Elephant movements and human-elephant conflict in a transfrontier conservation area

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this thesis I explore how elephant movements are impacted by human activity withinthe context of the proposed Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZATFCA) in southern Africa. Being a wide-ranging species, the movements of elephantscould be an excellent indicator as to the success of TFCAs in supporting speciespersistence in an anthropogenic matrix. Understanding which areas beyond protected areaboundaries are of heightened conservation importance can provide managers andgovernments with insights for the management of the elephant population of KAZATFCA, and assist managers and governments in prioritising conservation efforts.Satellite radio collar data were used to model long-range elephant movement withinKAZA TFCA. Movement was compared between land use types (protected and nonprotectedareas). Home ranges, core areas and seasonal ranges were calculated fromcollar data. Core and non-core areas were tested for significant differences in distance tosettlements, rivers, protected area, AFRI and elevation as these spatial and ecologicalvariables are believed to play a role in elephant habitat selection. Short-range elephantmovements were examined in a heterogeneous, patchy landscape mosaic of settlementsand agricultural fields, remnant forest patches, and secondary forests which weresurrounded on three sides by protected areas. Elephant penetration of the anthropogenicmatrix through the use of pathways was explored through ground-based surveys, and theimpact of pathways use on human-elephant conflict calculated.I found that elephant behavioural plasticity allows for their persistence in a spatiallyheterogeneous landscape. Elephants, especially bulls, penetrated the landscape matrixbeyond protected area boundaries. Land use planning initiatives are needed to identifyand protect reachable core zones/stepping stones of quality habitat outside of protectedareas, particularly in riparian zones. Differing male and female ranging behaviour withinthe landscape matrix may require separate land use management strategies: bulls travelledat night in non-protected areas at speeds that were four times faster than in protectedareas, and made use of core zones necessary for species persistence in a fragmentedlandscape. A habitat corridor in the Zambian West Zambezi Game Management Areawas identified.I found that during short range movements in heterogeneous environments, elephantsmade use of pathways. Pathways may facilitate penetration of the anthropogenic matrixand optimize foraging strategies by connecting predictable resources, such as crop fields,with landscape features such as preferred shelter/ resting areas, crossing points at roadsand preferred drinking spots. Pathways were found to be the only significant spatialvariable in crop-raiding. Elephants foraged randomly while in homogenous crop patches,but when travelling through a heterogeneous environment (entering or leavingagricultural locales), movement was directional and non-random.Lastly I suggest that crop attractiveness may be enhanced by water availability. Resultsindicated that at both the landscape and the regional scale, repeat elephant movements tocore zones and along elephant pathways provided landscape ecological variables thatneed to be considered by conservation managers in land use planning. In addition,research on spatial awareness and navigational capabilities with regards to pathway use by elephants should be encouraged, as this research topic has been largely unexplored inthe scientific literature.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University