Patrol Efforts Research Articles

First insights into the spatio-temporal ecology of sympatric large carnivores in Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal

Abstract Large carnivores play a crucial role in their native ecosystems, but their populations are rapidly declining across the African continent. West Africa is no exception, with large protected areas often forming the last strongholds for these species. Little is known about the population status and ecology of large carnivores in the region, hampering the design and implementation of effective conservation strategies. We conducted a camera-trap survey during the dry season in Niokolo-Koba National Park, the largest terrestrial protected area in Senegal and the second largest in West Africa, to investigate the spatio-temporal ecology of the four large carnivores inhabiting the Park: the spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta, leopard Panthera pardus, West African lion Panthera leo leo and African wild dog Lycaon pictus. Spotted hyaenas and leopards had the widest spatial distribution and highest probability of site use. Spotted hyaena site use was positively associated with leopard relative abundance index and negatively associated with normalized difference vegetation index, whereas only distance to the nearest road influenced leopard site use. Distance to the Gambian River was the most important covariate positively affecting site use by lions. African wild dog site use was negatively associated with the relative abundance indices of lions and leopards. Lions, spotted hyaenas and leopards showed strong overlap in their activity patterns. By providing new information on the ecology of large carnivores in West Africa, including where they range and which habitats are critical for their survival, our study will facilitate conservation planning. Our findings lay the foundations for future research to conserve these threatened species in West Africa effectively and to guide ranger patrol efforts, which are key for their long-term survival.

Can increasing preventive patrol in large geographic areas reduce crime? A systematic review and meta‐analysis

AbstractResearch summaryWe conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis examining whether increasing preventive patrol in large areas reduces crime. Our review included experimental and quasi‐experimental studies that focused on areas such as beats, precincts, or entire jurisdictions and that measured a crime outcome either through official data or surveys. We identified 17 studies to include in our review. We used two methods for assessing study impacts: an approach which identified a primary/general outcome measure and a second approach which used robust variance estimation (RVE) and included all effect sizes across each study. Both approaches showed small crime prevention benefits (RVE: 9% decline; primary/general: 6% decline), but only the RVE model was significant at conventional levels (p < 0.05). There was no significant evidence of displacement. Moderator analyses suggest that as dosage increases so do the crime prevention impacts. In RVE models, preventive patrol was associated with significant reductions in property and violent crime, but nonsignificant increases in drug and disorder offenses.Policy implicationsIncreasing preventive patrol activities has the potential to reduce crime in large administrative areas. At the same time, existing studies offer little guidance as to how such preventive patrol should be carried out. Deterrence theory, as well as evidence from studies of hot spots policing, suggests that the greatest benefits will be gained from informing patrol efforts about where and when crime occurs. Although more research is needed regarding patrol allocations in large areas, present knowledge suggests that the more such patrols can be targeted at specific places at specific times, the greater will be the crime control benefits. In this context, we argue that police agencies may want to apply a hybrid approach to police patrol, which would include a combination of hot spots policing units and general patrol units informed by data on where crime is concentrated.

Recent decline in suitable large mammal habitats within the Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas, Central African Republic

The forests of the Congo Basin are an important home to some of the world’s most critically endangered species, including the central chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes), the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and the forest elephant (Loxodanta cyclotis). To contribute to the long-term sustainability of these species and their habitats within the Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas (DSPA) in the Central African Republic, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) developed an ecological monitoring program to assess the spatial drivers of species' habitat changes. Here, we assess and quantify chimpanzee, gorilla and elephant habitat suitability within the DSPA using data from two survey years (2015 and 2020), to identify priority habitat areas and recommend conservation measures to mitigate ongoing habitat changes. We found that priority chimpanzee habitats covered about 1383 km2 (30 %) of the entire DSPA in the year 2015, while priority gorilla and elephant habitats covered approximately 2569 km2 (56 %) and 3075 km2 (67 %) respectively. Priority habitat area for the three species declined by 4, 4.5 % and 9.8 % points respectively between 2015 and 2020, mostly due to increased human pressures. We further provide evidence that the Dzanga National Park represents a region of higher priority habitat for all three species owing to the reduced human pressure that has resulted from higher eco-guard patrol efforts. Based on our analysis, we recommend maintaining a nonviolent patrol presence to mitigate human pressures within remaining priority habitat areas, recognizing also the importance of collaboration with local communities to support long-term conservation goals.

Trends in elephant poaching in the Mid‐Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe: Lessons learnt and future outlook

Trends in elephant poaching in the <scp>Mid‐Zambezi</scp> Valley, Zimbabwe: Lessons learnt and future outlook

Using Trophy Hunting to Save Wildlife Foraging Resources: A Case Study from Moyowosi-Kigosi Game Reserves, Tanzania

Globally, the role of trophy hunting in wildlife conservation has been a topic of much debate. While various studies have focused on the financial contribution of trophy hunting towards wildlife conservation, little is known about whether hunting activities can protect wildlife forage resources. We examined the effect of illegal livestock grazing on wildlife habitat in operational and non-operational wildlife hunting blocks in Moyowosi-Kigosi Game Reserves (MKGR), Tanzania. We assessed whether the physical presence of hunting activities lowered illegal grazing and, thus, led to higher vegetation quality. We compared 324 samples of above-ground biomass (AGB) and grass cover between control (0.0007 cattle ha−1), moderately (0.02 cattle ha−1), and intensively (0.05 to 0.1 cattle ha−1) grazed hunting blocks. Likewise, we assessed soil infiltration, soil penetration, soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (N-P-K) across grazing intensity. Illegal grazing decreased AGB by 55%, grass cover by 36%, soil penetration by 46%, and infiltration rate by 63% compared to the control blocks. Illegal grazing further lowered SOC by 28% (F2,33 = 8, p &lt; 0.002) but increased soil N by 50% (F2,33 = 32.2, p &lt; 0.001) and soil K by 56% (H (2) = 23.9, p &lt; 0.001), while soil P remained stable. We further examined if Hunting Company (HC) complements anti-poaching efforts in the Game Reserves (GR). We found that HC contributes an average of 347 worker-days−1 for patrol efforts, which is 49% more than the patrol efforts conducted by the GR. However, patrol success is higher for GR than HC (F1,21 = 116, p &lt; 0.001), due to constant surveillance by HC, illegal herders avoided invading their hunting blocks. We conclude that illegal grazing severely reduced vegetation and soil quality in MKGR. We further claim that trophy hunting contributes directly to wildlife habitat preservation by deploying constant surveillance and preventing illegal grazing. We propose maintaining trophy hunting as an essential ecological tool in wildlife conservation.

Spatiotemporal Contribution of Participants in Patrolling Efforts from a Forest Station, Pu Hu Nature Reserve, Vietnam

Understanding the contributions of participants from management practices and those from the local community to protected areas (PAs) as nature reserves, is crucial for forest protection and resource conservation. Thus, empirical studies have usually investigated whether patrolling has significantly improved forest protection action. Many previous studies have exhaustively examined the contributions to forest protection by rangers or local persons, but there has been little research on the contribution of both sides to patrol efforts with separate consideration given to each. This paper explores insights into the patrol efforts in the Nam Tien forest station. The total number of patrollers, walking distances, and working days across years were significantly different between the ranger and local person patrol groups. There was a considerable variation in the number of patrollers (Z = 2.02; p &lt; 0.01), distance (Z = 2.45; p &lt; 0.01) and working days (Z = 2.37; p &lt; 0.01) between rangers and local persons related to monthly patrolling. For the traditional patrols in the various PAs, it is shown that, for long-term forest protection, local persons patrolling should be considered more, in order to achieve the sustainable conservation.

Monitoring of Field Patrolling Efforts, Vietnam: Insights from a Forest Station in Pu Hu Nature Reserve

In the various protected areas such as nature reserves and national parks in Vietnam, ranger patrols are crucial for protecting forest resources against the increasing threats from fringe communities. Previous studies have investigated ranger patrol efforts (RPEs) in conservation areas using conventional measures in terms of illegal activities encountered, but there has been little research into indices related to RPEs in the field, both worldwide and particularly in Vietnam. This paper explores various indices of RPEs and other aspects of forest patrolling at a local level. The number of rangers and patrol-days strongly influences the distance walked and the number of patrol-hours. However, neither the rainy season nor the Lunar New Year festival had any significant effect on patrol efforts, nor was there any effect on the relative altitude covered or the speed of patrolling during the long Lunar New Year vacation. Management responsible for protecting forest areas needs to consider the full scope of rangers’ efforts and identify the qualities of motivated staff. Our findings suggested ways in which rangers’ capacity to promote conservation may be assessed in the future.

Impact of anti-poaching approaches for the success of Rhino conservation in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Nepal has succeeded in granting better protection for its Asian rhino population that has become exemplary in the world. Effective law enforcement along with community participation has been acclaimed as a reason for this achievement. However, there have been very few studies to assess the effectiveness of current anti-poaching strategies. In this study, we assessed the performance of SMART patrolling and population trend of rhino in Chitwan National Park (CNP). The patrol data collected through patrolling logbooks were used to visualize the coverage of SMART in the CNP and its Buffer Zone by dividing it into 1km*1km grid cell. Logistic regression models were used to analyze whether or not the patrol effort and patrol frequency correlate with the reduction in occurrences of illegal activities. A total of 6,593 patrols were conducted within the last fifteen months. Logistic regression models revealed that sites with a greater frequency of patrols, rather than the combined distance walked, had a lower probability of occurrence of illegal activities (βPatrol.frequency= -8.6428 &amp; βPatrol.effort= -4.1804). This implies that patrol frequency was found more significant than patrol efforts in reducing prevalence of illegal activities in and around the CNP. The poaching activities were found high during insurgency period. The trend in rhino poaching was found to be decreased with increase in number of security posts, Community-based Anti-poaching Unit formation, conservation education and sweeping/camping operations. To maintain the continuous success in the long-run, it is crucial to regulate and enhance effective law enforcement capability and more advance techno-based modality in close coordination with stakeholders including community institutions.

Wildlife laws monitoring as an adaptive management tool in protected area management in Ghana: a case of Kakum Conservation Area.

Introduction The wildlife laws of Ghana alienated the rural communities from forests and material well-being depended upon for their livelihood and this manifests itself in the progressive conflict between the park patrol staff and poachers from the fringes of the protected areas.Case descriptionThe main aim of this study was to determine the impact of quantification of patrol efforts on indicators of illegal hunting activities that occur in rainforest protected areas, as a result of monitoring patrol operations and modifying the original plan. The specific objectives were to determine the optimal patrol efforts necessary to reduce illegal wildlife use to minimal; and the influence of the rainfall and seasonal activities on illegal wildlife use.Discussion and EvaluationThe results indicated that as the patrol efforts increased the encounter with illegal wildlife use also increased until a certain point that the encounter rates started decreasing. Neither rainfall nor seasonal activities influenced the illegal activities and the patrol efforts. The protection staff of rainforest protected areas would work effectively to bring down illegal wildlife off-take to the barest minimum if monitored, quantified and provide feed-back.ConclusionsIllegal wildlife off-take can also be reduced by the protection staff if the original plans are made flexible to be adjusted. Recommendations for further studies have been made.

Spatial ecology of endangered big‐headed turtles (Platysternon megacephalum): Implications of its vulnerability to illegal trapping

ABSTRACTMost populations of big‐headed turtles (Platysternon megacephalum), a species distributed in 6 countries in Southeast Asia, have been heavily depleted because of severe hunting pressure for the food and pet trade. As with many other Southeast Asian turtles, low densities of individuals and few remaining populations have limited our ability to study, and thus understand, the ecology of this stream‐dwelling species. We conducted a radiotelemetry study on 31 adult big‐headed turtles to investigate their home range, movements, and habitat use. The home ranges of big‐headed turtles were small, with a mean 100% home‐range length of 97 m and 100% minimum convex polygon size of 996 m2. Movements by male and female big‐headed turtles did not differ and both sexes moved longer distances in wet seasons than in dry seasons. Both males and females showed non‐random habitat use, preferring to stay in pools rather than in other in‐stream or terrestrial habitats. Stream width and depth, and substrate type affected microhabitat use. Big‐headed turtles were highly aquatic and movements in terrestrial habitats were rare. Thus, turtle populations are concentrated in streams where they may be easily targeted by illegal trappers. We recommend increasing patrol efforts along streams to remove any traps or fish hooks. Innovative methods, such as installation of infrared‐triggered cameras equipped with remote viewing near or along streams, may be needed to tackle illegal turtle trapping effectively. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.

Spatial distribution of snares in Ruma National Park, Kenya, with implications for management of the roan antelope Hippotragus equinuslangheldi and other wildlife

AbstractPoaching with snares has been identified as the main cause of decline of the endemic roan antelope Hippotragus equinuslangheldi in Ruma National Park, Kenya, from &gt; 200 in 1979 to 37 in 2009. However, the spatial snaring patterns in the Park are not clearly understood. The focus of our study was to map the spatial distribution of snares in the Park and to identify the factors influencing this distribution, to develop effective methods of wildlife protection. Using data collected from 56 sample plots during 2006–2008, coupled with geographical information system techniques, we investigated the association between the occurrence of snares and the distribution of geographical features (slope, elevation), infrastructure (roads, fences), essential resources for wildlife (water, salt licks, forage), roan locations and wildlife density. Ripley's L function for assessing complete spatial randomness indicated that snares occurred in clumps (hotspots) up to 4 km apart. Negative binomial regression indicated that these hotspots occurred (1) near water resources, salt licks and the Park boundary, (2) far from roan locations and Park roads, (3) in areas with low gradients and low wildlife density, and (4) in areas with burned vegetation. We recommend concentrating routine security patrol efforts and resources on snare hotspots to reduce snaring and to protect the roan antelope and other threatened wildlife.

Case Study Evaluation of Saturation and Corridor Enforcement Patrols

Alcohol-related crashes in the United States have consistently accounted for roughly 30% of traffic-related fatalities in the past two decades. The combined efforts of researchers, educators, and law enforcement are needed to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes and fatalities. Saturation patrols and corridor patrols are two tools that law enforcement agencies may use in their continued efforts. In the current economic climate, local law enforcement agencies and coalitions must operate as efficiently as possible. As a case study, this study focused on the patrol efforts of a task force dedicated to reducing operating a vehicle under the influence (OVI) violations in Stark County, Ohio. Hot spot analysis was used to evaluate the at-risk areas in the county and to determine the need for saturation patrols and corridor patrols to cover the at-risk locations effectively. Performance results were found to be unique to each patrol style. Average stops per hour were found to be significantly higher for corridor patrols, whereas the stops per OVI arrest were found to be more efficient for saturation patrols.

THE PHILADELPHIA FOOT PATROL EXPERIMENT: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF POLICE PATROL EFFECTIVENESS IN VIOLENT CRIME HOTSPOTS*

Originating with the Newark, NJ, foot patrol experiment, research has found police foot patrols improve community perception of the police and reduce fear of crime, but they are generally unable to reduce the incidence of crime. Previous tests of foot patrol have, however, suffered from statistical and measurement issues and have not fully explored the potential dynamics of deterrence within microspatial settings. In this article, we report on the efforts of more than 200 foot patrol officers during the summer of 2009 in Philadelphia. Geographic information systems (GIS) analysis was the basis for a randomized controlled trial of police effectiveness across 60 violent crime hotspots. The results identified a significant reduction in the level of treatment area violent crime after 12 weeks. A linear regression model with separate slopes fitted for treatment and control groups clarified the relationship even more. Even after accounting for natural regression to the mean, target areas in the top 40 percent on pretreatment violent crime counts had significantly less violent crime during the operational period. Target areas outperformed the control sites by 23 percent, resulting in a total net effect (once displacement was considered) of 53 violent crimes prevented. The results suggest that targeted foot patrols in violent crime hotspots can significantly reduce violent crime levels as long as a threshold level of violence exists initially. The findings contribute to a growing body of evidence on the contribution of hotspots and place-based policing to the reduction of crime, and especially violent crime, which is a significant public health threat in the United States. We suggest that intensive foot patrol efforts in violent hotspots may achieve deterrence at a microspatial level, primarily by increasing the certainty of disruption, apprehension, and arrest. The theoretical and practical implications for violence reduction are discussed.

A dynamic programming model for optimal distribution of police patrol efforts in Nigeria: a case study of Lagos State

This study employs a dynamic programming model built around five sensitive parameters that may influence crime preventive patrol effort to maximise the weighted probability of a patrol initiated intercept of random crimes in Lagos State of Nigeria. It compares the output of the dynamic programming model with those of the steepest ascent algorithm (which is another operations research tool) and the traditional methods of distributing police patrol efforts in Lagos State. Results reveal that the dynamic programming model produces two slightly different solutions that are optimally better than the steepest ascent algorithmic and traditional methods of allocation. Due to these findings, this study recommends that in order to bring about an effective reduction of crime waves in Nigeria, via police patrol efforts; the traditional method of allocation which is frequently based on socially unacceptable behaviours, like god fatherism, nepotism and sycophancy that characterise the socio-cultural landscape in Nigeria, must be replaced with operations research-based methods, such as dynamic programming, which is the pivot of this study.

IMMIGRATION POLICY, BORDER SECURITY, AND MIGRANT DEATHS: AN IMPACT EVALUATION OF LIFE‐SAVING EFFORTS UNDER THE BORDER SAFETY INITIATIVE*

Research Summary:Subsequent to U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) efforts to control illegal immigration throughout the 1990s, concern arose over an apparent increase in deaths of illegal migrants as they began to undertake more treacherous routes to enter the United States from Mexico. In response, the Border Safety Initiative (BSI) was created to increase safety along the southwest border. Using multiple data sources, including the USBP BSI Incident Tracking System, this study evaluated the impact of life‐saving efforts performed under the BSI program. Results indicate that there has been no overall reduction in the rate of migrant deaths since BSI has been in operation. However, an evaluation of BORSTAR search and rescue teams and the 2003 Lateral Repatriation Program (LRP), which returned apprehended migrants from Tucson sector to less hazardous places along the border, were found to be effective in preventing migrant deaths. Policy Implications: Critics of U.S. immigration policy claim that the only way reductions in migrant deaths along the U.S.‐Mexico border can be achieved is through liberalization of immigration policy and relaxing of border security. Yet, for more than a decade, U.S. policy makers have increased restrictions on immigration and have tightened security at the borders. Considering this, alternative means must be deployed in order to save migrant lives in the near term rather than waiting for a reversal of immigration policy. This study suggests that proactive life‐saving measures implemented through a harm‐reduction strategy can have some impact on saving migrant lives.

Correlates of wildlife snaring patterns in Tsavo West National Park, Kenya

Habitat loss and hunting are currently the twin threats to wildlife across the world. Hunting is such a threat across the tropics that some recent studies have estimated wildlife extraction at six times the sustainable rate in parts of Africa. The traditional methods of wildlife hunting, like setting traps and snares are no longer sustainable as the reasons for hunting are largely moving from subsistence to commercial. We assessed the spatial patterns of snaring activities against target species distribution, habitat types, distance from park border and security patrol efforts using a stratified random sampling design in Tsavo West National Park. Tsavo is not only the largest park in Kenya, but also one that faces an enormous threat from poachers. The finding indicated that the seven strata surveyed had different wildlife density and snaring intensity. Areas of the park adjacent to highways, trans-national borders, ranches and town strata had high wildlife snaring pressure. There was a significant difference between snare size and habitat type but total numbers of snares across habitats were not significantly different. The total wildlife species encountered were influenced by habitat types. Regression analysis between snare density and security patrol effort did not show any trend. There was no significant difference in snare density as the distance increased from the park border. Conservation agencies and volunteer patrol teams specialising in snare collection should intensify their patrol efforts in areas of the park around highways, trans-national borders, ranches and town.

Preservation of Infrastructure by Using Weigh-in-Motion Coordinated Weight Enforcement

The Montana Department of Transportation (DOT) has completed a pilot project in which data from a statewide network of weigh-in-motion (WIM) sensors were used to assist in scheduling weight-enforcement activities of patrol personnel. The purpose of the project was to determine if one of the division’s objectives—reducing infrastructure damage from overweight vehicles—could be better realized by using WIM data when dispatching officers. Data for the project were obtained from Montana’s state truck activities reporting system (STARS), which consists of WIM sites deployed around the state to collect information for a spectrum of Montana DOT activities. In this case, the STARS data were processed to determine the pavement damage caused by overweight vehicles each month during the baseline year. The trends identified from this analysis were used in the subsequent year to direct patrol efforts each month to the five sites that historically had experienced the greatest pavement damage from overweight vehicles. Officers were directed to the specific vehicle configurations historically responsible for the damage, as well as to their direction of travel and time of operation. During this year of WIM-directed enforcement, pavement damage from overweight vehicles decreased by 4.8 million equivalent single-axle load miles, and the percentage of vehicles operating over weight decreased by 20% across all STARS sites (both enforced and unenforced). While changes in loading patterns were observed during the enforcement activities (fewer overweight and more weight-compliant vehicles), the effectiveness of the focused enforcement in producing long-term changes in loading behaviors was uncertain.

Cultural Resources Survey for a Joing Task Force Six (JTF-6) Action in Webb, Maverick, and Dimmit Counties, Texas

In an effort to aid United States Border Patrol efforts to combat smuggling and illegal immigration in south Texas, road improvements have been proposed along the U.S.-Mexico international border in three south Texas counties by Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6). JTF-6 Operation Number JT513/515/425-98 consists of a single action in Webb, Maverick, and Dimmit counties, Texas. This action includes the repair/upgrade of approximately 211.0 km (131. 1 mi) of existing roads, the construction of roughly 176.7 km (109.8 mi) of new roads (totaling 387.7 km (240.9 mi), the excavation of three borrow pits, the construction of an equipment storage area, two helipads, one airfield, and two base camp areas for this and future JTF-6 rotations. The proposed activities associated with this JTF-6 action are distributed among nine separate project area segments in the Laredo and Carrizo Springs, Texas, Border Patrol sectors. These nine project segments consist of the Rio Bravo, Laredo River Road, Galvan Ranch, Stone Ranch, Swartz Ranch, State Highway 277, Farm-to-Market Road 2644, State Highway 83, and Farm-to Market Road 3338 segments. The protection of the cultural resources falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Geo-Marine, Inc. (GMI), was contracted to conduct a systematic cultural resources inventory survey of the proposed impact areas.

Butterfly Poaching for Profit in Baxter State Park, Maine

The Katahdin arctic butterfly, Oeneis polixenes katahdin Newc. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), is found only on the tableland of Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park and has been nominated for endangered status in Maine. Collection of living organisms is prohibited in BSP without special permit from the park director. In 1992, US Fish and Wildlife Service agents seized 37 Katahdin arctic specimens in the course of an extensive investiga? tion of a three-person poaching ring that specialized in protected butterfly species. The incident highlighted the need for park management to revisit the scientific collection permitting policy for researchers and the need for in? creased patrol efforts on behalf of certain species. Increased citizen awareness of the vulnerability of rare species in today's acquisitive culture has generated a healthy dialogue between entomologists, resource managers and enforce? ment agencies.

Perceived Neighborhood Crime and the Impact of Private Security

Citizens and businesses have generally rejected the expectation that criminal justice authorities can successfully achieve their delegated responsibility of protecting life and property. These people have employed alternative measures in securing desired safety from criminal victimization. This article focuses upon the following concerns: (1) the growth and impact of private security, (2) the significance of private policing as reflected in citizen attitudes toward crime prevention measures, (3) the model implementation of private security in an urban community, and (4) alternatives as reflected by the impact of the Guardian Angels and other citizen patrol efforts in anticrime programs versus the employment of private security firms.