National Park Research Articles

On Hunting and Meat-eating by Middle Stone Age Hominins at Loiyangalani Site in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

On Hunting and Meat-eating by Middle Stone Age Hominins at Loiyangalani Site in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Regional governance as a success factor in protected area management. Network analysis of the Lüneburg Heath Nature Park (Germany)

Protected areas are crucial for landscape-scale conservation, but striking a balance between centralised guidance (heteronomy) and local autonomy (self-determination) is essential. This balance is particularly important for parks that cross administrative boundaries or impose land-use restrictions, as these factors can impact local acceptance and actors’ responsibilities. Analysing governance structures can unveil communication effectiveness, power distribution and collaboration levels within protected areas. This paper presents a network analysis intended to obtain empirical evidence of the above. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such analysis to be conducted in a German conservation context. This approach reveals responsibility distributions and motives behind spatial interventions. In the pilot study of the Lüneburg Heath Nature Park, 34 actors were identified. In the core group, data was generated from 12 semi-structured expert interviews. We identified existing communicative and collaborative structures between key actors, local rights holders and stakeholders facing implementation challenges. Leveraging structures like the ‘Nature Conservation Coordination Group’, which has the status of a higher-level assembly, can encourage an open communication culture and affirm each actor’s value. We conclude that strengthening existing governance structures and implementing them on the ground, even on an informal basis, is essential for fostering a shared understanding and greater acceptance of landscape-scale conservation issues.

Species distribution modelling and landscape connectivity as tools to inform management and conservation for the critically endangered Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) in the Deosai National Park, Pakistan

The main cause of the global threat to large carnivore populations living in high-altitude areas is human pressure. The Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus, hereafter bear) is listed as a critically endangered species, and it dominates the higher altitudes of the North and Western Himalayan landscapes. Here, we used species distribution modelling and landscape connectivity to find bears’ suitable habitats and corridors in the Deosai National Park (DNP) and surrounding areas. Species distribution models detected a bear’s suitable habitat of 1,125 km2, of which ca. 73% was covered by DNP. The most crucial predictors in determining the bears’ distribution were elevation—particularly if it was between 3,500 and 4,500 meters above sea level—as well as the bears’ distance from rivers, cattle, and the DNP borders. We discovered robust connectivity among presence points in the core of the study area, particularly within the DNP boundaries, by using the electrical circuit theory models. Landscape connectivity values were indeed low in some areas outside and close to the DNP confines. Based on our findings, it is imperative to protect habitats and corridors that allow the bears to migrate between the suitable patches, particularly beyond the park’s boundaries, to improve bear conservation.

African elephants influence browse availability for black rhinoceroses in Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe

AbstractTranslocations are essential for the establishment of new populations of the critically endangered black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), but success will largely depend on forage availability. We investigated the degree of competition for woody browse between African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) and a recently reintroduced population of rhinoceroses in Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe in the dry season of 2022. We examined overlap in space use and selection for plant species, stem diameters, and feeding height by measuring use of shrubs by both species at 75 sites across a range of topo‐edaphic conditions. Areas heavily used by rhinoceroses had high shrub densities, were close to water, and were on alkaline soils with elevated conductivity. Sites with medium to high levels of rhinoceros use were nested within areas of high elephant use. We also observed high elephant use in areas not favored by rhinoceroses, occurring farther from water and having lower shrub densities. Both species avoided thickets on acidic soils. There was substantial overlap in feeding areas, the plant species selected, and foraging height, although elephants used stems with larger diameters than rhinoceroses. Feeding by elephants on woody plants often resulted in a proliferation of small‐diameter coppice stems, which rhinoceroses used more than non‐coppice growth. Elephants did not appear to favor small coppice stems, indicating a degree of elephant‐induced facilitation of browse for rhinoceroses. Evidence for competition with elephants indicates black rhinoceroses may be best introduced into areas with a low elephant density.

International experience of community support for national park development and its implications

International experience of community support for national park development and its implications

Blocking Oil Development in Yasuní National Park: Ecuador’s Unprecedented Strides Towards Environmental Justice

This paper explores Ecuador's proposal to protect Block 43 of the Yasuní National Park from oil drilling through the Yasuní-ITT Initiative proposed in 2007. The paper will examine why the initiative failed and how community activists responded. Ultimately, it will argue that the Yasuní-ITT Initiative upheld environmental justice through its assertion of a moral economy and its potential to help Ecuador step away from oil dependency and protect the rights of Indigenous communities, particularly the two tribes living in voluntary isolation in the Yasuní region. When the initiative was terminated and Indigenous communities were not consulted in the decision to begin drilling for heavy crude oil, citizen activism and mobilization of democracy through a referendum reasserted environmental justice and Indigenous rights.

The Bacterial and pathogenic landscape of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) whole blood and serum from Kenya

BackgroundAfrican buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a significant reservoir host for many zoonotic and parasitic infections in Africa. These include a range of viruses and pathogenic bacteria, such as tick-borne rickettsial organisms. Despite the considerations of mammalian blood as a sterile environment, blood microbiome sequencing could become crucial for agnostic biosurveillance. This study investigated the blood microbiome of clinically healthy wild buffaloes in Kenya to determine its applicability in agnostic testing for bacteria in apparently healthy wild animals.MethodsWhole blood and serum samples were collected from 46 wild African buffalos from Meru National Park (30), Buffalo Springs (6) and Shaba (10) National Reserves in upper eastern Kenya. Total deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from these samples and subjected to amplicon-based sequencing targeting the 16 S rRNA gene. The bacteria operational taxonomic units (OTU) were identified to species levels by mapping the generated V12 and V45 regions of 16 S rRNA gene to the SILVA database. These OTU tables were used to infer the microbial abundance in each sample type and at the individual animal level. The sequences for the corresponding OTUs were also used to generate phylogenetic trees and thus infer evolution for the OTUs of interest.ResultsHere, we demonstrate that buffaloes harbor many bacteria in their blood. We also report a diversity of 16 S rRNA gene sequences for Anaplasma and Mycoplasma from individual animals. By sequencing both whole blood and serum in triplicate for each animal, we provide evidence of the differences in detecting bacteria in both sample types.ConclusionsDiverse bacteria, including some potential pathogens, can be found in the blood of clinically healthy wild African buffalo. Agnostic surveillance for such pathogens can be achieved through blood microbiome sequencing. However, considerations for the question being asked for the blood microbiome in wildlife will impact the choice for using whole blood or serum for sequencing.

Improving Forest Canopy Height Mapping in Wuyishan National Park Through Calibration of ZiYuan-3 Stereo Imagery Using Limited Unmanned Aerial Vehicle LiDAR Data

Forest canopy height (FCH) is a critical parameter for forest management and ecosystem modeling, but there is a lack of accurate FCH distribution in large areas. To address this issue, this study selected Wuyishan National Park in China as a case study to explore the calibration method for mapping FCH in a complex subtropical mountainous region based on ZiYuan-3 (ZY3) stereo imagery and limited Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) LiDAR data. Pearson’s correlation analysis, Categorical Boosting (CatBoost) feature importance analysis, and causal effect analysis were used to examine major factors causing extraction errors of digital surface model (DSM) data from ZY3 stereo imagery. Different machine learning algorithms were compared and used to calibrate the DSM and FCH results. The results indicate that the DSM extraction accuracy based on ZY3 stereo imagery is primarily influenced by slope aspect, elevation, and vegetation characteristics. These influences were particularly notable in areas with a complex topography and dense vegetation coverage. A Bayesian-optimized CatBoost model with directly calibrating the original FCH (the difference between the DSM from ZY3 and high-precision digital elevation model (DEM) data) demonstrated the best prediction performance. This model produced the FCH map at a 4 m spatial resolution, the root mean square error (RMSE) was reduced from 6.47 m based on initial stereo imagery to 3.99 m after calibration, and the relative RMSE (rRMSE) was reduced from 36.52% to 22.53%. The study demonstrates the feasibility of using ZY3 imagery for regional forest canopy height mapping and confirms the superior performance of using the CatBoost algorithm in enhancing FCH calibration accuracy. These findings provide valuable insights into the multidimensional impacts of key environmental factors on FCH extraction, supporting precise forest monitoring and carbon stock assessment in complex terrains in subtropical regions.

How to Civilize Elites: Controlling "Foreign Scientists" at a Field Station in the Galápagos Islands.

This paper explores the control of visiting "foreign scientists" at the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) after it was established in the Galápagos Islands in 1959. Scholarly accounts of the creation of the Galápagos National Park and of the field station have emphasized their place in an international "land grab," as leading scientists and conservationists sought to control nature in places around the world that seemed less "civilized" to European thinkers. The actual administrative labor in the early years at this scientific field station, however, in practice struggled to control people widely taken to represent "civilization" in its highest form-European and American scientists. At the research station, European and American (but not Ecuadorian) scientists were the focus of a delicate choreography of discipline and acquiescence, as scientists were courted and refused, welcomed and limited, chastised and supported. Meanwhile CDRS fund-raising appeals promised that the station would control island residents, fishing crews, and invasive species. Such appeals did not mention controlling elite field scientists. Existing historiography has stressed how Western scientists were privileged actors in non-Western nature reserves and parks, their privileges coming at the expense of local communities. But scientists too faced new (quietly implemented) constraints as post-war conservation programs developed, and achieving their compliance with these new rules involved a process I call here "civilizing" elites.

Diffusing Conservation to Post-Colonial Africa

ABSTRACT In 1961, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) and four other U.S. Interior Department agencies began to diffuse America’s protected-area policies and practices to recently independent African states through the “African Student Program” (ASP). Employing an historical methodology with archival materials, this article argues that the ASP was a path-dependent program that promoted the application of Western management, science, and engineering to natural resource exploitation. Its utilitarian conservation was more closely associated with the Interior Department’s four other land-management agencies than with the NPS. Consequently, while the ASP was a distant variant to the widely discussed “Yellowstone model,” it was comparable to that of Africa’s former colonizers. The NPS largely organized 1961’s ASP, but summer 1965 better represents the program with its extensive planning and the inclusion of many non-NPS philosophies, sites, and personnel. The ASP’s record offers little evidence that the emerging science of ecology shaped the curriculum or that much thoughtfulness was shown about the places and cultures of its participants’ homelands. By contrast, contemporaneous but more ecologically and place-informed programs by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) stepped away from colonial practices and policies concerning African protected areas. Where the ASP was conservative in its program, the IUCN offered a newer path.

Coupling tree-ring and geomorphic analyses to reconstruct the 1950s massive Glacier Lake Outburst Flood at Grosse Glacier, Chilean Patagonia.

Over recent decades, global warming has led to sustained glacier mass reduction and the formation of glacier lakes dammed by potentially unstable moraines. When such dams break, devastating Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) can occur in high mountain environments with catastrophic effects on populations and infrastructure. To understand the occurrence of GLOFs in space and time, build frequency-magnitude relationships for disaster risk reduction or identify regional links between GLOF frequency and climate warming, comprehensive databases are critically needed. GLOF inventories have thus been compiled at both regional and global scales. While these accounts offer valuable data for hazard assessment, many GLOF events are omitted because they occurred before the satellite era or prior to the installation of river gauges, went unreported or were only mentioned in local media but not documented in the scientific literature. In addition, while geomorphic evidence of past GLOFs exist, their timing oftentimes remains unknown. These discontinuities preclude the identification of return periods for the most disastrous events and makes the link between GLOFs and ongoing climate warming remain inconclusive. To overcome these limitations, long-term records have been developed using a wide variety of proxies. Here, we explore the potential of coupling dendrogeomorphology and geomorphic analyses to reconstruct a GLOF event that occurred before the satellite era. The Grosse Glacier outlet, in San Rafael National Park, Chilean Patagonia, was selected based on satellite imagery, historical photographs and local testimonies indicating a previous lake drainage. Tree-ring analysis allowed identification of a massive GLOF and five smaller floods from 105 disturbed Nothofagus and Podocarpus trees. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery and object-based image analysis (OBIA) were used to identify boulders and to estimate flow direction in the glacio-fluvial floodplain and point to the occurrence of at least one high-energy flow event. Aerial photo analysis also revealed the formation of a 200-m-wide breach in the frontal moraine and the disappearance of a lateral lake, estimated to be 1.8km2 in size, sometimes after 1944-45. An in-depth interview with an eyewitness pinpointed the date of the GLOF to October 1957, in line with the estimated date of damage in the tree-ring records and precipitation records at Puerto Aysén. When used in conjunction, the different approaches contribute valuable insights into the timing and consequences of past extreme events, thus aiding in future assessments of GLOF hazards, not only at the Grosse Glacier but also in other high-mountain environments.

Bird Diversity and Existence at Pringtali Block: Implications for Conservation in Meru Betiri National Park, Indonesia

Bird Diversity and Existence at Pringtali Block: Implications for Conservation in Meru Betiri National Park, Indonesia

A Comparison of Tourists’ Spatial–Temporal Behaviors Between Location-Based Service Data and Onsite GPS Tracks

Tourism and recreation managers rely on spatial-temporal data to measure visitors’ behavior for gauging carrying capacity and sustainable management. Location-based service (LBS) data, which passively record location data based on mobile devices, may enable managers to measure behaviors while overcoming constraints in labor, logistics, and cost associated with in-person data collection. However, further validation of LBS data at more refined spatial and temporal scales within tourism attractions is needed. We compared observations of salient spatial–temporal measures from a stratified sample of onsite visitors’ GPS traces in a popular U.S. National Park during peak season over two years with a sample of visitors’ traces collected during the same period by a third-party LBS data provider. We described trip characteristics and behaviors within 34 points of interest (POIs) and then pre-processed both datasets into weighted, directed networks that treated POIs as nodes and flow between POIs as edges. Both datasets reported similar proportions of day-use visitors (~79%) and had moderate-to-strong correlations across networks depicting visitor flow (r = 0.72–0.85, p < 0.001). However, relative to the onsite data, LBS data underestimated the number of POIs the visitors stopped by and differed in its rank of popular POIs, underestimating the length of time visitors spent in POIs (z = 1, p ≤ 0.001) and overestimating visitation to the most popular POIs (z = 180, p = 0.044). Our findings suggest that LBS data may be helpful for identifying trends or tracking tourist movement in aggregate and at crude spatial and temporal scales, but they are too sparse and noisy to reliably measure exact movement patterns, visitation rates, and stay time within attractions.

Ecosystem productivity and carbon dynamics in Keibul Lamjao National Park, Manipur, India: a gray relational analysis perspective.

An in-depth understanding of carbon dynamics and ecosystem productivity is essential for conservation and management of different ecosystems. Ecosystem dynamics and carbon budget are assessed by estimating net ecosystem production (NEP) across different global ecosystems. An ecological productivity assessment of forest and floating meadow ecosystems in Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP), Manipur, North East India, was conducted using the multi-criteria decision-making process namely, gray relational analysis (GRA). The analysis was performed on 24 selected criterions classified either as "higher-the-better" or "lower-the-better" based on their degree of influence on the carbon budget. Floating meadows exhibited a higher production of aboveground and belowground biomass and a higher total mortality and decay. Furthermore, the study found that floating meadows exhibited a higher soil organic carbon (SOC) and net soil organic matter (SOM) than the forest ecosystem. The forest ecosystem showed higher total respiration (RT), heterotrophic respiration (RH), and autotrophic respiration (RA) than floating meadows. Floating meadows exhibited a higher net primary productivity (NPP) of 616.49 ± 33.87 gCm-2year-1 than the forest ecosystem, which has a NPP of 566.64 ± 65.26 gCm-2year-1. Similarly, floating meadows have higher NEP (495.25 ± 36.46 gCm-2year-1) than forest ecosystems (418.39 ± 65.76 gCm-2year-1). These characteristics have a significant influence on the carbon budget in floating meadows as compared to forest ecosystems, as shown by larger values of gray relational coefficient (GRC) in GRA. The floating meadows ecosystem (0.82) obtained 54.72% gain in gray relational grades (GRG) value with the forest ecosystem (0.53). This study might help in improving KLNP and other adjutant areas for conservation and management policies from the vital information given on the importance of wetlands in carbon dynamics and ecosystem productivity.

Development of a Mathematical Model for the Prediction of Organic Carbon Loss Due to Water Erosion in the Upper Andean Micro-Watersheds of Sangay National Park

Development of a Mathematical Model for the Prediction of Organic Carbon Loss Due to Water Erosion in the Upper Andean Micro-Watersheds of Sangay National Park

Assessment of Mitigation of Human–Elephant Conflict in the Highlands of Northwest Namibia

In the remote, semi-desert landscape of the highlands, west of Etosha National Park, competition between humans and elephants for natural resources is likely to increase because of climate change. The aim of this study was to assess priorities and measures to reduce human–elephant conflict in the highlands, and identify lessons learnt. The approach included interviews with community game guards, site visits to water points and analysis of data recorded by game guards on incidents of elephant damage. We conclude that upgrades to water points, including protection walls, concrete dams and solar pumps to ensure water is permanently available for people and elephants, are having a positive impact. Local feedback is that there has been a decrease in serious damage to water points over the last 5–10 years. There has been an increase in small-scale vegetable gardens and we recommend a programme of pilot projects to test protection measures at gardens.

A Highly Divergent Mitochondrial Genome in Extant Cape Buffalo From Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa.

The reduced cost of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has allowed researchers to generate nuclear and mitochondrial genome data to gain deeper insights into the phylogeography, evolutionary history and biology of non-model species. While the Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) has been well-studied across its range with traditional genetic markers over the last 25 years, researchers are building on this knowledge by generating whole genome, population-level data sets to improve understanding of the genetic composition and evolutionary history of the species. Using publicly available NGS data, we assembled 40 Cape buffalo mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) from four protected areas in South Africa, expanding the geographical range and almost doubling the number of mitogenomes available for this species. Coverage of the mitogenomes ranged from 154 to 1036X. Haplotype and nucleotide diversity for Kruger National Park (n = 15) and Mokala National Park (n = 5) were similar to diversity levels in southern and eastern Africa. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (n = 15) had low levels of genetic diversity, with only four haplotypes detected, reflecting its past bottleneck. Addo Elephant National Park (n = 5) had the highest nucleotide diversity of all populations across Africa, which was unexpected, as it is known to have low nuclear diversity. This diversity was driven by a highly divergent mitogenome from one sample, which was subsequently identified in another sample via Sanger sequencing of the cytochrome b gene. Using a fossil-calibrated phylogenetic analysis, we estimated that this lineage diverged from all other Cape buffalo lineages approximately 2.51 million years ago. We discuss several potential sources of this mitogenome but propose that it most likely originated through introgressive hybridisation with an extinct buffalo species, either S. acoelotus or S. antiquus. We conclude by discussing the conservation consequences of this finding for the Addo Elephant National Park population, proposing careful genetic management to prevent inbreeding depression while maintaining this highly unique diversity.

Recreational trail use alters mammal diel and space use during and after COVID-19 restrictions in a U.S. national park

Recreational trail use alters mammal diel and space use during and after COVID-19 restrictions in a U.S. national park

Assessment of N-related microbial processes in the soil of the Polesie National Park and adjacent areas, including reclaimed land.

Soil microorganisms are essential for maintaining ecosystem functionality, particularly through their role in the nitrogen (N) biogeochemical cycle. Thus, they also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions from soils. Microorganisms are sensitive indicators of soil health, as they respond rapidly to disturbances caused by factors like unsustainable agricultural practices or industrial activities, such as mining. These bioindicators are also useful for monitoring the effectiveness of environmental remediation treatments, such as soil reclamation. The study aimed to assess microbial activity related to the N cycle in soils across various habitats (peatland, grassland, forest, and field) under conservation management within the Polesie National Park (PNP), as well as in comparable conventionally managed habitats. Additionally, the effectiveness of soil reclamation was assessed using waste from the mining industry, specifically gangue. Significant differences were observed in the assessed activities, both between habitats and their locations, i.e., within the PNP and outside of it. It was found that microbial activity was lower in soils from the PNP area. This was likely a result of more intensive fertilizer application on soils not subject to the restrictions imposed by park regulations. It should be noted that urease activity, which can contribute to the adverse phenomenon of nitrogen loss from soils when elevated, similarly to nitrous oxide (N2O) emission, was lower in the soils from the park than in those located outside of it. Therefore, designating an area as a national park protects the soil environment from human pressures associated with intensive agriculture, thereby helping to maintain its homeostasis. Reclamation using gangue proved ineffective in restoring microbial activity in degraded soil to the level of cultivated soil outside the park. The assessed activities in the reclaimed soil were lower than the target levels. The results provided valuable information useful for environmental management decisions in terms of soil and air protection, as well as the use of waste for reclamation.

Wildlife policy, the food system and One Health: a complex systems analysis of unintended consequences for the prevention of emerging zoonoses in China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Philippines

IntroductionEvolving human–wildlife interactions have contributed to emerging zoonoses outbreaks, and pandemic prevention policy for wildlife management and conservation requires enhanced consideration from this perspective. However, the risk of unintended consequences...