Wild Animal Resources Research Articles

Asynchronous Holocene human population changes in north and south China as related to animal resource utilization

During the Holocene, rich Neolithic and Bronze cultures developed in the middle and lower reaches of Yellow River valley (north China) and Yangtze River valley (south China), making them the core areas of past human activities. Thus, it is important to reveal the process and driving mechanism of regional population change. Agriculture development has always been taken as the key driver of population changes, and current studies mainly focus on the role that cultivation played, however, it is still unclear if animal resource utilization also contributed to regional population changes. Here, the spatiotemporal changes of population and domestic animal utilization levels in north and south China from 10 to 2 ka BP have been reconstructed based on 27,935 archaeological sites and faunal remains data from 94 sites, respectively, and the change in potential wild animal resources has been simulated by the Minimum Terrestrial Resource Model (MTRM). The results show asynchronous changes of population occurred in north and south China during 10–2 ka BP, which were correlated with regional domestic and potential wild animal resource utilization. In north China, more significant population growth corresponded to a greater increase of domestic animal ratios and a sharp decline of potential wild animal resources after 8 ka BP. In south China, less significant population growth was accompanied by a slower increase of domestic animal ratios and stable variations of potential wild animal resources. This research suggests that different changes of potential wild animal resources in north and south China contributed to spatial variations in survival pressure, utilization level of domestic animals, and population growth, which was further determined by asynchronous changes of precipitation in the two regions. This study explains the impact of climate changes on population from a new perspective.

Participatory mapping reveals biocultural and nature values in the shared landscape of a Nordic UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Abstract Making the right decisions for sustainable development requires sound knowledge of the values and spatial distribution of the services co‐produced by ecosystems and people. UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere programme and associated Biosphere Reserves (BRs) are key learning sites or model regions for sustainable development providing key entry points for transdisciplinary work on sustainable development. However, there is limited research exploring spatial distribution of socio‐cultural Ecosystem Service (ES) values in BRs and how those values vary according to the BR zonation. We used a transdisciplinary approach to design and implement a public participation geographical information systems (PPGIS) survey in a recently designated BR to (a) asses the spatial distribution of ES values in the different zones, (b) identify hotspots of ES values, (c) identify spatial bundles of ES values and (d) assess the social‐ecological characteristics that determine the distribution of those values. We found that stakeholders identify high biocultural ES values, mapping predominantly places for outdoor recreation, biodiversity, agricultural products and cultural heritage. Buffer zones had high agricultural and cultural heritage values while extractive values were largely absent from cores zones. We identified five spatial ES‐value bundles highlighting distinct places important for ES values related to ‘multifunctional landscapes’ located close to settlements, ‘cultural landscapes’ associated with agricultural land, ‘wild animal resources’ along the coastlines, ‘outdoor recreation and biodiversity’ and ‘passive cultural values’ widely distributed in high and moderately populated areas. We found that accessibility was important for ES values and that people value nature close to where they live. We show the importance of biocultural values in the region, and agricultural landscapes were highly valued for multiple ES values beyond agricultural products alone. We show that BRs have become places that link cultural heritage, agricultural and biodiversity values in multifunctional landscapes. We put our findings into the local context and suggest how they can inform land‐use planning and management through policies aimed at maintaining key agricultural landscapes that provide social‐ecological resilience. Additionally, we discuss the value of our study for the wider BR network and how similar work can contribute to monitoring of BR implementation. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Zoonotic Risk in Wildlife Trade, Southern China.

Current wildlife trade practices in China lead to significant interactions between humans and animals and drive the emergence of zoonotic diseases. The at-risk behaviors, knowledge, and attitudes that influence health-related behaviors in relation to animal contact and safety measures in the trade remain poorly understood. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among 947 adult Internet users in three provinces in southern China to assess knowledge, perceived disease risks, at-risk behaviors, and the association of these factors with other demographic factors among the target population. Few of the participants possessed sufficient knowledge of zoonotic diseases. Although most participants were opposed to the use of wild animal resources, many reported keeping wild animals as pets (30.7%) and eating wild animals (30.5%). The majority of participants (76.3%) believed the disease transmission via wildlife trade, but few connected contact with animals to sickness (18.5%) and only slightly more than half sought post-exposure treatment (54.4%). These results reveal low levels of knowledge and perceived risk regarding disease emergence from the animal–human interactions in wildlife trade and uncover the gaps in knowledge and attitudes as key challenges to the development of health behavior change interventions pertaining to wildlife trade.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10393-021-01532-0.

Literal niche construction: Built environments of hunter-gatherers and hunting architecture

Built structures to aid hunting activities, such as drive lanes and hunting blinds, have been documented on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. This global phenomenon dates to at least 12,000 years ago and is found across time, space, environments, and cultures. While there is increasing study and documentation of such sites, they are prone to destruction and are not always recognized, resulting in a lack of large-scale comparative studies. However, this widespread pattern deserves greater attention as it can reveal unique facets of social and economic life, particularly in the context of hunter-gatherer societies. Such constructions are literal niche construction, created to increase the yield and predictability of wild animal resources. They represent an investment in the landscape, organization of communal labor, a detailed knowledge of animal behavior, all the while creating socioeconomic tensions concerning permanent facilities and who owns them and the resources they generate among otherwise egalitarian populations. This paper presents a global overview of such features, and the anthropological theory and archaeological method to systematically study such sites. This methodology will be applied to a brief case study, analyzing some of the oldest hunting architecture on the planet, those submerged beneath Lake Huron.

An investigation into the strategy of pig husbandry combining zooarchaeological and stable isotopic approaches at Neolithic Houjiazhai, China

AbstractHuai River, the third longest river in China, runs parallel with and between the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. It is the passageway for cultural communication between Northern and Southern China as well as an important distribution range of rice and millet mixed farming. Along the upper Huai River Valley, domestic pigs were discovered about 9,000 years ago at Jiahu. Nevertheless, chronological changes regarding strategies of pig utilization and husbandry in subsequent periods along the whole Huai River Valley are still ambiguous. Thus, this current study integrating zooarchaeological and stable isotopic approaches on faunal assemblage from Neolithic Houjiazhai(7,300–5,200 cal BP) along the middle Huai River Valley was performed to discuss related issues. Our results indicate that (1) hunting and fishing activities contributed almost equally to human meat sources as the domestic pig and (2) domestic pigs were most likely kept in a free‐range manner and foraged around human residences as their wild counterparts did. Dietary differences of ancient Sus populations among sites from the Central Plain area and the Huai River Valley were observed, which were closely linked to crop cultivation and abundance of wild animal resources. This stimulated us to consider the diversities in terms of pig husbandry strategy in ancient China.

Colonial and modern fisheries in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA

AbstractThe Indian River Lagoon is a narrow estuary extending 251 km (156 mi) along the Atlantic coast of Florida. One of the most biodiverse waterways in North America, this aquatic ecosystem is currently home to more than 4,000 plant and animal species, including approximately 700 fish species. According to archaeological faunal evidence from a mid‐18th‐century colonial settlement in the northern Indian River Lagoon region, this estuary also provided an abundance of wild animal resources in the past. The colonists relied heavily upon the lagoon as indicated by the predominance of ray‐finned fishes in the examined faunal samples. A comparison between particular fish species represented in the archaeological colonial record and those currently found in the lagoon today demonstrates that these fishes were comparable in relative frequency and size.

Effectiveness of line transects during wild animal surveys in mountain forests of South China

Line transect method is the first choice of the second terrestrial wild animal resources investigation, but has a great deal of problems in mountain forest of South China. Thus, we conducted a pilot project at Chebaling National Nature Reserve to test the survey effects of line transect method on the wild vertebrates of mountainous forest ecosystems in South China during April 19th–24th, 2010. We set 6 line transects (theoretical line transects) in the nature reserve with 3 km length at an area of 5×10 km, and recorded realistic line transects and calculated the sample tense and time with GPS tracks. There were two line transects did not reach 3 km during the investigation; the average time of each line-transect was 5.3±1.4 h, and the walking speed was less than 600 m/h; the detection probability of the general survey species was relatively low, and the proportion of recorded general survey species to all general survey species in the reserve (0.22) was less than that of recorded species to total species in the reserve (0.37). When the sample intensity reached 0.75%, the results can explain species diversity basically, but be limited to evaluate species richness in an area. Hence, we proposed: (1) It was feasible to set and record realistic line-transects with GPS track function; 110 生 物 多 样 性 Biodiversity Science 第 23卷 (2) the walking speed should be reduced from 2–3 km/h to 600 m/h, the length of each line transect should be 3–5 km, and 2 line transects can be scheduled in one day; (3) according to current finance and manpower, the sample tense of each species group should be slightly higher than 1.0% which was proper in the investigations areas; (4) more associated methods should be used to increase the detection probabilities of general survey species; (5) point count method and quadrat sampling method should be considered, but without the limit of sample tense at complex terrains.

Beyond the Kariba Dam Induced Displacements: The Zimbabwean Tonga’s Struggles for Restitution, 1990s–2000s

The colonial Southern Rhodesian government displaced the minority Tonga people from the ecologically rich Zambezi River plains due to the construction of the World Bank funded hydroelectric power generating Kariba Dam in the late 1950s. The dislocated communities were resettled in the adjoining uplands of Binga District where they did not access the electricity and waters of the Kariba Dam as well as the wild animal resources in the safaris and national game parks abutting their new villages. This state regulated decoupling from the local natural resource asset base generated a politicised sense of entitlement to those resources spearheaded by a generational cohort of educated Tonga activists that emerged in the 1990s. Besides everyday realities of socio-economic marginalisation, these activists also drew inspiration from the prevailing global discourses of indigeneity and anti-dam politics to form organisations such as Binga Development Association, Binga Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice, and Basilwizi Trust that coordinated local assertions for increased access to resources in the uplands and around the Kariba waterscape. Through these emerging networks of solidarity, I argue, the Tonga activists constructed and deployed persuasive claims for the exigency of rehabilitating their embattled people’s deprived post-relocation livelihoods. These Tonga articulations and actions reveal how marginalised ethno-class categories within countries align their claims for increased access to local resources and general socio-economic empowerment to national and international activism and discourses.

Maladaptive sex ratio adjustment by a sex‐changing shrimp in selective‐fishing environments

1. Selective harvesting is acknowledged as a serious concern in efforts to conserve wild animal populations. In fisheries, most studies have focused on gradual and directional changes in the life-history traits of target species. While such changes represent the ultimate response of harvested animals, it is also well known that the life history of target species plastically alters with harvesting. However, research on the adaptive significance of these types of condition-dependent changes has been limited. 2. We explored the adaptive significance of annual changes in the age at sex-change of the protandrous (male-first) hermaphroditic shrimp and examined how selective harvesting affects life-history variation, by conducting field observations across 13 years and a controlled laboratory experiment. In addition, we considered whether plastic responses by the shrimp would be favourable, negligible or negative with respect to the conservation of fishery resources. 3. The age at sex-change and the population structure of the shrimp fluctuated between years during the study period. The results of the field observations and laboratory experiment both indicated that the shrimp could plastically change the timing of sex-change in accordance with the age structure of the population. These findings provide the first concrete evidence of adult sex ratio adjustment by pandalid shrimp, a group that has been treated as a model in the sex allocation theory. 4. The sex ratio adjustment by the shrimp did not always seem to be sufficient, however, as the supplement of females is restricted by their annual somatic growth rate. In addition, adjusted sex ratios are further skewed by the unintentional female-selectivity of fishing activity prior to the breeding season, indicating that the occurrence of males that have postponed sex-change causes sex ratio adjustment to become unfavourable. 5. We conclude that the plastic responses of harvested animals in selective fishing environments must be considered in efforts to conserve wild animal resources, because such responses can become maladaptive.

Attitudes towards wild animal conservation: a comparative study of the Yi and Mosuo in China

Global wild animal resources are declining due to various pressures, which will greatly affect local biodiversity and ecosystem services. Understanding local people's attitudes towards wild animal conservation in high biodiversity areas is of major importance for conservation efforts. Sampling and questionnaire survey methods were employed to examine people's attitudes toward wild animal conservation in a comparative case study of two minority ethnic groups, the Mosuo (n = 91) and Yi (n = 169) in Ninglang, China. Attributes influencing people's attitudes (p < 0.05) include ethnicity, awareness, culture, level of education, religious beliefs and gender. The Mosuo are more positive towards wild animal conservation than the Yi. Women are more positive than men in both ethnic groups. Yi males and Mosuo females are more active in educating children. People with a higher level of education and a religion show more support for wild animal conservation in both ethnic groups. The results suggest that encouraging and reinforcing traditional culture and informal restrictions, strengthening understanding and recognising gender differences in wild animal conservation practices should be used to improve biodiversity conservation in Ninglang. Furthermore, the implications of enhancing local enforcement on the supervision of tourism and compensation schemes for human-wildlife conflicts are also discussed.

Animal Resource Exploitation among the Virgin River Puebloans in the American Southwest

A review of the literature documenting faunal remains recovered from 16 archaeological sites attributed to the Virjin River Puebloan (VRP) tradition (ca. 300 B.C.–A.D. 1200) of the American Southwest was conducted to identify the importance of wild animal resources to the subsistence strategy. The Number of Individual Specimens (NISP) was counted (NISP = 16,386) and sorted by taxa and animal size categories to explore differences in the distributions of faunal remains by archaeological recovery strategy, site type, physiographic location, and chronology. The most significant factor in the differential use of animal resources among the VRPs was physiographic location. Desert lowland sites had greater species diversity. Sites in the intermediate St. George Basin had more large mammals such as deer, and sites located on the higher plateau had more small mammals such as lagomorphs. These results indicate that the subsistence strategy varied across diverse environmental conditions, but animal resources were always an integral part of the VRP adaptation until their abandonment of the region in the early 13th century A.D.

THE CONTINUOUS EXPLOITATION OF WILD ANIMAL RESOURCES IN THE ARCHAEOZOOLOGICAL RECORD OF GHANA

The paper provides a critical review of the archaeozoological information from Ghanaian sites published up to now and summarizes the new faunal analysis of several Gonja and Asante sites. The data suggest the persistence of the use of the various wild animal resources available and limited reliance on domestic animals since late prehistoric times up to today, although certain resources such as molluscs, insects etc. may have limited or no visibility. Intensive utilisation of edible wild resources may be prevalent in African woodlands.

Hunting became a secondary activity 2000 years ago: marine fishing did the same in 2021

Ghoti papersGhoti aims to serve as a forum for stimulating and pertinent ideas. Ghoti publishes succinct commentary and opinion that addresses important areas in fish and fisheries science. Ghoti contributions will be innovative and have a perspective that may lead to fresh and productive insight of concepts, issues and research agendas. All Ghoti contributions will be selected by the editors and peer reviewed. Etymology of Ghoti George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), polymath, playwright, Nobel prize winner and the most prolific letter writer in history, was an advocate of English spelling reform. He was reportedly fond of pointing out its absurdities by proving that ‘fish’ could be spelt ‘ghoti’. That is: ‘gh’ as in ‘rough’, ‘o’ as in ‘women’ and ‘ti’ as in palatial.AbstractMan has been domesticating plants and animals for 10 000 years. Domestication increased so that 2000 years ago, following the ‘Neolithic’ or ‘food‐producing’ revolution, the overwhelming majority of people were making a living by farming. Nowadays hunting, an uncertain way of collecting food, has shifted from a survival activity to a secondary (and most often recreational) activity. Within less than a century, marine fisheries, which constitute the last major world industry exploiting wild animal resources, have reached many ecological and economic limits and they face many uncertainties. In the context of generalised overexploitation, fishing could rapidly follow the same history as hunting and become a marginal activity for the collection of luxury items. This is not only a major concern for the future of an important food source, it also seriously questions our ability to preserve our last and unique relationship with renewable wild animal resources. If we do not want fisheries to be the counterpart of hunting, fisheries and fisheries research need to be ‘modernised’ in a way amenable to integrating new objectives, paradigms and ethical concerns. As scientists, we must direct our efforts toward reconciling long‐term environmental objectives and short‐term constraints by defining new indicators and reference points for management. Will we be able to initiate a ‘human and wild food reconciliation’ revolution?

Book Review - 'Wild Animal Resources and Their Use by Aboriginal Communities'. by George Wilson, Andrew McNee and Peter Platts. Published by Bureau of Rural Resources

The Rangeland Journal publishes papers of scientific merit for a readership of scientists, educators, managers and users. Contributions may be on any aspect of the ecology, use, management or conservation of rangelands, either within Australia or internationally.