The Effects of Crop Raiding on Household Food Security in the Albertine Rift: A Case Study of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Western Uganda

Barirega, Akankwasah; Buyinza, Mukadasi; Kansiime, Frank; Basuta-Isabirye, Gilbert

doi:10.1080/10871200903115070

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(5 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…On average, households in Bhadra Tiger Reserve, India, lost 11% of annual grain production as a result of elephant crop raids (Madhusudan, 2003). Long-term effects of crop damage also include negative attitudes toward the species, which can lead to reduced support for conservation, as well as increased poaching rates (Barirega et al, 2010;Barua, Tamuly, & Ahmed, 2010;Okello, 2005). Few studies, however, have looked at the longterm trends in crop raiding and the effects on local attitudes toward protected areas and species of interest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Complaints of crop raiding by elephants are often greater than that for other wildlife (Weladji & Tchamba, 2003). Elephant crop raiding additionally threatens the food security of the rural poor adjacent to parks and/or wildlife reserves, especially when staple crops are concerned (Barirega, Buyinza, Kansiime, & Basuta-Isabirye, 2010). On average, households in Bhadra Tiger Reserve, India, lost 11% of annual grain production as a result of elephant crop raids (Madhusudan, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Human–Elephant Conflict Around Bénoué National Park, Cameroon: Influence on Local Attitudes and Implications for Conservation

Granados

Weladji

2012

Human Dimensions of Wildlife

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Crop raiding by African elephants threatens human livelihoods and elephants, yet studies of long-term changes in crop raiding and effects on attitudes are lacking. The scope of perceived crop damage in three communities and local attitudes toward elephants and protected areas were surveyed in the Bénoué Wildlife Conservation Area, Cameroon in 2010. Temporal changes in attitudes and perceived crop damage were estimated using previous work. The percent of households reporting elephant crop raiding increased since 1997 (58% vs. 40%). Attitudes toward Bénoué National Park were positive and did not change over time, although more people today were positive toward the hunting concessions. Crop damage by elephants did not significantly influence attitudes toward the species, yet 52% reported no benefit to elephant presence in the area. Immigration likely contributed to increased reported elephant damages, hence, land use planning and the prevention of further encroachment is central to reducing human-elephant conflict.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human–Elephant Conflict Around Bénoué National Park, Cameroon: Influence on Local Attitudes and Implications for Conservation

Granados

Weladji

2012

Human Dimensions of Wildlife

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“… 2005 ), how crop-foraging affects farmers’ attitudes toward wildlife (De Boer and Baquete 1998 ; Gillingham and Lee 2003 ; Hill 1998 ; Hill and Webber 2010 ; Ogra 2009 ), mitigation strategies (Graham and Ochieng 2008 ; Hill and Wallace 2012 ; Osborn and Hill 2005 ; Osborn and Parker 2002 ; Sitati and Walpole 2006 ), the implications of crop-foraging for food security (Barirega et al . 2010 ; Hartter et al . 2011 ; Kaswamila et al .…”

Section: Case 1: Vulnerability To Wildlife Foraging On Crops: An Intementioning

confidence: 99%

Biosocial Conservation: Integrating Biological and Ethnographic Methods to Study Human–Primate Interactions

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biodiversity conservation is one of the grand challenges facing society. Many people interested in biodiversity conservation have a background in wildlife biology. However, the diverse social, cultural, political, and historical factors that influence the lives of people and wildlife can be investigated fully only by incorporating social science methods, ideally within an interdisciplinary framework. Cultural hierarchies of knowledge and the hegemony of the natural sciences create a barrier to interdisciplinary understandings. Here, we review three different projects that confront this difficulty, integrating biological and ethnographic methods to study conservation problems. The first project involved wildlife foraging on crops around a newly established national park in Gabon. Biological methods revealed the extent of crop loss, the species responsible, and an effect of field isolation, while ethnography revealed institutional and social vulnerability to foraging wildlife. The second project concerned great ape tourism in the Central African Republic. Biological methods revealed that gorilla tourism poses risks to gorillas, while ethnography revealed why people seek close proximity to gorillas. The third project focused on humans and other primates living alongside one another in Morocco. Incorporating shepherds in the coproduction of ecological knowledge about primates built trust and altered attitudes to the primates. These three case studies demonstrate how the integration of biological and social methods can help us to understand the sustainability of human–wildlife interactions, and thus promote coexistence. In each case, an integrated biosocial approach incorporating ethnographic data produced results that would not otherwise have come to light. Research that transcends conventional academic boundaries requires the openness and flexibility to move beyond one’s comfort zone to understand and acknowledge the legitimacy of “other” kinds of knowledge. It is challenging but crucial if we are to address conservation problems effectively.

show abstract

“…The reduction in food sources due to habitat loss and degradation encourages wild animals to feed on crops, increasing their interactions with human communities, and human-wildlife conflicts ( Jorgenson & Sandoval, 2005 ; McKinney, 2019 ; Mekonnen et al, 2018 ). Crop-feeding compromises the food security of local communities and damages economies relying on agriculture ( Barirega et al, 2010 ; Gontse, Mbaiwa & Thakadu, 2018 ; Hill, 2000 ; Raphela & Pillay, 2021 ). Additionally, it represents a serious problem for conservation efforts by reducing human tolerance to wildlife ( Campbell-Smith et al, 2010 ; Sifuna, 2005 ; Virtanen et al, 2021 ), turning farmers against conservation initiatives ( Dakwa, 2016 ; Mogomotsi et al, 2020 ; Osborn & Parker, 2003 ; Redpath, Bhatia & Young, 2015 ), and putting crop-feeding species in danger of retaliatory actions by farmers ( Compaore et al, 2020 ; Kendall, 2011 ; Zimmermann et al, 2009 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crop damage by vertebrates in Latin America: current knowledge and potential future management directions

Hermira

Michalski

2022

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Crop farming contributes to one of the most extensive land use activities in the world, and cropland areas continue to rise. Many vertebrate species feed on crops, which has caused an increase in human-wildlife conflicts in croplands. Crop-feeding damages the economy of local communities and causes retaliation against the responsible vertebrates in several forms, including lethal practices such as hunting and poisoning. Lethal control may cause the local extirpation of some species, affecting ecological processes and patterns. Therefore, it is necessary to find non-lethal alternatives that can protect both local economies and wildlife. Research has been conducted in Africa and Asia, focusing on elephants and primates, and the effectiveness of some non-lethal alternatives, such as chili-based repellents and beehives, is being investigated. However, there has been very little research on this topic in Central and South America. The goal of this review is to assess the current knowledge on crop damage by vertebrates in Central and South America and indicate future research directions. Survey methodology We reviewed the available scientific literature reporting crop damage by vertebrates in Central and South America, and the Caribbean, published between 1980 and 2020, through systematic searches on Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. We analyzed the temporal and geographical distributions of the studies, the crops and vertebrate species these studies considered, the crop protection techniques used, and their effectiveness. Results We retrieved only 113 studies on crop damage by vertebrates in Latin America, but there was an increasing trend in the number of studies published over time. Most of the studies were conducted in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Four orders of mammals (Rodentia, Carnivora, Artiodactyla, and Primates) and four orders of birds (Passeriformes, Columbiformes, Psittaciformes, and Anseriformes) were the most common groups of crop-feeding vertebrates. The most prominent crop was corn, which was featured in 49% of the studies. Other notable crops include rice, sorghum, and sugarcane. The most reported method for protecting crops was lethal control through hunting or poisoning. Non-lethal techniques were found to be less prevalent. Less than half of the studies that mentioned the use of protection techniques indicated their effectiveness, and only 10 studies evaluated it by performing scientific experiments and reporting their results. Conclusions Central and South America is still underrepresented in research on vertebrate crop-feeding. There is a need for experimentation-based robust research to find crop protection techniques that minimize harm to vertebrates while effectively reducing damage to crops. While this is being studied, habitat loss and fragmentation need to be halted to prevent the native vertebrates from turning to crops for food.

show abstract

The Effects of Crop Raiding on Household Food Security in the Albertine Rift: A Case Study of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Western Uganda

Cited by 15 publications

References 6 publications

Human–Elephant Conflict Around Bénoué National Park, Cameroon: Influence on Local Attitudes and Implications for Conservation

Human–Elephant Conflict Around Bénoué National Park, Cameroon: Influence on Local Attitudes and Implications for Conservation

Biosocial Conservation: Integrating Biological and Ethnographic Methods to Study Human–Primate Interactions

Crop damage by vertebrates in Latin America: current knowledge and potential future management directions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About