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Society for Conservation Biology: 2002 Annual Meeting

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Society for Conservation Biology: 2002 Annual Meeting

Society for Conservation Biology 16th Annual Meeting July 14-July 19 2002
co-hosted by DICE and the British Ecological Society


Abstracts for Management of Protected Areas
Session One

Tuesday 16th July, 15.30 - 17.30, Grimond Lecture Theatre 2

Chair: Kes Hillman Smith




(BLOCK CAPITALS indicate the presenting author)


15.30 - 15.45
THOMPSON, JO, and Michel Hasson. Lukuru Wildlife Research Project, P.O. Box 5064, Snowmass Village, Colorado, USA, <jat434@aol.com> (JT), Nouvelles Approches a.s.b.l., Rue E. Branly n° 9 Boîte 35, B-1190 Brussels, Belgium (MH).

CONSERVATION AMIDST THE TURMOIL OF WAR IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

In 1998 multi-national war was declared across the Democratic Republic of Congo putting at risk one of the world’s most significant assemblages of biological diversity. Critical wildlife communities were slaughtered for commercial bushmeat, rampant exploitation, and illegal artefact trade. The DRC political borders encompass highly at-risk populations of savannah and forest elephant, bonobo, Grauer’s gorilla, Mountain gorilla, chimpanzee, okapi, white rhino, and Congo peacock, some species found nowhere else in the world. This paper will present a successful case study of conservation amidst the turmoil of war. Responding to the crisis, an historic partnership, called the DRC Parks Relief Mission, was created. Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) is responsible for the management of all national parks and protected areas in DRC. Their task became impossible. Regulation of and communication with those regions under the control of occupying forces was suspended. All state revenue from national parks and protected area use was truncated. This paper will present the most recent details from this on-the-ground conservation effort, including expeditions in 2002. By providing equipment, supplies, educational materials, and motivational support, the DRC Parks Relief Mission has achieved a tangible and meaningful conservation effort.

15.45 - 16.00
HILLMAN SMITH, A. K. KES, Fraser Smith, Emmanuel de Merode, Mbayma Atalia, and Giningayo Panziama. Institute of Zoology, London & UNESCO/UNF/DRC Programme; International Rhino Foundation; Institute of Zoology, London; Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (MA&GP) <kes@UNDRC.co.ke>, <garamba@AfricaOnline.co.ke>.

MONITORING PROTECTED AREA CONSERVATION IN WAR AND PEACE

Armed conflict is among the most devastating factors to affect conservation, yet objective measuring of the effects is often difficult. Since 1992 we have developed and applied a basic Law Enforcement Patrol Monitoring system in Garamba National Park, DRC and since 1983 have been carrying out systematic ecosystem monitoring. The combined results and their spatial mapping show the increasing effect of the war in adjacent Southern Sudan throughout the early 90s and the effects of the two civil wars of 1997 and 1998 onwards in Zaire/DRC. The type of poaching and poachers did not change significantly during the wars, but the greatest increase in illegal exploitation was associated with the reduction in anti-poaching effort caused by disarmament of the park guards during the first civil war. This is reflected in the changes in large mammal numbers during this time. This simple patrol monitoring, linked to bonus payments has contributed to the continuation of patrolling and monitoring throughout armed conflict, to the commitment of a major UN Foundation /UNESCO project to the DRC and to the Distinguished Service Award presented by the SCB to the field staff of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature.



16.00 - 16.15
LOW, BELINDA, Robert J. SMITH, Samuel M. KASIKI and Nigel Leader-Williams. Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent at Canterbury, Canterbury CT2 7NS, UK, <lewa1@bushmail.net> (BL). Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent at Canterbury, Canterbury CT2 7NS, UK (RJS). Kenya Wildlife Service, Tsavo Research Station, PO Box 14, Voi, Kenya (SMK). Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent at Canterbury, Canterbury CT2 7NS, UK (NLW).

ELEPHANT MIGRATION ROUTES DETERMINE HUMAN-ELEPHANT CONFLICT PATTERNS IN SOUTH-EAST KENYA

Human-elephant conflict (HEC) is a serious problem in Taita Taveta, an area in Kenya that is surrounded on three sides by Tsavo East and West National Parks (NPs). A previous study found that the spatial pattern of HEC was relatively unaffected by resource availability. Instead, it was suggested that these patterns were determined by the position of traditional elephant migration routes, an hypothesis which this study tested. First, the proposed position of these routes was mapped based on anecdotal evidence from long-term residents. The accuracy of these maps were then tested by using belt transects to measure signs of elephant presence across the identified routes. It was found that elephant presence was determined by several factors, including distance from the proposed routes, thus validating the quality of the anecdotal evidence. Finally, data collected by the Kenya Wildlife Service were used to test whether levels of HEC increased with proximity to the mapped migration routes. Villages lying close to the routes experienced higher levels of conflict, supporting the original hypothesis. These results suggest that mitigation measures that aim to discourage elephants from deviating from these routes, using electric fencing or buffers of unpalatable crops, would be effective in reducing HEC.

16.15 - 16.30
SITOMPUL, ARNOLD. F., Simon Hedges, Martin J. Tyson, Timothy G. O'Brien, and Joko Santoso. Wildlife Conservation Society – Indonesia Program, P.O. Box 311, Bogor 16003, Indonesia, <ele-wcs@bogor.net> (AFS, SH, MJT, TGO), WATALA, Jalan Teuku Umar No. 58/64, Bandar Lampung 35112, Indonesia (JS).

HUMAN–ELEPHANT CONFLICT AROUND TWO NATIONAL PARKS IN INDONESIA, AND CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS

Human–elephant conflict is a major problem for the conservation of Asian Elephants in Sumatra, Indonesia, as well as a critical issue for park management. We conducted a 16-month study of human–elephant conflict around Way Kambas National Park (WKNP) and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (BBSNP) in southern Sumatra. The data were collected by Problem Animal Recorders who measured as many of the reported incidents as possible; 188 incidents were reported around WKNP and 42 incidents around BBSNP. WKNP had significantly more incidents per month compared to BBSNP. Elephants damaged at least 166,766 m2 of crops around WKNP and 5936 m2 around BBSNP. The most commonly damaged crops were rice around WKNP, and bananas, rice, and oil palms around BBSNP. There were no obvious seasonal patterns of raiding around either park, nor was there a clear relationship between frequency of raiding and elephant distribution within the parks. Our results differ from those of earlier, interview-based studies that suggested raiding was seven times more frequent around Way Kambas. The differences between the two studies may be caused by interviewees over-reporting the frequency of raids. We suggest a combination of low-cost methods aimed at reducing human–elephant conflict around the parks.



16.30 - 16.45
GOLDSTEIN, ISAAC. Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460, USA, <igoldstein@wcs.org>.

ADDRESSING PEOPLE-SPECTACLED BEAR CONFLICTS DUE TO CROP RAIDING AND LIVESTOCK DEPREDATION

Crop and livestock damage by spectacled bears are important sources of conflict between bears, park authorities and local communities near or within the national parks. In localities with a history of bear depredation of crops or cattle, bears are often blamed for losses due to other causes such as natural disease, other wildlife species , or accidents. Local residents can perceive spectacled bears as their principal enemy, and the enforcement of any conservation measures may bring conflicts between park managers and local communities. Researchers have traditionally blamed crop raiding and cattle depredation on depletion of natural resources due to loss of habitat and to lax livestock herding practices. By doing so they put all the weight of the problem on the local communities. However, little is known about the factors that contribute to crop raiding or cattle depredation. Key factors should be identified in order to develop preventive measures to reduce future conflicts. Long term conservation of the spectacled bear can only be achieved if we can find ways to minimise conflicts between the bears and the local population and change the negative perception of the spectacled bear toward a positive one.



16.45 - 17.00
ORMSBY, ALISON. Antioch New England Graduate School, 40 Avon Street, Keene, NH 03431, USA, <alison_ormsby@antiochne.edu>.

COMMUNITY PERCEPTION OF MASOALA NATIONAL PARK, MADAGASCAR

Masoala National Park is the largest remaining area of the once-extensive eastern rain forest of Madagascar, and is under threat from human actions including exploitation of precious timber and tavy (shifting cultivation). I spent five months conducting semi-structured interviews in communities on the periphery of the park to examine interactions and communication between peripheral residents of the park and park staff as well as local attitudes concerning the park and its natural resources. I also investigated how park establishment and management includes or excludes communities. Preliminary research results show contrasting opinions of residents based on distance from the park, predominant type of natural resource use, standard of living, and perceptions of ecological services provided by the park (e.g., water for rice agriculture). After conducting 111 open-ended guided interviews, I helped facilitate an environmental education and communication workshop for park staff, to aid interactions with local residents. One of my research goals was to investigate if the current presence or future strengthening of park environmental education programs could support conservation goals and minimise human impacts on park resources. Higher levels of awareness of the park, its boundary, and its purpose, were inversely correlated with park natural resource use.



17.00 - 17.15
MACKINNON, JAMES, Matthew Hatchwell and Claire Kremen. Wildlife Conservation Society, B.P. 8500, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar, <wcsmad@dts.mg>.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES AT MASOALA NATIONAL PARK

Masoala National Park is the largest park in Madagascar and protects 210,000 ha of rainforest and 10,000 ha of marine parks within the most biologically diverse region of the country. Since the early 1990s the Wildlife Conservation Society has worked in the region with other partners to establish and manage the park. Management activities at Masoala include law enforcement patrols, environmental education, development in the peripheral zone of the park and the promotion of ecotourism. The intensity of these activities varies around the periphery of the park and we use this spatial variation to test for relationships between the intensity of different management activities and their success in reducing habitat loss, which also varies spatially. The results demonstrate the importance of maintaining enforcement activities even when considerable effort is made to provide rural development in the hope of reducing pressure on natural resources.


17.15 - 17.30
Discussion