37 research outputs found
A Comparative Analysis of Collaborative Natural Resource Governance in Two Protected Areas in Zambia
In Zambia, early models of natural resource governance were based on state-centric approaches to conservation and later, to some degree, based on Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) models. Both of the models delivered poorly in terms of improved biodiversity management, enhanced rural livelihoods, and rights-based benefits. A lack of productive dialogue, involvement, and participation of local communities in natural resource governance resulted in considerable conflicts between protected area managers and local communities, with substantial local political and socio-economic costs. Through a mixed-methods approach using a questionnaire, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews, the Environmental Governance Systems (EGS) framework was applied to compare how interactions among political, economic, and civil society actors influence resource use and the state of resources in the state-led Kaingu chiefdom and the community-managed Kaindu Community Conservancy. Results show limited communication, cooperation, and coordination among the actors in both cases. Conflicting interests over the use of land, wildlife, forests, and fisheries among actors have led to strained relationships, limited interactions, and many negative outcomes in both cases. Both protected areas exhibit a top-down structure of natural resources governance with limited community participation, conflictual relationships among actors, corruption, lack of transparency, and low accountability. The CBNRM structures and processes need to be changed legislatively to improve local ownership and a sense of responsibility and legitimacy by restructuring the constitutions of CBNRM organizations and developing their human resource, financial, and logistical capacities. The study proposes a proactive transformative model for mitigating negative impacts on the state of resources and resource use
Nest sites selection by sympatric cavity-nesting birds in miombo woodlands
Deforestation and habitat fragmentation have long been known as drivers of wildlife
depletion but information on their specific impacts on cavity-nesting birds in the miombo
woodlands has been lacking. A comparative study of disturbed and undisturbed sites was
conducted in miombo woodlands of Zambia to assess impacts of environmental stressors on
birds. Foot patrols were employed to locate, identify and count host trees and cavities for
cavity-nesting birds on twenty 200 m × 200 m sample plots. Undisturbed forests had three
times more cavities (the nesting sites for birds), while there were 24.6% fewer abandoned
cavities in undisturbed forests than in disturbed forests. The rate of cavity abandonment
was about twice as high in human-dominated forests compared to undisturbed forests
(61.3% c.f. 31.9%). Cavity-nesting birds preferred larger (> 36.0 cm diameter at breast height)
and taller (> 5.0 m) trees for nest placement, especially in human-dominated forests.
A number of cavity-nesting birds preferred Brachystegia spiciformis (zebrawood), Julbernadia
paniculata (munsa), Parinari curatellifolia (mobola-plum) and Uapaca kirkiana (mahobohobo)
as host trees to 14 other miombo tree species. Arnot’s Chat (Myrmecocichla arnoti) had a
wider selection of host trees for cavity-nesting than the other 40 cavity-nesting birds in the
study areas. Anthropogenic activities such as uncontrolled firewood collection, wild fires,
logging, and land clearing for agriculture negatively influenced wood abundance and
diversity, with potential implications for persistence of cavity-nesting birds. The negative
impacts of anthropogenic activities could be counteracted by conservation strategies such as
implementation of sound forest policies, integrative land use practices, sustainable
livelihood security and stakeholders’ awareness of the need to safeguard forest-dependent
avifauna.
Conservation implications: This comparative study unravels specific anthropogenic impacts
on the cavity-nesting birds in the miombo woodlands, which would be relevant for designing
and implementing targeted biodiversity conservation interventions against negative local
environmental values and attitudes that support rural development on the expense of
conservation of biodiversity such as birds.http://www.koedoe.co.zaam2016Zoology and Entomolog
Underperformance of African protected area networks and the case for new conservation models : insights from Zambia
Many African protected areas (PAs) are not functioning effectively. We reviewed the performance of Zambia’s PA network
and provide insights into how their effectiveness might be improved. Zambia’s PAs are under-performing in ecological,
economic and social terms. Reasons include: a) rapidly expanding human populations, poverty and open-access systems in
Game Management Areas (GMAs) resulting in widespread bushmeat poaching and habitat encroachment; b) underfunding
of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) resulting in inadequate law enforcement; c) reliance of ZAWA on extracting
revenues from GMAs to cover operational costs which has prevented proper devolution of user-rights over wildlife to
communities; d) on-going marginalization of communities from legal benefits from wildlife; e) under-development of the
photo-tourism industry with the effect that earnings are limited to a fraction of the PA network; f) unfavourable terms and
corruption which discourage good practice and adequate investment by hunting operators in GMAs; g) blurred
responsibilities regarding anti-poaching in GMAs resulting in under-investment by all stakeholders. The combined effect of
these challenges has been a major reduction in wildlife densities in most PAs and the loss of habitat in GMAs. Wildlife fares
better in areas with investment from the private and/or NGO sector and where human settlement is absent. There is a need
for: elevated government funding for ZAWA; greater international donor investment in protected area management; a shift
in the role of ZAWA such that they focus primarily on national parks while facilitating the development of wildlife-based
land uses by other stakeholders elsewhere; and new models for the functioning of GMAs based on joint-ventures between
communities and the private and/or NGO sector. Such joint-ventures should provide defined communities with ownership
of land, user-rights over wildlife and aim to attract long-term private/donor investment. These recommendations are
relevant for many of the under-funded PAs occurring in other African countries.The Wildlife Producers Association of Zambia. CJT was funded with a Claude Leon Fellowship.http://www.plosone.orgam201
Underperformance of African protected area networks and the case for new conservation models : insights from Zambia
Many African protected areas (PAs) are not functioning effectively. We reviewed the performance of Zambia’s PA network
and provide insights into how their effectiveness might be improved. Zambia’s PAs are under-performing in ecological,
economic and social terms. Reasons include: a) rapidly expanding human populations, poverty and open-access systems in
Game Management Areas (GMAs) resulting in widespread bushmeat poaching and habitat encroachment; b) underfunding
of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) resulting in inadequate law enforcement; c) reliance of ZAWA on extracting
revenues from GMAs to cover operational costs which has prevented proper devolution of user-rights over wildlife to
communities; d) on-going marginalization of communities from legal benefits from wildlife; e) under-development of the
photo-tourism industry with the effect that earnings are limited to a fraction of the PA network; f) unfavourable terms and
corruption which discourage good practice and adequate investment by hunting operators in GMAs; g) blurred
responsibilities regarding anti-poaching in GMAs resulting in under-investment by all stakeholders. The combined effect of
these challenges has been a major reduction in wildlife densities in most PAs and the loss of habitat in GMAs. Wildlife fares
better in areas with investment from the private and/or NGO sector and where human settlement is absent. There is a need
for: elevated government funding for ZAWA; greater international donor investment in protected area management; a shift
in the role of ZAWA such that they focus primarily on national parks while facilitating the development of wildlife-based
land uses by other stakeholders elsewhere; and new models for the functioning of GMAs based on joint-ventures between
communities and the private and/or NGO sector. Such joint-ventures should provide defined communities with ownership
of land, user-rights over wildlife and aim to attract long-term private/donor investment. These recommendations are
relevant for many of the under-funded PAs occurring in other African countries.The Wildlife Producers Association of Zambia. CJT was funded with a Claude Leon Fellowship.http://www.plosone.orgam201
Guidelines for evaluating the conservation value of African lion (Panthera leo) translocations
As the top predator in African ecosystems, lions have lost more than 90% of
their historical range, and few countries possess strong evidence for stable
populations. Translocations (broadly defined here as the capture and
movement of lions for various management purposes) have become an
increasingly popular action for this species, but the wide array of lion
translocation rationales and subsequent conservation challenges stemming
from poorly conceived or unsuitable translocations warrants additional
standardized evaluation and guidance. At their best, translocations fill a key
role in comprehensive strategies aimed at addressing the threats facing lions
and fostering the recovery of wild populations in their historic range. At their
worst, translocations can distract from addressing the major threats to wild
populations and habitats, divert scarce funding from more valuable
conservation actions, exacerbate conflict with humans in recipient sites,
disrupt local lion demography, and undermine the genetic integrity of wild
lion populations in both source and recipient sites. In the interest of developing
best practice guidelines for deciding when and how to conduct lion
translocations, we discuss factors to consider when determining whether a
translocation is of conservation value, introduce a value assessment for
translocations, and provide a decision matrix to assist practitioners in
improving the positive and reducing the negative outcomes of
lion translocation.Grant from the European Union through IUCN Save Our Species, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-scienceam2023Zoology and Entomolog
Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults
Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We
estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from
1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories.
Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and
weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate
trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children
and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the
individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference)
and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median).
Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in
11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed
changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and
140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of
underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and
countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior
probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse
was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of
thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a
posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%)
with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and
obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for
both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such
as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged
children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls
in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and
42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents,
the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining
underweight or thinness.
Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an
increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy
nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of
underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit
Rodent Assemblages in the Mosaic of Habitat Types in the Zambezian Bioregion
Rodent assemblages have ecological importance in ecosystem functioning and protected area management. Our study examines the patterns of assemblages of rodents across four habitat types (i.e., Miombo woodland, Acacia woodland, grasslands and farmlands) in the savanna environment. Capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods were applied for data collection across the Chembe Bird Sanctuary (CBS) landscape. The Non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling (NMDS) was used for exploratory data analysis, followed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey–Kramer’s Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) post-hoc tests. The rodent assemblages in CBS significantly differed between the non-farmlands (i.e., Miombo woodland, Acacia woodland and grasslands) and farmlands. There were: (1) zero rodent diversity in farmlands, dominated completely by a pest species, M. natalensis; and (2) different rodent assemblages in three non-farmland habitat types. We suggest that rodent assemblages should be mediated by conservation planning and multi-stakeholder collaboration beyond the protected area boundaries to contribute to a working CBS landscape positively
Predicting, valuing and managing wildlife crop raiding in the Luangwa valley, Zambia.
Thesis (DTech. degree in Nature Conservation.)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2012.Wildlife crop raiding is a pervasive and widespread problem. The purpose of the study is to investigate and understand underlying processes and structures associated with the crop raiding problem in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia in order to technically and scientifically support decisions by farmers and other stakeholders regarding crop raiding
Elephant Crop Damage: Subsistence Farmers’ Social Vulnerability, Livelihood Sustainability and Elephant Conservation
African elephants (Loxodonta africana) induce considerable crop damage risks, shocks and stresses on subsistence farmers at the wildlife-agriculture interface. In this study, we explored the social dimensions of human-elephant interactions in the wildlife-agrarian landscape. The study aimed at unraveling the associated hazardous conditions and nature of the subsistence farmers’ social vulnerability and practices with respect to elephant crop damage, subsistence farmers’ livelihoods, and elephant conservation. Applying qualitative thematic content analysis, the sustainable livelihood framework (SLF) and additive generalized linear models (GLMs), this study revealed that the status of relational social capital influences human-elephant conflict (HEC) management and subsistence farmers’ responses, regardless of the farmers’ social learning and environmental values about the social-ecological system. The strengthening of multiple local stakeholder participation, institutional governance and access to livelihoods assets are needed for human food security and elephant conservation. Adoption of more effective nuanced crop protection counter-measures against elephants at farm level is urgently needed
Conceptualising Drivers of Illegal Hunting by Local Hunters Living in or Adjacent to African Protected Areas: A Scoping Review
Illegal hunting of wildlife by community members abutting African protected areas contributes to unsustainable use of wildlife, resulting in significant declines in wildlife populations. Contemporary intervention measures have largely been ineffective, leading to pervasive and persistent illegal hunting. Such illegal hunting of wildlife is partly exacerbated by poor understanding of what motivates people to hunt illegally. Applying a scoping review approach, this study aims at developing concepts for drivers of illegal hunting and how they influence illegal hunting behaviour by local hunters living in or adjacent to African protected areas. A total of 30 publications were included for review analysis from 1014 publications retrieved using data base searches on Google Scholar and ScienceDirect. The study identified 12 proximate and five underlying drivers, which were categorised into 10 thematic drivers of illegal hunting by local hunters. The need for survival and sustaining livelihoods was conceptualised as the key thematic driver of illegal hunting by local hunters. The study represents a novel work of conceptualising drivers of illegal hunting by local hunters with implications on the persistence of illegal hunting in Africa