Abstract
Elephant crop raiding is pervasive and widespread in elephant-agriculture landscapes. Due to rare investigations on underlying African elephant (Loxodonta africana) crop raiding processes and patterns, neither reliable predictive models nor empirical evidence on elephant crop raiding parameters are available or adequate to support intervening decisions by susceptible farmers and other stakeholders. By developing predictive models of binary logistic regression and employing questionnaire surveys, we examined the environmental factors influencing occurrence of crop raiding by interrogating effectiveness of counter-measures implemented by local farmers in Luangwa Valley, eastern Zambia. Farm sizes, vegetation types in peripherals of crop fields and types of counter-measures used by local farmers to restrain marauding elephants were the most important elephant crop raiding predictors. Smaller crop fields (≤4782.00 ± 342.00 m2) were more vulnerable than larger ones. Most crop fields (75.88%, n=236) surrounded by Brachystegia and Acacia dominated vegetation communities were damaged, largely due to high tree fruiting which were elephant attractants. Solar powered electric fences were more effective than other counter-measures. Though traditional methods were prevalent, they were less effective than other counter-measures. It was posited that additional capacity development of local farmers was required particularly, in participatory integrative land use practices to minimize elephant crop raiding. Key words: Predictive models, elephant crop raiding, conservation, Luangwa Valley, Zambia
Highlights
According to Hoare (2001), “any human-elephant interaction which results in negative effects on human social, economic or cultural life or elephant conservation or the environment” defines human-elephant conflicts (HECs)
In accordance with observations by Sitati et al (2005), that any intended mitigation required a detailed understanding of underlying processes and patterns associated with elephant crop raiding incidences, this study aims at exploring environmental factors, alongside crop raiding counter-measures
Small crop fields were more susceptible to elephant crop raiding than large crop fields in the dry season
Summary
According to Hoare (2001), “any human-elephant interaction which results in negative effects on human social, economic or cultural life or elephant conservation or the environment” defines human-elephant conflicts (HECs). Human-elephant interaction becomes a conflict when people experience, perceive and interpret them as producing negative impact (Riley et al, 2003; Madden, 2006). HECs have become widely spread as expanding agriculture increases human-elephant interface (Hoare, 1999) and occur wherever humans come into contact with elephants (Sitati et al, 2003). The interactions have a wide array of emerging impacts, events or conflicts, which include: crop raiding; damage to infrastructure like houses, food stores, fences and other barriers; occasional injuries and demise of people on one hand. As a HEC hotspot, Luangwa Valley experiences numerous, pervasive and widespread elephant crop
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