An Assessment of Poaching and Wildlife Trafficking in the Garamba-Bili-Chinko Transboundary Landscape

An assessment of poaching and wildlife trafficking in the Garamba-Bili-Chinko transboundary landscape of the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Cong

Transboundary landscapes and rural livelihoods: a case study from the northern Kwazulu-Natal and Mozambique border

Transboundary landscapes were introduced to southern Africa through colonialism and persist in the present day. These transboundary landscapes are constructed through political boundaries separating states as well as through the linkage of nature reserves and game parks located in adjacent countries. These landscapes have caused shifts in the livelihoods of the rural communities existing near them. This is the case for the Mbangweni rural area in northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. This rural area, located in a transboundary landscape formed by the national border that separates Mozambique and South Africa, sits in between Ndumo Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Park. The proposed linkage of these two nature reserves to each other and to the Maputo Special Reserve in Mozambique seeks to create a transboundary landscape that has negative consequences for the livelihoods of the Mbangweni community. Through the analysis of this rural community and the nature reserves on either side of it, this research sought to enhance understanding about how rural communities interact with transboundary landscapes, as well as the perceptions held by these rural communities and other actors (especially within the conservation sector) about how these landscapes influence rural livelihoods as well as the consequences of these landscapes on rural livelihoods. The study sought to also understand the level of institutional fit and interplay that exists between the institutions that govern over this landscape as well as between the institutions and the lived realities of the Mbangweni community by documenting the historical and current transboundary livelihood practices of the people of Mbangweni, determining the manner in which government actors and conservation authorities perceive and conceive of the transboundary landscape, determining whether or not (and to what extent) local and government perceptions about the transboundary landscape in Mbangweni are similar, and if not, how that affects livelihood activities on the ground and visually mapping out the different perceptions of the landscape held by the Mbangweni community and associated governing institutions. Qualitative data collection methods were used. These included 10 oral history interviews, 2 focus groups and 3 key informant interviews. The findings of this study reveal that the initial establishment of the transboundary landscape in this region led to the separation of the population of the Maputaland. The communities in northern KwaZulu-Natal and those in southern Mozambique once lived as a single population group. The national border separating South Africa from Mozambique was introduced and forced some of the population to settle on one side of the border and the rest on the other side. Although initially very rigid, the border's laws now allow for the informal movement of people and trade of goods between the southern Mozambique and northern KwaZulu-Natal areas. The study, therefore, found that the border's porous nature had a positive impact on the livelihoods of the people of Mbangweni. The findings also revealed that in addition to the national border, other institutions and entities were considered important for the livelihoods of the community. These institutions and entities include the traditional authority, the local municipality and the nature reserves adjacent to the Mbangweni community. These key role players each contributed to and impacted the rural livelihoods with the traditional authority having the biggest influence and most positive impact, the local municipality having the smallest influence and not much of an impact and the nature reserves having relatively minimal influence on the daily conduction of livelihoods but the most negative impact on how these livelihoods are conducted and sustained. Furthermore, the study showed that the key role players hold differing perceptions of the landscape and that these perceptions also differ from those held by the Mbangweni community. The study showed that the disconnect in perceptions of the landscapes results in isolated and fragmented land use by the entities and institutions occupying the same space. Conflict then arises due to the entities understanding and viewing the landscape as a space for different priorities. The nature reserves and their governing institution prioritise natural resource conservation and the Mbangweni community and the traditional authority, as its governing institution, prioritise their livelihoods and access to natural resources. These differing perceptions of the landscape perpetuate the institutional misfit and lack of interplay between the entities and governing institutions. The study found that even with different understandings of the landscape they occupy, each entity and relevant governing institution have the potential to facilitate institutional bricolage which would require adjustments of and changes to their mandates and goals to accommodate the mandates and goals of other institutions, other entities as well as the lived realities of the Mbangweni community. By fostering this bricolage, a transboundary landscape that adequately serves the needs and purposes of all its entities, whilst minimising opportunities for conflict between them, would be created

An Exploratory Study of Community Conservation Enterprises as a Model for Improving Community Livelihoods and Conservation of Mountain Gorillas Across the Greater Virunga Transboundary Landscape

Greater Virunga Transboundary Landscape (GVTL) is highly known for its abundance of wildlife resources and mostly flagship and endangered species such as Mountain Gorillas. Despite this importance, parks across GVTL continue to face enormous pressure from neighboring communities who harvest park resources illegally. This illegal harvest has sparked off intense park-community conflicts, community resentment and continuous poaching. To reduce them, community conservation enterprises (CCEs) were established across GVTL. The belief was that these CCEs provide and enhance socio-economic benefits to local communities which will in turn improve their household livelihoods. This will ensure that communities, in theory, will be less dependent on park resources, thereby reducing park-community conflicts, resentment and poaching. However, little is known about these CCEs, and how much they have improved community livelihoods and contributed to conservation. This dissertation addresses this lack of empirical knowledge by analyzing the perceptions of resident communities regarding the impacts of CCEs across GVTL. Two sites (Volcanoes and Mgahinga National Parks) out of the three in GVTL were selected for this study. A mixed methods approach was used for this research. This method took a two-phased approach. The first phase, included analyzing Ranger-based Monitoring (RbM) data recorded over a period of nine years (2007-2015). The second phase, included a face-to-face household survey interviews to examine residents\u27 perceptions of illegal activities (bamboo cutting, poaching, wood cutting, water collection, medicinal herbs and forest fires) and household livelihood securities (food, health, education and economic) between CCEs participants and non-participants. Findings regarding the perceptions of residents living adjacent to GVTL suggest that current illegal behavior has decreased compared to the past. However, RbM findings suggest that illegal activities are still a significant problem across GVTL. Further findings regarding the household livelihood security (HLS) suggest that community conservation enterprises have contributed significantly to the overall quality of life and in particular, to the food, health and economic security of residents living adjacent VNP compared to residents living adjacent to MGNP. This provides empirical evidence to support the view that CCEs have the potential to contribute significantly to household livelihood security

the case of Agelastes meleagrides, a western African forest endemic

The data analyzed during the current study are available in the following databases: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF; https ://www.gbif.org). Data from surveys in Sapo National Park in Liberia and Gola Rainforest National Park in Sierra Leone are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Environmental datasets are available at https ://terra .nasa.gov/data and http://www.worldclim.org.Background:Understanding geographic distributions of species is a crucial step in spatial planning for biodiversity conservation, particularly as regards changes in response to global climate change. This information is especially important for species of global conservation concern that are susceptible to the effects of habitat loss and climate change. In this study, we used ecological niche modeling to assess the current and future geographic distributional potential of White‑breasted Guineafowl (Agelastes meleagrides) (Vulnerable) across West Africa.Methods:We used primary occurrence data obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and national parks in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and two independent environmental datasets (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer normalized difference vegetation index at 250 m spatial resolution, and Worldclim climate data at 2.5′ spatial resolution for two representative concentration pathway emissions scenarios and 27 general circulation models for 2050) to build ecological niche models in Maxent.Results:From the projections, White‑breasted Guineafowl showed a broader potential distribution across the region compared to the current IUCN range estimate for the species. Suitable areas were concentrated in the Gola rainforests in northwestern Liberia and southeastern Sierra Leone, the Tai‑Sapo corridor in southeastern Liberia and southwest‑ern Côte d’Ivoire, and the Nimba Mountains in northern Liberia, southeastern Guinea, and northwestern Côte d’Ivoire. Future climate‑driven projections anticipated minimal range shifts in response to climate change.Conclusions:By combining remotely sensed data and climatic data, our results suggest that forest cover, rather than climate is the major driver of the species’ current distribution. Thus, conservation efforts should prioritize forest protec‑tion and mitigation of other anthropogenic threats (e.g. hunting pressure) affecting the species.Conservation InternationalGlobal Environment Facility-funded Grant # GEF-581

Effects of publication bias on conservation planning

Conservation planning needs reliable information on spatial patterns of biodiversity. However, existing data sets are skewed: some habitats, taxa, and locations are under-represented. Here, we map geographic publication density at the sub-national scale of individual 'provinces'. We query the Web of Science catalogues SCI and SSCI for biodiversity-related publications including country and province names (for the period 1993-2016). We combine these data with other provincial-scale factors hypothesised to affect research (i.e. economic development, human presence, infrastructure and remoteness). We show that sites that appear to be understudied, compared with the biodiversity expected from their bioclimatic conditions, are likely to have been inaccessible to researchers for a diversity of reasons amongst which current or recent armed conflicts are notable. Finally, we create a priority list of provinces where geographic publication bias is of most concern, and discuss how our provincial-scale model can assist in adjusting for publication biases in conservation planning.Comment: 10 pages; 3 figures; 1 table;R code on https://github.com/raffael-hickisch; data at https://zenodo.org/record/998889; interactive at http://bit.ly/publication_density_ma

Environmental Peacebuilding and the Transferability of EcoPeace Middle East’s Strategy

Environmental peacebuilding is a theory of conflict management used by EcoPeace Middle East in the Jordan River Valley. The theory posits that despite a seemingly intractable conflict, communities that come together for the protection of their common natural resources can simultaneously build a foundation for peace while also helping the environment. This study assessed the potential transferability of EcoPeace’s environmental peacebuilding model to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH). Two primary questions were proposed: What organizational, strategic, and contextual factors enable or constrain each organization's activities and progress?" and "What factors should EcoPeace consider when assessing the transferability of their environmental peacebuilding model to the HKH region?” In-person interviews were conducted with nine interviewees in Kathmandu, Nepal at the ICIMOD headquarters. A semi-structured interview guide was used to better understand staff perceptions of organizational, contextual, and strategic factors that influence the work being done. Additionally, publicly available information was collected to understand how those three broad factors influence the work of EcoPeace Middle East. Key limiting factors of the transfer of the environmental peacebuilding model include the genesis of the organizations, the geography and scope of the conflict being operated within, the existing international policies, and the broader strategies pursued. Additional organizational factors identified in the study include the focus of the work, funding, staffing decisions, and short-term vs. longterm progress. Other contextual factors identified include the sense of urgency in the region and additional strategic factors include data-sharing and collaboration with private industry. Despite limitations in scope, this study highlights the important organizational, contextual, and strategic factors that an organization should consider when transferring a model to another conflict or region.Master of ScienceSchool for Environment and SustainabilityUniversity of Michiganhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154782/1/Light_Andrew_Practicum.pd

Environmental Crisis in the Eastern Himalayan Landscapes in India

The Eastern Himalayas in India demonstrate vast ecological diversity in its varied range of flora and fauna. The local communities also form an integral part of the ecological landscape, deriving various services from the forest and mountain ecosystems. Recently, however, due to severe anthropogenic pressure and unplanned developmental activities, the Eastern Himalayans have displayed signs of rapid habitat destruction. This photo essay aims to discuss the nature of the challenges in the Eastern Himalayas which pose a palpable threat to the local ecology and environment, and to establish how a more sustainable approach is necessary to salvage this ecologically unique region

Transboundary Cooperation Improves Endangered Species Monitoring and Conservation Actions: A Case Study of the Global Population of Amur Leopards

Political borders and natural boundaries of wildlife populations seldom coincide, often to the detriment of conservation objectives. Transnational monitoring of endangered carnivores is rare, but is necessary for accurate population monitoring and coordinated conservation policies. We investigate the benefits of collaboratively monitoring the abundance and survival of the critically endangered Amur leopard, which occurs as a single transboundary population across China and Russia. Country‐specific results overestimated abundance and were generally less precise compared to integrated monitoring estimates; the global population was similar in both years: 84 (70–108, 95% confidence interval). Uncertainty in country‐specific annual survival estimates were approximately twice the integrated estimates of 0.82 (0.69–0.91, 95% confidence limits). This collaborative effort provided a better understanding of Amur leopard population dynamics, represented a first step in building trust, and lead to cooperative agreements to coordinate conservation policies

The Importance of Maine for Ecoregional Conservation Planning

Ecoregional conservation planning aims at protecting biodiversity within a realistic social and economic framework. The authors of this article suggest that Maine’s forests are the ecological core of the entire Northern Appalachian/Acadian ecoregion, which spans four states and five Canadian provinces. Using mapping and mathematical models of the “human footprint,” they note that Maine has a large, contiguous, undeveloped and unfragmented forest compared with neighboring states and provinces. However, compared with its neighbors Maine also has the largest proportion of unprotected forest. The authors conclude with the hope that land use policy and planning can be better informed through the active integration of recent ecoregional conservation mapping model