Abstract
AbstractAs human‐elephant conflict (HEC) increases, a better understanding of the human dimensions of these conflicts and non‐violent mitigation methods are needed to foster long‐term coexistence. In this study, we conducted household questionnaires (n = 296) to assess the prevalence of HEC and attitudes towards elephants in four rural villages in Thailand. In addition, we evaluated a pilot beehive fence as a sustainable solution for HEC. The majority of the households reported seeing or hearing elephants near their property at least once a week (84.9%) and experienced negative impacts from elephants in the last 5 years, (81.0%). The beehive fence deterred 88.4% of individual elephants (n = 155) and 64.3% of elephant groups (n = 28) that approached the fence. Most elephants (70.7%) exhibited behaviors suggesting heightened attentiveness or alarm. The farm owner reported economic and social benefits of the beehive fence. By contributing to farmer income and reducing crop damage caused by wild elephants, beehive fencing may provide an important locally‐managed complement to regional HEC mitigation methods.
Highlights
The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is categorized as endangered on the IUCN Red List (Choudhury et al, 2008) with an estimated population of fewer than 50,000 individuals (Fernando & Pastorini, 2011)
The majority stated that human-elephant conflict (HEC) was increasing (80.2%), that they had experienced a negative impact from elephants (81.0%), and that they or their family had not gained any benefit from living with elephants (90.5%)
The owner stated she experienced benefits such as pride, skills development, and monetary benefits from hosting groups of local and international students interested in the beehive fence model. She stated that the method convinced her family to reduce the use of pesticides to maintain healthy bees and that the project helped to connect with nature. She stated that she experienced well-being by helping other people in HEC areas and by being able to care for her aging parents, as she and her sister could work at home instead of on neighboring rubber farmlands
Summary
The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is categorized as endangered on the IUCN Red List (Choudhury et al, 2008) with an estimated population of fewer than 50,000 individuals (Fernando & Pastorini, 2011). Negative interactions with elephants have been shown to be related to feelings of resentment (Van de Water & Matteson, 2018) For these reasons, solutions for HEC must be grounded in the context of the people that live in direct contact with elephants. The aim of this study is to gain more insight into the potential of beehive fencing with Italian honey bees to mitigate crop damage by Asian elephants in Kaeng Hang Maeo district, a HEC hotspot in Eastern Thailand (Kitratporn & Takeuchi, 2020). The research has the following objectives: (a) to evaluate the prevalence of HEC and attitudes towards elephants in the HEC hotspot using questionnaire data, and (b) to pilot test the effectiveness of a fence outfitted with Italian honey bees for deterring elephants on a farm using motion-sensing camera traps and qualitative interview data. To verify evaluations of the potential of the beehive fence based on camera trap data, and to gain more in-depth insight into important aspects that influence the perceived effectiveness and socio-economic benefits of the beehive fence, we conducted post-study interviews with the farm owner
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