A pan-African spatial assessment of human conflicts with lions and elephants

Flashcards about human conflict with lions and elephants

What is the primary threat posed by African lions and elephants to humans?

They pose threats to people, crops, and livestock.

What mitigation strategy does the article focus on assessing for human-wildlife conflict?

High-quality mitigation fences

What are the projected effects of human population growth on human-wildlife conflict in Africa?

Pressures will likely intensify further as a result of future pandemics, political instability, or armed conflicts that hinder wildlife-based tourism, reduce effective conservation funding, and undermine national economies.

Besides habitat loss and unsustainable hunting, what are other major causes of lion and elephant population decline?

Retaliatory killing to protect humans, livestock, and crops; and extensive prey depletion (for lions)

What factors indicate that lion and elephant populations are persisting or increasing?

Adequate conservation budgets and/or mitigation fences.

What is the main argument against fencing, raised by some conservationists?

Barriers have disrupted wildlife movements and decreased landscape connectivity.

What is the alternative perspective on fencing, as presented in the article?

Fencing can be a financially sustainable strategy for preventing human–wildlife conflict, while minimizing any negative conservation impacts.

What spatial information is combined to identify areas most at risk for conflicts?

Distribution of lions and elephants with spatial information on human population density, cropland, and cattle density.

What are the key components considered in the economic return on investment analysis for building mitigation fences?

Socio-economic and political variables, effects on migratory mammals, and the equivalent annual annuity (EAA).

Which countries are identified as locations where mitigation fences would provide considerable return on investment?

Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Kenya

Which factor most affects the population numbers of lions and elephants?

Human population density

What level of risk corresponds to the co-occurrence of high densities of humans, crops, and cattle?

Severe risk

Name strategies besides complete exclusion that could encourage community buy-in to fencing projects?

Access gates could facilitate access of local communities to water and other natural resources, as well as for various cultural purposes.