Abstract
Crop raiding by wild boars is a growing problem worldwide with potentially damaging consequences for rural dwellers’ cooperation with conservation policies. Still, limited resources inhibit continuous monitoring, and there is uncertainty about the relationship between the biophysical realities of crop raiding and humans’ perceptions and responses. By integrating data from camera traps, remote sensors, and household surveys, this study establishes an empirical model of wild boar population density that can be applied to multiple years to estimate changes in distribution over time. It also correlates historical estimates of boar population distribution with human-reported trends to support the model’s validity and assess local perceptions of crop raiding. Although the model proved useful in coniferous and bamboo forests, it is less useful in mixed broadleaf, evergreen broadleaf, and deciduous forests. Results also show alignment between perceptions of crop raiding and actual boar populations, corroborating farmers’ perceptions which are increasingly dismissed as a less reliable source of information in human–wildlife conflict research. The modeling techniques demonstrated here may provide conservation practitioners with a cost-effective way to maintain up-to-date estimates of the spatial distribution of wild boar and resultant crop raiding.
Highlights
Human–wildlife conflict is an increasingly prevalent challenge throughout the world, with potentially severe implications for environmental conservation [1]
In evergreen broadleaf domains, where the model had a somewhat low internal consistency (R2 = 0.18), boar density was positively correlated with slope (+0.0004 BPD per degree; p < 0.01), negatively correlated with aspect-derived moisture index (−0.0008 BPD per point; p < 0.01), and uncorrelated with vegetation index and elevation
The deciduous forest model had the highest internal consistency; with an R2 of 0.98, it showed boar density positively correlated with vegetation index (+0.066 BPD per unit WDRVI; p < 0.01), negatively correlated with elevation (−0.007 BPD per 100 m; p < 0.01), and uncorrelated with slope or aspect
Summary
Human–wildlife conflict is an increasingly prevalent challenge throughout the world, with potentially severe implications for environmental conservation [1]. These conflicts are centered on competing social and environmental values, and while research cannot point to “correct” solutions, it can help conservation managers predict potential conflicts prior to policy implementation and manage them . Human–wildlife conflict is a special concern in protected areas and their surroundings. Managing wildlife crop raiding is socially and environmentally vital. While there have been several studies on crop raiding near protected areas [5,6,7,8], few have examined how crop raiding changes over time, likely because field estimates are expensive to obtain [9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
