Human-wildlife Interactions Research Articles

Drone Observations of Marine Life and Human–Wildlife Interactions off Sydney, Australia

Drones have become popular with the general public for viewing and filming marine life. One amateur enthusiast platform, DroneSharkApp, films marine life in the waters off Sydney, Australia year-round and posts their observations on social media. The drone observations include the behaviours of a variety of coastal marine wildlife species, including sharks, rays, fur seals, dolphins and fish, as well as migratory species such as migrating humpback whales. Given the extensive effort and multiple recordings of the presence, behaviour and interactions of various species with humans provided by DroneSharkApp, we explored its utility for providing biologically meaningful observations of marine wildlife. Using social media posts from the DroneSharkApp Instagram page, a total of 678 wildlife videos were assessed from 432 days of observation collected by a single observer. This included 94 feeding behaviours or events for fur seals (n = 58) and dolphins (n = 33), two feeding events for white sharks and one feeding event for a humpback whale. DroneSharkApp documented 101 interactions with sharks and humans (swimmers and surfers), demonstrating the frequent, mainly innocuous human–shark overlap off some of Australia’s busiest beaches. Finally, DroneSharkApp provided multiple observations of humpback and dwarf minke whales with calves travelling north, indicating calving occurring well south of traditional northern Queensland breeding waters. Collaboration between scientists and citizen scientists such as those involved with DroneSharkApp can greatly and quantitatively increase the biological understanding of marine wildlife data.

“I am Wolf, I Rule!” - Attributing Intentions to Animals in Human-Wildlife Interactions

Human interactions with potentially problematic wildlife spawn intense and polarized sentiments. This study investigates one contributing factor: People perceive wildlife as having intentions toward them, and consequently, they feel targeted by the animals' behavior. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 20 German-speaking participants on three model wildlife – wolves, corvids, and spiders – yielded 12 different kinds of intentions attributed to the animals. The form of these intentions can be analyzed in terms of whether the attribution has a metaphoric or literal meaning; whether it is potentially correct, and whether it occurs at an individual or species level. In terms of these criteria, attributions made to wolves, corvids, and spiders take different forms, that appear to correspond to differential degrees of direct experience with the respective animals. For example, attributions to wolves tend to be made at a species-level, and thus are of a rather abstract quality, corresponding to the rather elusive nature of wolf presence. Simultaneously, attributions to the three model wildlife exhibit thematic similarities: With regard to their content, the 12 kinds of intentions can be integrated into four motives referring to the animals' alleged deeper incentives:rebellion, menace, relationality, andunintentionality. These motives are ascribed to wolves, corvids and spiders in comparable ways, evidencing similarities in participants' mental representations of ecologically dissimilar cases of human-wildlife interactions. The discussion of the qualitative findings traces how the species-specific and the overarching dynamics, as well as people's biographies factor into their views of animal intentionality in a way that causes ascriptions to be polarized across people, yet similar across wildlife. Evidently, the inclination to feel personally targeted by animal agents' intentional behavior is a universal feature in human-wildlife conflicts, that is co-determined by wildlife ecology and human psychology.

Depredation loss drives human–wildlife conflict perception in the Trans-Himalayas

Communities in and around protected areas are exposed to a higher level of human-wildlife interactions. The conservation practice with persistently adverse local livelihood outcomes can potentially aggravate such interactions leading to conflict. In our study, we examined how perceptions of HWC have formed in a protected area of the Trans-Himalayas whose conservation program collides with a centuries-long tradition of transhumance pastoralism. To examine determinants of depredation and how conflict perception has developed there, along with the socioeconomic and ecological interactions underlying those trends, we collected data using household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. We employed Poisson-logit maximum-likelihood hurdle, binary logit, and multinomial ordered logit regressions in order to explore the determinants of annual livestock depredation, predator attacks on the shed, and household-level perceptions of HWC, respectively. Depredation and encounters with wildlife were the principal causes of perceived HWC, and depredation caused an average household-level loss of US $422.5, up to 23.28% of annual income in some households. Predators’ attacks on high-quality sheds were relatively infrequent but more common in areas with perceived habitat degradation. Social customs, pastoral practices, and the present compensation mechanism were identified as being antithetical to conflict reduction and sustainable pastureland management. Further analysis revealed that a diversity of livelihoods, however, lowered conflict perception formation. The identified socio-ecological factors will continue to increase depredation, exacerbate perceived HWC, and degrade pastureland unless local conservation authorities take appropriate remedial measures.

Behavior of Wildlife Species in Urban Areas to Changing Conditions during COVID-19 Lockdowns: A Review

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 crisis remains an international health disaster with serious impacts on health and business. As countries asked, and continue to ask, their human populations to stay at home to limit the spread of coronavirus, wild animals have been spotted exploring the empty streets of some of the world’s largest urban areas.E This period of unusually reduced human mobility can provide invaluable insights into human-wildlife interactions. Reduced human mobility during the pandemic reveals critical aspects of our impact on wild animal welfare, providing important guidance on how best to share space on this crowded planet. Lockdown effects have been drastic, sudden, and widespread. Countries have also responded in broadly similar ways across large parts of the world, presenting invaluable replicates of this phenomenon. This paper will highlight various adaptations and changes in behavior developed by wild animals in urban areas during the early pandemic period. They concerned the effects on wildlife and ecosystems that are related to human activities, possible interactions between humans and wildlife, and the perspectives on wildlife and ecosystem management going forward.

Understanding One Health through biological and behavioral risk surveillance in Liberia: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa mainly affected Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, claiming the lives of over 11 000 people, including health-care workers. Following this crisis, the Ebola Host Project worked to identify the wildlife reservoir for the virus that started the epidemic, to detect other related filoviruses, and to better understand ecological and human behavioral dynamics that could inform future risk reduction and prevention strategies. Here, we report key ecological and behavioral results for Liberia. MethodsIn Liberia, this cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 sites throughout eight counties. The project used a One Health biological-behavioral surveillance approach that included catch-and-release wildlife sampling and behavioral risk surveys. These sites were chosen from counties with forested areas inhabited by bats and rodents and included counties that were both severely and minimally impacted by the Ebola crisis. The analysis included 5000 bat and rodent biological samples, and the behavioural risk survey included 585 enrolled human participants from eight counties. Participants were selected from villages within a 5 km range of the 18 sampling sites, and they provided writteninformed consent. In addition to US based approvals, the Liberian National Ethical and Review Board, the Liberian Forest Development Authority and local government authorities approved the study and community work. FindingsThis sampling effort led to the first-time discovery of an Ebolavirus in a west African bat (Miniopterus inflatus) in January 2019. Across five of the eight counties, including Nimba County where the infected Miniopterus inflatus was sampled, mosquitos and tsetse flies were also identified as present vectors. Respondents reported the ways in which they interfaced with taxa of interest such as rodents. These interactions included wildlife consumption and proximity to human dwellings—interactions that present the risk of zoonotic infections that may go misdiagnosed as fevers of unknown origin. Respondents additionally described gaps in knowledge around topics such as the aetiology of Ebola in Liberia, as well as changes in the level of concern towards Ebola risk, which rose during the crisis but later returned to pre-crisis levels. InterpretationOur results highlight how, against the backdrop of human-wildlife interactions in these Liberian communities that present spillover risk, there exist opportunities to bridge knowledge gaps and create cues to encourage continued vigilance against transmission. FundingThis project was funded by USAID, and analysis with regard to the risk of acute febrile illnesses continues with funding from the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Sex-specific responses to anthropogenic risk shape wild chimpanzee social networks in a human-impacted landscape

Large animal species are most likely to survive human-induced rapid environmental change if they display high levels of behavioural flexibility. Examining social responses in species that form closely bonded social groups and display high fission–fusion dynamics, such as chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes , will help determine their resilience to dynamic human activities and the potential for sustainable human–wildlife interactions. Coinciding with the seasonal availability of cultivated jackfruit, Artocarpus heterophyllus , a dominant food available in croplands and village gardens, we examined the social adjustments of wild chimpanzees to risks presented by a human-modified landscape at Bulindi, Uganda. Absolute party size decreased when chimpanzees moved from low-risk ‘natural’ habitat (forest fragments) to high-risk ‘anthropogenic’ habitat (croplands and other village areas), driven mainly by parties containing fewer females. Using social network analysis, we found that chimpanzee social structure showed partial flexibility in response to anthropogenic risk. The strength of social ties in a 5 m proximity network stayed similar and individual centrality measures were correlated between low- and high-risk habitats. Nevertheless, in high-risk habitat males were more central than females and exclusively dominated the core of the network's core–periphery structure. However, sex differences were not apparent when we corrected for party membership, indicating that differences were driven by changes to party membership between habitat types rather than changes in social proximity within parties. We suggest that perception of anthropogenic risk can drive continual adjustments to grouping dynamics in response to changing conditions that modify social lives of male and female chimpanzees in different ways. Consequently, changes in grouping patterns induced by continuing anthropogenic change could impact ecological and evolutionary processes influenced by social structure, including cultural evolution and the spread of infectious disease. • Party size decreased from low-risk ‘natural’ to high-risk ‘anthropogenic’ habitat. • Males had higher social centrality than females in high-risk habitat only. • Sex differences in centrality were caused by females avoiding high-risk habitat. • No sex difference in centrality was apparent when controlling for party membership. • Chimpanzee social structure showed partial flexibility to anthropogenic risk.

Guidelines to Facilitate Human-Wildlife Interactions in Conservation Translocations

Species reintroductions and translocations are widely used management interventions to restore locally extinct or augment severely depleted species. In such projects, the human dimension issues that influence the success of these conservation interventions are encountered at five different stages of the project life cycle: (1) planning, (2) initiation, (3) implementation, (4) ending stage, and (5) post-exit. Overlooking or failing to consider the human dimension in any of these phases could jeopardise the conservation translocation project's success. When the human dimensions are included there is greater possibility of community involvement, peers' acceptance and support from various interest groups and avoidance of conflict situations. The Human-Wildlife Interactions Working Group (HWIWG) was formed in 2018 by members of the IUCN Conservation Translocation Specialist Group (CTSG). HWIWG has facilitated online discussions and workshops with practitioners, researchers and academics from across the globe, on a range of aspects of human-wildlife interactions in conservation translocations, as well as leading discussion sessions during international research conferences. These events have provided a rich source of material from which to draw a series of recommendations. In this paper we discuss findings from the HWIWG that illustrate how, in each of the five stages of the project life cycle, human-dimensions influenced conservation translocation projects. Our aim is to provide useful and multidimensional insights for those working in species' reintroductions and translocations.

Online Environment as a Tool to Push Forward the Research: An Example for Landscape Disservices

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have had to find different resources in order to continue their research and the use of online information can represent a temporary solution. Our research is mainly focusing on a landscape which offers services and disservices. Recently, numerous studies that rely on landscape disservices have appeared. We associate wildlife-human-interactions (WHI) and human-wildlife-interactions (HWI) as part of landscape disservices. More precisely, in the first category (WHI) we have included the interaction of the wild animals with human and in the second category (HWI) we have created a database with animals attacked or/and killed by human. In order to sustain this analysis, we have selected data from local newspapers and Facebook groups, which supports our hypothesis that online resources could provide valuable data. The study area is represented by the Southern and Eastern Carpathians. The most affected mammals for this type of interactions (HWI) are bears, followed by wild boars and red deer, while WHI has intensified in the last five years. Based on the analysed data we can conclude that the animals who generate the most disservices to humans are bears and wild boars. The solutions we have identified, which also include online sources, for both HWI and WHI are relocation, rescue, capturing of the animals in reservations or, as a last resort, euthanasia. In order to reduce these types of interactions it is important to promote ecological education, development and promoting of certain attitudes and behaviour that have a visible impact upon HWI and WHI.

#Wildlifeselfies: insights into the ocular consumption of marine wildlife

ABSTRACT Wildlife tourism has experienced a shift from passive observations towards highly interactive encounters between tourists and wild animals. Tourist behaviour is influenced by the pursuit of ‘visual trophies’ for social media. More specifically, the ‘wildlife selfie’ phenomenon, which requires proximity to a plethora of animal species, may contribute to compromised tourist safety and harassment of wildlife. This paper explores the perceptions of swim-with wildlife tour participants regarding wildlife-focused user-generated content such as wildlife selfies in three different commercial encounter settings in the South Pacific. In-depth qualitative interviews and a thematic analysis of the data yielded two prominent themes: Tourists perceived human-wildlife interactions online as ‘a double-edged sword’, identifying animal welfare as a key concern. Such content was found to shape the decision-making processes of tourists and affected tourists’ perceptions, creating unrealistic expectations of wildlife encounters. Further, whale-swim participants were identified as non-selfie-takers/opponents, while seal swimmers and shark divers were somewhat supportive, actively participating in selfie-taking behaviour to provide proof to peers (‘to selfie or not to selfie’). Those findings indicate that a sound monitoring of the constructed human-wildlife relationship in the twenty-first-century media landscape with a focus on guidelines and regulations to ensure tourist safety and animal welfare is required.

How much Fear? Exploring the Role of Integral Emotions on Stated Preferences for Wildlife Conservation

Scientific evidence suggests that emotions affect actual human decision-making, particularly in highly emotionally situations such as human-wildlife interactions. In this study we assess the role of fear on preferences for wildlife conservation, using a discrete choice experiment. The sample was split into two treatment groups and a control. In the treatment groups the emotion of fear towards wildlife was manipulated using two different pictures of a wolf, one fearful and one reassuring, which were presented to respondents during the experiment. Results were different for the two treatments. The assurance treatment lead to higher preferences and willingness to pay for the wolf, compared to the fear treatment and the control, for several population sizes. On the other hand, the impact of the fear treatment was lower than expected and only significant for large populations of wolves, in excess of 50 specimen. Overall, the study suggests that emotional choices may represent a source of concern for the assessment of stable preferences. The impact of emotional choices is likely to be greater in situations where a wildlife-related topic is highly emphasized, positively or negatively, by social networks, mass media, and opinion leaders. When stated preferences towards wildlife are affected by the emotional state of fear due to contextual external stimuli, welfare analysis does not reflect stable individual preferences and may lead to sub-optimal conservation policies. Therefore, while more research is recommended for a more accurate assessment, it is advised to control the decision context during surveys for potential emotional choices.

Wildlife–Human Survey: a rapid appraisal tool to assess mammal diversity and human–wildlife interactions in rural settings

Context Scarcity of standardised data is one of the main obstacles in understanding the responses of wildlife to anthropogenic pressures. By assessing local people’s knowledge, it is possible to generate valuable social-ecological data to fill this gap cost-effectively. Aims We present the Wildlife–Human Survey (WHS), a protocol for rapidly assessing information on medium and large-sized mammals, rural people, and the latter’s interactions with these species. In a pilot study, we investigate the effectiveness of our tool to generate valuable information for wildlife research and management. Methods The survey consists of a structured interview protocol that can be used as a tool to generate information on (i) the occurrence and assemblage composition of medium and large mammalian species, (ii) the socioeconomic profile of rural populations and farming activities in the area, and (iii) people’s perception of human–wildlife interactions (e.g. benefits, economic losses). To test the effectiveness of our tool, we conducted a total of 300 face-to-face interviews using this protocol in 30 rural landscapes (1250 ha each) in the Paraiba Valley region, São Paulo State, Brazil. We analysed the resulting data using descriptive statistics, random curves of species accumulation and maps of species distribution and richness. Key results We generated data on the occurrence and distribution of 32 species of medium and large mammals and on socioeconomic profile of the 300 surveyed households. We found that 95% of the species could be determined to occur in the region, with an effort ranging from 66 to 266 h; up to 611 h were necessary to find evidence of all species. Conclusions Our protocol can be an effective, fast and low-cost tool for appraising the occurrence of medium and large-sized mammals, the socioeconomic profile of people sharing rural landscapes with them and their interactions. Implications The WHS can generate information for mammal management by highlighting hotspot areas of human–wildlife interactions. This protocol can be especially useful when and where other methods are inadequate/unviable, and create the opportunity for rural people to contribute to wildlife management by allowing them to share their knowledge and concerns about their interactions with the local fauna.

Human-Wildlife Coexistence: Business as Usual Conservation or an Opportunity for Transformative Change?

The term 'coexistence' is increasingly being used by academics and practitioners to reflect a re-conceptualisation of human-wildlife interactions (HWI). Coexistence has become a popular buzzword and is central to several proposals for transformative change in biodiversity conservation, including convivial conservation. Although ideas about how to achieve coexistence proliferate, critical exploration of the framing and use of the term is lacking. Through analysis of semi-structured interviews, webinars and online and offline documents, this paper critically interrogates how 'coexistence' is being conceptualised and translated into practice. We characterise coexistence as a boundary object that reflects a broadly agreed on 'hopeful mission', while being flexible enough to be meaningful for a wide range of actors. We identify three main framings of coexistence, which reflect the ways of knowing, values and approaches of different epistemic communities. We find that although the idea of coexistence has the potential to help facilitate transformative change in wildlife management, so far it largely manifests in practice as a positive-sounding label for standardised packages of tools and incentives. We argue that as the meaning of coexistence continues to be contested, there is an opportunity for activists, academics, and practitioners to reclaim its transformative roots. We identify a role for convivial conservation within this agenda: to re-politicise coexistence through the concept of 'meaningful coexistence'.

The fox in the box: acoustic deterrent and simulated predator disturbance to reduce problematic bird accumulations

Context Collisions between birds and aircraft (bird strikes) are a serious threat to aviation safety and these negative human–wildlife interactions are predicted to increase. As the wider spatial use of landscapes by birds can affect aviation safety (e.g. location of foraging and roosting sites), there is a clear need to implement effective management strategies at sites adjacent to airfields to reduce ingress of avian taxa across airfield boundaries. Aims In the present study, we assessed the efficacy of both an acoustic deterrent (sonic net) and a visual simulated predator effigy, in the form of a fox-shaped model, to disturb and reduce bird accumulations on: (1) agricultural foraging sites; (2) an active airfield; and (3) problematic roof-top roosts. Methods These non-lethal scare technologies were assessed separately and in combination by using a factorial design. Bird abundances, species richness and behavioural changes were considered. Key results Although the scare technologies did not reduce bird species richness at treated sites, in most cases, a significant reduction in bird abundances was observed. Equally, the number of birds observed to forage or roost was also generally significantly reduced, as was time spent by birds within treated sites. However, the effects of treatments were not universally across species. For example, a reduction in the abundance of gulls tended to be paired with an increase in the number of corvids for foraging sites. Nevertheless, the combined application of the sonic net and fox effigy caused a considerable reduction in foraging bird numbers, whereas singular treatment types appear to work best for roof-top roosts. Data also indicate that the sonic-net technology can be used to deter night-time roosting on an active airfield. Conclusions When taken together, treatments resulted in substantial and often significant reductions in bird abundance, foraging and roosting activity, as well as site residency time. However, treatment efficacy tended to be context and taxon specific. Implications Sonic net and mobile simulated predator effigies represent promising experimental scare technologies. Following further testing, the integration of these technologies into bird management interventions could yield substantial risk reductions for bird strikes, as well as improved non-lethal management of problematic roosting and nesting sites.

LAND OWNERSHIP A HUMAN/WILDLIFE CONFLICT: IMPLICATIONS FOR NYANGA NATIONAL PARK AS A TOURIST DESTINATION

This study explored the implications of landownership in Zimbabwe as a factor motivating humanwildlife conflict and its’ implications for Nyanga National Park as a tourist destination. Previous studies have overlooked land ownership and its implications for tourism. Impacts of human-human conflict on wild-life for tourism have also been side-lined. This study was guided by Qualitative research philosophy. Data gathered was guided by a Historical document analysis to access the past as a basis for understanding the present. Longitudinal document analysis traced political changes and developments in Nyanga. Documents were in the official public domain hence content validation was based on the consensus of different historical sources. Interviews with key informants confirmed events and enhanced interpretation. The study found political land ownership events contributing to the destruction of wild and aquatic tourist attractions in Nyanga. Freedom of settlement reduced area for Nyanga National Park tourism activities. In 1890, Lippert Concession granted Nyanga land and its Wildlife to a few privileged Whites against the African inhabitants. Whites’ sophisticated weapons killed more animals than the Africans who were forced to crowd in Tribal Trust Lands (TTLs). The move broke the symbiotic relationship between Africans and their wildlife in Nyanga. Their settlement in TTLs had new forms of conflicts as human and wildlife tried to understand each other in a new habitat. Park boundaries cut off Africans from their ancestral places of worship like the Mtarazi falls, water and mountain spirits. Their medicinal plants like zumbani which reduces chances for Covid -19 were enclosed in the name of animal protection. Anyone who entered the park for medicinal plants was classified as a poacher and arrested. Unjust land redistribution in 1930: Blacks got 22%, Animals 27% and Whites 51%, marginalised human livelihoods triggering poaching as a natural form of aggressive retaliation to the unjust land ownership. The Native husbandry Act (1951-1961) drastically reduced livestock among the blacks, forcing them to resort to wildlife for meat. Overcrowding Africans in TTls increased human-wildlife interactions and its conflicts. A period of land ownership conflict subjected tourism attraction species to extinction. For Nyanga National Park to thrive as a tourist attraction centre, locals should own the land, its’ wild and aquatic life. Study recommends local community ownership of land for the development of Nyanga National Park as a tourist resort.

Emotionally augmented mental models, connectivity and beaver reintroduction in Southwest England

Understanding the psychology of human-wildlife interactions has grown beyond cognitive frameworks to include appreciation of roles played by emotion in human responses to wildlife. From its beginnings as an essentially cognitively framed proposition, mental modeling has been shown readily applicable to representing and interpreting stakeholder perspectives on combined social and natural systems, but lacks an integrated approach to emotion. This is an important knowledge gap. To commence an investigation into the relationship focused on the requirements of wildlife conservation, we carried out a case study of perspectives toward a free-living Eurasian beaver (<em>Castor fiber</em>) reintroduction in Southwest England, ecologically significant as a generator of high-value wetland habitat while interacting strongly with local human interests. Using fuzzy cognitive mapping techniques, we report predictive relationships between model measurements and subjective emotional valence elicited in relation to stakeholder conceptual content. Significant interactions were identified between three measures of concept connective influence within mental models and associated emotional valence intensity: single model concept connective salience, aggregated model concept connective salience, and aggregated model predictive inferences made by dynamic analysis. A possible explanation for these findings is outlined in which we propose that criteria-based evaluations suggested by appraisal theory of emotion are sensitive to the strength and distribution of connective influences within mental models. Apart from its theoretical significance, the evidence presented in this paper highlights the importance of attending to conservation stakeholder emotional experiences, and may assist in new approaches to mitigation where conservation objectives require human adjustment.

Complex human-deer interactions challenge conventional management approaches: the need to consider power, trust, and emotion

In the United States, the management of white-tailed deer (<em>Odocoileus virginianus</em>) has typically focused on improving hunting opportunities and mitigating human-deer conflicts. Yet the expansion and diversification of human communities and activities implies that human-deer interactions may also be diversifying. Approaches based on complex adaptive systems theories have been posited as a way to better attend to the diversity of these interactions between humans and wildlife. Using Indiana as a case, this study draws from the Integrated Adaptive Behavior Model (IABM) to understand human-deer interactions as a complex system. We use empirical social science to understand how citizens across Indiana perceive deer populations, what outcomes they desire, and how these perceptions could be integrated into Indiana’s deer management plan. In Indiana, neither wildlife managers nor researchers have assessed public perceptions of deer beyond hunting and farming stakeholders. From May to September 2019, we collected 59 semi-structured interviews and two focus groups (n = 14) with deer stakeholders including woodland owners, farmers, deer hunters, and urban area residents. Through mixed inductive-deductive coding, we found that Indiana citizens hold complex emotions toward deer regardless of their stakeholder identity. Factors influencing these emotions include past experiences, current livelihood and behavioral contexts, beliefs about responsibilities and ethics in deer management, and beliefs about other social groups. Our results suggest that the IABM, despite adding in much-needed complexity and realism to the analysis of human-wildlife interactions, still lacks explanatory power over several important dynamics that emerged from our interviews. Here, we discuss how mixed emotions, situational context, and power dynamics challenge conventional management approaches that focus narrowly on mitigating human-deer conflicts, and that reduce public interests to demographic categorizations. To better inform social-ecological governance, models of complex human behavior should account for power within management institutions and across management scales. Our work contributes a refined understanding of how multidimensional emotions and experiences influence public (dis)interest in natural resource management, and what this implies for managers who aim to balance competing social interests with ecological conditions.

Systematic Map of Human-Raptor Interaction and Coexistence Research.

Simple SummaryRaptors are affected by interactions with humans, primarily in the form of persecution and habitat disturbance. Here, we quantify and characterize empirical literature on human–raptor interactions, inclusive of sociocultural, ecological, natural history, and conservation perspectives. We focus on species, geography, and human-caused mortality to understand the scope of research and directions for future raptor conservation research. Although raptor conservation is intrinsically the study of human behavior and social systems, we found ecological research that focuses on the effects humans have on raptors encompasses the majority of human–raptor interaction research. We stress the need to focus on the causes of human–raptor interactions and suggest that the combination of social, ecological, and management-relevant approaches is best to examine problems and identify solutions.Global raptor conservation relies on humans to establish and improve interaction and coexistence. Human–wildlife interaction research is well-established, but tends to focus on large-bodied, terrestrial mammals. The scope and characteristics of research that explores human–raptor interactions are relatively unknown. As an initial step toward quantifying and characterizing the state of applied, cross-disciplinary literature on human–raptor interactions, we use established systematic map (scoping reviews) protocols to catalog literature and describe trends, identify gaps and biases, and critically reflect on the scope of research. We focus on the peer-reviewed (refereed) literature germane to human–raptor interaction, conflict, tolerance, acceptance, persecution and coexistence. Based on 383 papers retrieved that fit our criteria, we identified trends, biases, and gaps. These include a majority of research taking place within North America and Europe; disproportionately few interdisciplinary and social research studies; interactions focused on indirect anthropogenic mortality; and vague calls for human behavior changes, with few concrete steps suggested, when management objectives are discussed. Overall, we note a predominant focus on the study of ecological effects from human–raptor interactions rather than sociocultural causes, and suggest (as others have in various conservation contexts) the imperative of human behavioral, cultural, and political inquiry to conserve raptor species.

Human-wildlife conflict: The case of Arjo Dhidhessa sugar factory and its surrounding, Western Ethiopia

Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) occurs in various forms throughout the world, with a greater influence in developing countries. This is due to fast increasing human populations and increased subsistence agriculture, which reduces wildlife habitat and increases human-wildlife interactions. Wild animals fight for resources with humans in the Arjo Dhidhesa Sugar Factory in Western Ethiopia, and they are in conflict with each other. As a result, this research was carried out to determine the reasons of HWC, as well as the mammals responsible for them. From August 2017 to March 2018, researchers utilized questioner and interview approaches to examine community perceptions toward wildlife and overall cthe result showed that a total of 99.034 sugarcane stalk damage events were registered in all three sample sites both during the dry and wet seasons. Wildlife consumed 46,468 sugarcane stalks during the rainy season, while 52,566 stalks were consumed during the dry season, with the documented damage event varying greatly from site to site. Hippopotamus, Anubis baboon, Warthog, Bush pig, and Buffalo were the most affected by HWC, with agricultural loss occurring throughout both wet and dry seasons. During the wet season, Hippopotamus 16,133 stalks per ha were the most damaged, followed by Anubis baboon 12,484 stalks per ha. Buffalo 5,083 and Bush pig 3,931 stalk per ha did the least damage, placing fourth and fifth, respectively. During dry seasons, Anubis baboon caused the most sugarcane stalk damage (16, 898 stalks per hectare), followed by hippopotamus (16,533 stalks per ha). During both the wet (t = 4.08, DF = 4, P&lt; 0.05) and dry seasons (t =3.73, DF = 4, P&lt; 0.05), there was a significant difference in the damages caused by mentioned fauna. According to the findings, about 67.9% and 25.2 % of all respondents said that HWC expressed itself in crop destruction and livestock predation, respectively. Habitat damage, agricultural development, a lack of feed, and a rise in the population of wild animals are among the explanations cited by respondents. Some of the key crop raider mitigation strategies revealed in this study that were adopted by the investment community and local communities include hanging dead animal parts, habitat disturbance, keeping animals alive by tying them to the side of field, and mass murdering wildlife. These practices are one of the main causes of the extinction of wildlife, making conservation even more challenging. There are currently many human activities in the field of science, which has resulted in many HWCs. As a result, investment decisions should be made based on strong and viable domain choices both commercial and environmental, as well as promoting natural tourism as a viable option for education and conservation education.

Public attitudes and willingness to pay toward the conservation of Crested Ibis: Insights for management

In order to better design conservation programs to conserve threatened species, social, economic and political factors must be carefully considered. The wild population of the endangered Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) is currently only distributed in Yangxian County, Shaanxi province of China, and as the gradual dispersal of its population from the mountains to the plains, the possibility of human-wildlife interaction has increased, which poses certain challenges for conservation and management. Here, we used a questionnaire to investigate public attitudes and willingness to pay (WTP) toward Crested Ibis conservation, and to evaluate relevant influencing factors, with a view to providing recommendations for its management. The results showed that local residents strongly support the conservation of ibis and factors like education level, income, residential area, perception for ibis and prior experiences significantly affected their support for conservation. Results also indicated that the annual WTP was US$18.28 per household, and the potential value of donations is about US$2.45 million per year for Crested Ibis conservation. Regression analysis indicated that income, perception for ibis, prior experience, support for conservation and environmental attitudes had a significant effect on WTP. The comparison between the original research value of the ibis and the predicted value from the Meta-regression analysis function indicated that the benefit transfer values are able to inform policy decisions. Our results can be applied not only to the design of tailored outreach programs and management policies for the Crested Ibis, but also to facilitate conservation and management of other endangered species by encouraging decision makers to use benefit transfer models for the rapid valuation in the absence of species economic information.

Wild Predators, Livestock, and Free Ranging Dogs: Patterns of Livestock Mortality and Attitudes of People Toward Predators in an Urbanizing Trans-Himalayan Landscape

Livestock depredation by large carnivores is a significant source of conflicts over predators and an important conservation and economic concern. Preventing livestock loss to wild predators is a substantial focus of human-carnivore conflict mitigation programs. A key assumption of the preventive strategy is reduction in the livestock losses leading to a positive shift in the attitudes toward predators. Therefore, it is important to quantify the true extent of livestock mortality caused by wild predators and its influence on attitudes of the affected communities. We examined seasonal and spatial patterns of livestock mortality and factors influencing people's attitudes toward wild predators i.e., snow leopards (Panthera uncia) and wolves (Canis lupuschanco) and free-ranging dogs (Canis lupusfamiliaris) in a Trans-Himalayan urbanizing landscape in India. We used systematic sampling to select the survey households and implemented a semi-structured questionnaire to respondents. The sampled villages (n= 16) represent a mosaic of urban and agricultural ecosystems within a radius of 40 km of Leh town. In 2016–2017, 93% of the sampled households lost livestock to predators, accounting for 0.93 animals per household per year. However, of the total events of livestock mortality, 33% were because of weather/natural events, 24% by snow leopards, 20% because of disease, 15% because of free-ranging dogs and 9% because of wolves. The annual economic loss per household because of livestock mortality was USD 371, a substantial loss given the average per capita income of USD 270 in the region. Of the total loss, weather/natural events caused highest loss of USD 131 (35%), followed by snow leopards USD 91 (25%), disease USD 87 (24%), free ranging dogs USD 48 (13%), and wolves USD 14 (4%). Despite losing a considerable proportion of livestock (33 %) to wild predators, respondents showed a positive attitude toward them but exhibited neutral attitudes toward free-ranging dogs. Gender emerged as the most important determinant of attitudes toward wild predators, with men showing higher positive attitude score toward wild predators than women. Our findings highlight the context specific variation in human-wildlife interactions and emphasize that generalizations must be avoided in the absence of site specific evidence.