Perception of Somali pastoralists in Adadle woreda, Eastern Ethiopia, towards wildlife at the human‐animal interface, conservation and wildlife population change

Abstract

Pastoralists and wildlife co‐exist in the Somali Regional State competing for habitat, food and water resources. A questionnaire survey conducted among 198 pastoralists, captured information on their perception of wildlife against the backdrop of wildlife population decrease, illegal wildlife trade and lack of quantitative and qualitative data in the area. The top perceived threats to livestock were drought (46%), wildlife attacks (33.8%) and diseases (20.2%). Daily encounters between wildlife and livestock were reported by 61.1% of respondents. Herbivores, including warthogs, accounted for the majority of these encounters (88.4%), whereas carnivores were rarely observed with livestock, except for jackals. The majority (92.9%) of the respondents did not think that wildlife could transmit diseases to livestock. Jackals were reported by 7.1% to transmit rabies. A strong dislike for wildlife was recorded in 99% of all respondents. All stated that wildlife should not be protected. Half of the respondents did not see any benefits in wildlife. Wildlife populations have decreased over the last 10 years, particularly lions and cheetahs. Pastoralist's attitudes and perceptions towards wildlife in the study area were negative, potentially affecting conservation efforts. There is an urgent need to improve awareness of the benefits of wildlife and to include wildlife in integrated human‐livestock‐environment surveillance systems.

Pastoralism and Resulting Challenges for National Parks in Afar, Ethiopia

“…Carnivores, specifically jackals (Lupulella mesomelas), were also mentioned to come close to their livestock. In a previous study from Somali region, pastoralists reported that jackals were perceived to be linked to rabies outbreaks (Ibrahim et al, 2022). National parks are not fenced in Ethiopia, thus allowing for in and out movements of people, domestic animals, and wildlife and consequently a close interface of actors.…”

Interviews in ecology and conservation biology: A hidden treasure for the African ecologist

“…While I have highlighted the advantages, as well as the philosophical and scientific strengths, of utilising face‐to‐face interviews in researching the ecology and conservation of African flora and fauna, it is crucial to emphasise the significance of interview data within the context of an international ecology journal, such as AJE . Over the past 2 years, several articles based on face‐to‐face interviews have been published (Aglissi et al., 2023; De Vos & McIntyre, 2023; Dupuis‐Desormeaux et al., 2023; Houehanou et al., 2023; Ibrahim et al., 2022; Kisingo et al., 2023; Oyda et al., 2022; Shibru et al., 2023). Many other submissions have been rejected, primarily due to a lack of true ‘ecological’ focus.…”

Large carnivore distribution, conflicts and threats in the east of the Somali region, Ethiopia

“…The rest of the Region is mapped as a range only for spotted and striped hyaena Hyaena hyaena. In this study, we build on previous work in Adadle district of Somali Region that was oriented towards 'one health', but which also showed that livestock depredation and livestock disease were ranked as the two biggest problems for local people, far ahead of drought (Ibrahim et al, 2022). We visited six different districts in November and December 2021 to interview people about their knowledge and experience of wild carnivores.…”