Persistence of Two Small Antelope Species in the Degraded Mutara Rangelands (Akagera Ecosystem) Based on Pastoralists’ and Farmers’ Perceptions

Abstract

For many endangered wildlife populations, scientific information necessary for sustainable conservation management is insufficient and difficult to obtain. In such cases, possible alternative sources of information on wildlife populations and their habitats should be sought out, evaluated, and integrated into management decisions and monitoring programs (Nadasdy 1999; Gilchrist et al. 2005). Traditional and local ecological knowledge are increasingly recognized as potential sources of information to complement conventional scientific approaches (e.g., Chemilinsky 1991; Berkes et al. 2000). Human communities, especially those living in and around protected areas, often have intimate and long-standing relationships with those areas (Trakolis 2001; Uddin and Foisal 2007), and their local knowledge is increasingly integrated in conservation biology, ecosystemmanagement, and ecological restoration (Berkes et al. 2000; Kimmerer 2002; Charnley et al. 2008). For example, rangeland pastoralists, through their practical experience and ongoing relationship with their environment, are capable of successfully categorizing landscapes with respect to seasonal changes in grazing capacity (Oba and Kotile 2001). Several studies have highlighted the role of pastoralists’ ecological knowledge as it relates to the utilization of rangelands (e.g. Spooner 1973; Nyerges 1982; Bollig and Schulte 1999; Fernandez-Gimenez 2000; Spencer 2004; Roba and Oba 2009). Moreover, some studies tested whether interviewbased abundance estimates reflect abundances established by using conventional methods (e.g. Gros et al. 1996; Gilchrist et al. 2005; Anadon et al. 2009; Gandiwa 2012). African rangelands are nowadays often characterized by dramatic alterations of landscape structure, with a predominance of few(er) vegetation types as a result of human activities such as livestock (cattle and goat) grazing and subsistence agriculture, which are typically accompanied by pronounced changes in the communities of ungulates (Archer 2010). Nevertheless, two small-bodied ungulate species, the common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia; 10–14 kg body mass) and the bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus; 35–80 kg) have been shown to subsist in heavily impacted areas of today’s rural Africa (Schmidt Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10745-015-9753-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.