livestock insurance scheme to compensate the economic loss of herders due to predation and improved herding practices as the recommended mitigation measures for ensuring livestock security and snow leopards’ conservation in the valley.

scholarly journals Keeping predators out: testing fences to reduce livestock depredation at night-time corrals

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustaf Samelius ◽  
Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi ◽  
Jens Frank ◽  
Bayarjargal Agvaantseren ◽  
Erdenechimeg Baasandamba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Predation Pressure ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Livestock Depredation ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
Panthera Uncia

Abstract Livestock depredation by large carnivores is a global conservation challenge, and mitigation measures to reduce livestock losses are crucial for the coexistence of large carnivores and people. Various measures are employed to reduce livestock depredation but their effectiveness has rarely been tested. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of tall fences to reduce livestock losses to snow leopards Panthera uncia and wolves Canis lupus at night-time corrals at the winter camps of livestock herders in the Tost Mountains in southern Mongolia. Self-reported livestock losses at the fenced corrals were reduced from a mean loss of 3.9 goats and sheep per family and winter prior to the study to zero losses in the two winters of the study. In contrast, self-reported livestock losses in winter pastures, and during the rest of the year, when herders used different camps, remained high, which indicates that livestock losses were reduced because of the fences, not because of temporal variation in predation pressure. Herder attitudes towards snow leopards were positive and remained positive during the study, whereas attitudes towards wolves, which attacked livestock also in summer when herders moved out on the steppes, were negative and worsened during the study. This study showed that tall fences can be very effective at reducing night-time losses at corrals and we conclude that fences can be an important tool for snow leopard conservation and for facilitating the coexistence of snow leopards and people.

scholarly journals In Search of Community; Humanitarian Engineers and Circles of Friends

2014 ◽  
pp. 509-524
Author(s):  
David R Munoz
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Credit Union ◽  
School Construction ◽  
Community Project ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
The Village ◽  
Learning Projects

Circles of friends (trust) as a means for indigenous community development have been actively encouraged in Colinas de Suiza, Honduras. This effort at enhancing long-term community resilience is the latest in a 10 year relationship that includes a water project and two school construction activities within the village of ~10,000 economically poor. These techniques were utilized in part to provide an example of communities in partnership for universities involved in developing educational programs around practically-based engineering service learning projects. To enhance community involvement, children were included in the development process through creative educational activities involving music, graphical arts and dance. The initial two-month experience culminated in a fiesta or celebration of community. Project evaluation has yielded several positive indigenous results; namely the construction of a dining hall, supported by the local community where poorest children are fed, and the formation of a locally managed credit union where the local people can place their savings and apply for microloans for microenterprise development. This project is further testament to the belief that humanitarian efforts are most effective when performed consistently within the same locations and where the entire community is invited to organize, identify, discuss and solve their own problems.

scholarly journals Ascoltare il territorio

ARCHALP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2020 (N. 5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Cola
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Italian Alps ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Winter Olympics ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Alps ◽  
The Village

The recent history of urban development in Italy largely stems from a policy – here intended as a set of actions and strategies of administrators, entrepreneurs and experts – which has been incapable of planning transformations and, therefore, adopting a shared and far-sighted approach to development. The urban regeneration of metropolitan areas and their consequent demographic and economic development (70% of the population and 80% of GDP are concentrated in these areas) have often penalised internal areas such as the Alps and Apennines. Some peculiar experiences, including the regeneration of the village of Ostana (Cuneo), the project carried out in Contrada Bricconi (Bergamo), or even the activities of the association Dolomiti Contemporanee (Belluno) – just to mention a few interesting cases in the Italian Alps, – show that the understanding of and care for a unique territory are the pillars on which any informed political, administrative, architectural or territorial project should be based. This approach is all the more important in the framework of those events envisaging the construction of large infrastructures (such as the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina). After these events, such infrastructures are often abandoned because they are useless for the territory, economically unsustainable in the long-term, and not shared with the local community. In this perspective, the work of the association Architetti Arco Alpino (Alpine Arc Architects), whose activities range from architecture awards to photographic surveys, conferences and publications, aims to understand the complexity of mountain areas and to promote architectural quality. In this framework, they have successfully shown how the problems are often the same regardless of geographical and cultural distances. The solution to these problems is to be found primarily in the act of listening to the places and history of the local population; whether in the Alps or elsewhere, every good project based on a contemporary and conscious approach starts from there.

scholarly journals Survey of human-leopard (Panthera Pardus) conflict in Ayubia National Park, Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-46
Author(s):  
Nabeel Awan ◽  
Atif Yaqub ◽  
Muhammad Kamran
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Crop Damage ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Panthera Pardus ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Livestock Depredation ◽  
Wildlife Conflict ◽  
Community Based Conservation ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Human Wildlife Conflict

Wildlife populations are at a risk of extinction mainly because of human-wildlife conflict (HWC). The present study was designed to evaluate the ongoing HWC with special reference to Common Leopard (Panthera pardus) in Ayubia National park through field study as well as a literature-based approach. Questionnaire interview surveys were designed for wildlife officials working in the park and the locals who bear the cost for leopard conflict through livestock depredation and crop damage. The study showed that human-leopard conflict in the study area has been increasing. More than 60% of people considered livestock depredation as the major reason for their negative perception towards the common leopard. Among livestock, goats were more vulnerable which showed that leopards mostly preferred smaller prey. A number of reported human injuries and deaths on account of Human-Leopard conflict in the study area helped conclude that human-wildlife conflict is a significant issue. Mitigation measures may hence be recommended, such as livestock compensation schemes and community-based conservation approaches, etc. It is critical to avoid human-Leopard conflict not only to keep the public and their property safe but also to help conserve this important species of common leopard (Panthera pardus).

scholarly journals Motivations and expectations driving community participation in entomological research projects: Target Malaria as a case study in Bana, Western Burkina Faso

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nourou Barry ◽  
Patrice Toé ◽  
Lea Pare/Toe ◽  
Javier Lezaun ◽  
Mouhamed Drabo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Entomological Research ◽  
The Village ◽  
Western Burkina Faso

Abstract Background Most field entomology research projects require active participation by local community members. Since 2012, Target Malaria, a not-for-profit research consortium, has been working with residents in the village of Bana, in Western Burkina Faso, in various studies involving mosquito collections, releases and recaptures. The long-term goal of this work is to develop innovative solutions to combat malaria in Africa with the help of mosquito modification technologies. Since the start of the project, Bana residents have played an important role in research activities, yet the motivations and expectations that drive their participation remain under-investigated. This study examines the factors that motivate some members of the local community to contribute to the implementation of Target Malaria’s activities, and, more broadly, explores the reasons that animate citizen participation in entomological research work in malaria-endemic regions. Methods A qualitative approach was used to survey the factors motivating members of the local community to assist in the implementation of Target Malaria’s entomological research activities in Bana. Eighty-five individual in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted, followed by three focus groups, one with youths who had participated in mosquito collections, and two with adult men and women from the village. All data collected were fully transcribed, processed, and subjected to thematic content analysis. Results Data showed that the willingness of local community members to participate in entomological research activities was informed by a wide range of motivational factors. Although interviewees expressed their motivations under different semantic registers, the data showed a degree of consistency around five categories of motivation: (a) enhance domestic protection from mosquitoes and malaria, (b) contribute to a future world free of the disease, (c) acquire knowledge and skills, (d) earn financial compensation, and (e) gain social prestige for the village.Conclusion These varying motivations reflect a set of differing personal and collective perceptions about the participation process, combining short and long-term, individual and collective motivations. Beyond the specific circumstances of this case, the study highlights the complex reasons that drive collective participation in entomological research and vector control activities. Detailed knowledge of community expectations should underpin any effort to mobilize local participation in field research activities.

scholarly journals Motivations and expectations driving community participation in entomological research projects: Target Malaria as a case study in Bana, Western Burkina Faso

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nourou Barry ◽  
Patrice Toé ◽  
Lea Pare/Toe ◽  
Javier Lezaun ◽  
Mouhamed Drabo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Entomological Research ◽  
The Village ◽  
Western Burkina Faso

Abstract Background Most field entomology research projects require active participation by local community members. Since 2012, Target Malaria, a not-for-profit research consortium, has been working with residents in the village of Bana, in Western Burkina Faso, in various studies involving mosquito collections, releases and recaptures. The long-term goal of this work is to develop innovative solutions to combat malaria in Africa with the help of mosquito modification technologies. Since the start of the project, Bana residents have played an important role in research activities, yet the motivations and expectations that drive their participation remain under-investigated. This study examines the factors that motivate some members of the local community to contribute to the implementation of Target Malaria’s activities, and, more broadly, explores the reasons that animate citizen participation in entomological research work in malaria-endemic regions. Methods A qualitative approach was used to survey the factors motivating members of the local community to assist in the implementation of Target Malaria’s entomological research activities in Bana. Eighty-five individual in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted, followed by three focus groups, one with youths who had participated in mosquito collections, and two with adult men and women from the village. All data collected were fully transcribed, processed, and subjected to thematic content analysis. Results Data showed that the willingness of local community members to participate in entomological research activities was informed by a wide range of motivational factors. Although interviewees expressed their motivations under different semantic registers, the data showed a degree of consistency around five categories of motivation: (a) enhance domestic protection from mosquitoes and malaria, (b) contribute to a future world free of the disease, (c) acquire knowledge and skills, (d) earn financial compensation, and (e) gain social prestige for the village.Conclusion These varying motivations reflect a set of differing personal and collective perceptions about the participation process, combining short and long-term, individual and collective motivations. Beyond the specific circumstances of this case, our study highlights the complex reasons that drive collective participation in entomological research and vector control activities. Detailed knowledge of community expectations should underpin any effort to mobilize local participation in field research activities.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of non-lethal predator deterrents to reduce livestock losses to leopard attacks within a multiple-use landscape of the Himalayan region

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9544
Author(s):  
Dipanjan Naha ◽  
Pooja Chaudhary ◽  
Gaurav Sonker ◽  
Sambandam Sathyakumar
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Livestock Depredation ◽  
Community Based Conservation ◽  
Recorded Data

Lethal measures are widely adopted by local communities and governments to manage human-wildlife conflicts. Such measures lead to large scale decline of carnivore populations globally with trophic cascades on ecosystems and questionable impacts on human-wildlife conflicts. Mitigating human-carnivore conflicts through non-lethal measures will protect endangered predators and secure livelihoods. However, information on the effectiveness of such measures are extremely limited and hence cannot be applied in developing scientific evidence. Further to develop human-carnivore coexistence models, it is important for local community members, biologists and wildlife managers to actively participate in conservation programs. We evaluated the response of a non-lethal visual deterrent (i.e. fox lights) to deter leopard attacks on livestock within a multiple-use landscape of western Himalaya through community engagement. We monitored 16 experimental sites and 17 control sites within 27 villages and recorded data on livestock depredation by leopards between April 2018 to April 2019. A multivariate analysis was conducted to determine the influence of landscape predictors and animal husbandry practices on livestock depredation by leopards within the vicinity of human settlements. We found that visual deterrents discouraged common leopards to predate on livestock (cows and goats). We also demonstrated that community based conservation initiatives are successful in mitigating human-carnivore conflicts within large semi-natural landscapes. We suggest developing site specific coexistence strategies and adopting non-lethal measures to safeguard carnivores, livestock and humans within shared landscapes.

scholarly journals The economic importance of freshwater crayfish harvesting in Madagascar and the potential of community-based conservation to improve management

Oryx ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia P.G. Jones ◽  
Fortunat B. Andriahajaina ◽  
Emma H. Ranambinintsoa ◽  
Neal J. Hockley ◽  
Olga Ravoahangimalala
Keyword(s):  
Economic Importance ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Freshwater Crayfish ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Community Based Conservation ◽  
Size Limits ◽  
Reproductive Females ◽  
The Village

Madagascar's endemic freshwater crayfish (Parastacidae: Astacoides) are harvested by local people for both subsistence use and small-scale trade. There has been concern that populations, and even species, are threatened by overexploitation but little is known about the harvest or its economic importance. We studied crayfish exploitation in eastern Madagascar over 3 years. The existence of local taboos (fady) preventing commercial crayfish harvesting, as well as access to markets and forest, influenced involvement in the harvest. All four crayfish species found in the region were harvested, but A. granulimanus provided the majority of the catch. In one harvesting village more than 50% of the 47 households were directly involved in the harvest, which contributed USD 2,382 to the village economy in 2003/2004, an important sum in the context of local incomes. Subsistence use was widespread, particularly by children to whom it may provide an important protein source. Community-based conservation (through transfer of harvesting rights and responsibilities for forest management to local communities) is central to a new conservation paradigm in Madagascar. This recognizes communities' long term interest in their natural resources and offers an ideal opportunity for those concerned with the sustainability of the harvest to implement management tools (such as avoiding reproductive females, size limits and no-take zones). We discuss each tool with respect to biological implications and practical constraints. We note that community-based approaches may not be sufficient to conserve rarer species, which make up a small proportion of the value of the harvest.

Central Otago - Built on gold, growing on grass.

2014 ◽  
Vol 76 ◽  
pp. 15-23
Author(s):  
Barrie J. Wills
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Land Use ◽  
National Economy ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
District Council ◽  
Definition Of

A warm welcome to our "World of Difference" to all delegates attending this conference - we hope your stay is enjoyable and that you will leave Central Otago with an enhanced appreciation of the diversity of land use and the resilient and growing economic potential that this region has to offer. Without regional wellbeing the national economy will struggle to grow, something Central Government finally seems to be realising, and the Central Otago District Council Long Term Plan 2012-2022 (LTP) signals the importance of establishing a productive economy for the local community which will aid in the economic growth of the district and seeks to create a thriving economy that will be attractive to business and residents alike. Two key principles that underpin the LTP are sustainability and affordability, with the definition of sustainability being "… development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

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