Abstract
The endangered oribi antelope Ourebia ourebi is highly dependent on privately owned lands for its continued survival in South Africa. Despite the fact that conserving oribi may result in costs to farmers in the form of land use restrictions and pressures from illegal hunting, there is evidence that South African farmers are willing to conserve oribi on their lands. However, to date, no research has been conducted to examine farmers’ understanding of how to manage their lands for oribi or their motivations for conserving this species. We conducted 50 in-depth interviews with private landowners in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to investigate why farmers are willing to protect oribi, their perceptions of the threats to the species, and their understanding of how land should be managed to benefit oribi. Respondents’ willingness to conserve oribi was driven primarily by an affinity for the species and wildlife in general. Respondents perceived illegal taxi hunting to be the greatest threat to oribi. Taxi hunts are organized, illegal hunting events that involve multiple participants and packs of dogs, who hunt at night on farms without the permission or knowledge of farmers. Although some respondents managed their lands specifically to benefit oribi, most were unsure which land management practices would support oribi conservation efforts. Farmers require legal support to more effectively conserve oribi. In addition, they would benefit from outreach and awareness programs on how to manage their lands for oribi.
Highlights
South Africa, like many countries, is largely dependent on state-owned protected areas to conserve biodiversity
At least 8% of the country is comprised of protected areas, the South African Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries recognizes that the protected area network does not represent all ecosystems and falls short of maintaining biodiversity (Skowno et al 2019)
Despite the costs associated with participating in conservation efforts, private landowners in South Africa have voluntarily engaged in conservation activities
Summary
South Africa, like many countries, is largely dependent on state-owned protected areas to conserve biodiversity. Much of South Africa’s threatened habitat is privately owned, and many threatened and endangered species exist out-. Conservation of endangered species may result in high anti-poaching security costs or safety risks for landowners and their staff (Rubino & Pienaar 2018). The Game Theft Act in South Africa permits private landowners to own wildlife on their land and to generate wildlife-based income (Taylor et al 2020), which in turn has encouraged sustainable use of wildlife (Pienaar et al 2017). Private lands remain at risk of conversion to land uses that are inconsistent with biodiversity conservation, such as residential or industrial development, and mining (De Vos et al 2019, Clements et al 2020). Habitat fragmentation and illegal hunting on private lands are placing increased pressure on multiple threatened and endangered species, including oribi antelope Ourebia ourebi
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.
