Spatial distribution of snares in Ruma National Park, Kenya, with implications for management of the roan antelope <i>Hippotragus equinus</i><i>langheldi</i> and other wildlife

Kimanzi, Johnstone K.; Sanderson, Roy; Rushton, Stephen; Mugo, Mware J.

doi:10.1017/s0030605313000689

Cited by 19 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…We found that the distribution of risk varied by type of activity. Similar to results in other systems showing an inverse influence of travel distance on illegal behavior (Albers, ; Kimanzi, Sanderson, Rushton, & Mugo, ; Plumptre et al, ; Wato, Wahungu, & Okello, ), we found that distance from the reserve edge was an important factor that influences the risk of all activities. This effect was most pronounced for livestock grazing, which was most common along reserve edges and the most spatially restricted activity.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Predicting the risk of illegal activity and evaluating law enforcement interventions in the western Serengeti

Snyder

Mneney²,

Wittemyer

2019

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Illegal activity within protected areas is a primary driver of species decline and threatens conservation efforts. In the western corridor of the Serengeti Ecosystem of northern Tanzania, the Grumeti and Ikorongo Game Reserves and Ikona Wildlife Management Area provide an important buffer between permanent settlements and Serengeti National Park, while simultaneously maintaining critical wildlife habitat. Understanding the spatial distribution and environmental drivers of illegal activity is critical to optimize biodiversity protection efforts in this important ecosystem. We examined a rare dataset containing detailed records of reserve game scout patrol effort and occurrences of illegal activity between 2013 and 2016. We used presence only data to construct predictive models of five categories of illegal activity. We derived spatial predictions of the likelihood of different activities and identified the environmental variables predictive of risk for each activity. The highest risk areas were located along reserve edges, further from roads and scout camps, suggesting avoidance of enforcement presence. Activities associated with wildlife offtake were the most widely distributed in the study area and extended into the national park. Permanent scout camps were more effective deterrents of all illegal activities than observation posts, but their limited spatial influence demonstrated additional enforcement strategies are required. K E Y W O R D SAfrica, bushmeat, predictive modeling, protected areas, risk assessment, snare

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Predicting the risk of illegal activity and evaluating law enforcement interventions in the western Serengeti

Snyder

Mneney²,

Wittemyer

2019

Conservat Sci and Prac

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“…We found that 18% of the publications showed evidence of roads facilitating poaching (e.g., Maisels et al, 2013;Shaffer and Bishop, 2016). These studies were specifically in East (e.g., Jones et al, 2009;Kimanzi et al, 2015) and Central Africa (e.g., Wilkie et al, 2000;Haurez et al, 2013), and they primarily focused on mammals, such as the African elephant (Maingi et al, 2012;Shaffer and Bishop, 2016), forest elephant (Blake et al, 2007;Maisels et al, 2013), Western Lowland gorilla (Stokes et al, 2010;Haurez et al, 2013) and Temminck's ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii, Pietersen et al, 2011). With many of these species classified as threatened (IUCN, 2018a), and with annual estimates of the cost of wildlife crime ranging from US$10-20 billion globally (Wilson-Wilde, 2010), the effort of research undertaken, specifically in these regions, supports the need for an understanding of both habitat and species of concern.…”

Section: Quality Of Evidencementioning

confidence: 79%

Status of Road Ecology Research in Africa: Do We Understand the Impacts of Roads, and How to Successfully Mitigate Them?

et al. 2019

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Across Africa, transport infrastructure, including roads, is being built in over 30 planned development corridors that are likely to have major impacts on remaining natural habitats and associated biodiversity. Linked to this is the projected increase in human population size, which is predicted to grow by 1.3 billion people by 2050. Road ecology is the study of the ecological effects (both positive and negative) of roads and traffic but is perceived to be under-researched in Africa. In this context, we undertook a systematic review of road ecology research in Africa to understand the geographic and taxonomic scope of work undertaken to date, as well as recommendations for reducing the impacts of roads. We discovered 210 road ecology publications from Africa (published between 1954 and 2016), with most publications from the more affluent and politically stable regions (e.g., southern and East Africa). We found more publications than expected, with relevant research concealed within studies whose primary focus was on other topics. Most publications (1) focused on single species, and in particular on mammals (where chimpanzees and forest elephants were most studied); (2) were from southern Africa; and 3) were conducted in the grassland and savannah biome and the tropical and subtropical forest biome. Most publications examined the direct impacts of roads, in particular wildlife-vehicle collisions. Only one-third of the publications provided some form of recommendation for intervention to reduce or mitigate the impacts of roads, based on evidence from the publication. Most recommended interventions related to ecosystem or natural process recreation, as well as site and area stewardship. Gaps and future directions for research include rigorous testing of measures to mitigate the impacts of roads, inclusion of traffic monitoring in studies, understanding the impacts of upgrading roads, and exploring livelihood, economic and moral incentives and education and training as potential interventions for reducing the impacts of roads. Our review has highlighted the need for accelerating the study of the impacts of roads on natural habitats and biodiversity, in light of planned large-scale infrastructure development, and especially the study of appropriate mitigation measures that can be rigorously assessed and implemented before and during construction and upgrading of roads in Africa.

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“…Threats faced by various subpopulations of roan antelope, the majority of which were documented in southern Africa, include predation (McLoughlin & Owen‐Smith ), poaching (Kimanzi et al. ), habitat loss and deterioration, competition from other grazers and livestock, diseases, human settlement, the erection of veterinary fences and agricultural encroachment, low rainfall, extreme droughts, fires, floods, and inbreeding (Grant & Van der Walt , Martin , Waltert et al. , Kimanzi & Wanyingi ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Threats to roan antelope populations in the rest of Africa have not been comprehensively assessed in recent times (Poché 1974, Allsopp 1979, Beudels et al 1992, Martin 2003, Kimanzi & Wanyingi 2014. Threats faced by various subpopulations of roan antelope, the majority of which were documented in southern Africa, include predation (McLoughlin & Owen-Smith 2003), poaching (Kimanzi et al 2015), habitat loss and deterioration, competition from other grazers and livestock, diseases, human settlement, the erection of veterinary fences and agricultural encroachment, low rainfall, extreme droughts, fires, floods, and inbreeding (Grant & Van der Walt 2000, Martin 2003, Waltert et al 2009, Kimanzi & Wanyingi 2014. The effects of these pressures on roan antelope survival appear to be locally variable, and roan antelope populations seem to be declining at an unprecedented rate (Kimanzi & Wanyingi 2014).…”

Section: Threats To Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roan antelope Hippotragus equinus in Africa: a review of abundance, threats and ecology

et al. 2016

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The roan antelope Hippotragus equinus, Africa's second largest antelope species, is widely distributed throughout Africa. Many populations are isolated, occur at low densities, and are declining. The species' interactions with and adaptations to the diverse environmental conditions throughout its geographic range remain largely unknown. Most studies have taken place in southern Africa, near the range limit for the species; few studies have been conducted on the historically large Central and West African populations. We reviewed available published and accessible unpublished data related to the ecology of roan antelope. We aim to: 1) review available taxonomic, abundance, distribution, and population trend data; 2) describe the threats faced by the roan antelope, and establish whether sufficient data exist to describe its ecological requirements; and 3) highlight the relevance of conserving this species throughout Africa and suggest where research on survival requirements should be focussed. Roan antelope populations throughout Africa are declining due to natural and anthropogenic threats. Methodological irregularities result in uncertainty and non‐comparable population data between studies. Large gaps exist in our knowledge of roan antelope diet and regional movements. Information on the population genetics of roan antelope is needed in order to assess the connectedness of different populations. Data deficiency severely impedes our ability to employ powerful analytical methods aimed at understanding and predicting population persistence and viability, and to model envisaged threats from impending climate change. A unified approach to fundamental ecological research is required to inform the conservation and management of large rare mammalian ungulates such as the roan antelope in Africa.

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

Cited by 19 publications

References 18 publications

Predicting the risk of illegal activity and evaluating law enforcement interventions in the western Serengeti

Predicting the risk of illegal activity and evaluating law enforcement interventions in the western Serengeti

Status of Road Ecology Research in Africa: Do We Understand the Impacts of Roads, and How to Successfully Mitigate Them?

Roan antelope Hippotragus equinus in Africa: a review of abundance, threats and ecology

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