Human-Elephant Conflict in Chobe Botswana:Human-Elephant Conflict in Chobe Botswana:Assessing Elephant Pathway Usage in Relation to Human SettlementAssessing Elephant Pathway Usage in Relation to Human Settlement

Taylor Damery1; Trent Mizulski11University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

INTRODUCTION

METHODS AND MATERIALS

CONCLUSIONS

DISCUSSION

RESULTS

REFERENCES

Figure 2. A map of the Barangwe-Kachikau Transect showing cattle posts with blue markers and corridors colored according to usage. White is no use, green is low use (1-7 groups), and yellow is medium use (8-14 groups).

ABSTRACT

CONTACTS

Figure 1. A map of the Chobe Ridge Transect showing cattle posts with blue markers and corridors colored according to usage. White is no use, green is low use (1-7 groups), yellow is medium use (8-14 groups), and red is high use (15+ groups).

Trent MizulskiUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignEmail: mizulsk2@Illinois.eduPhone: 618-946-5096

The first to step to reducing human-wildlife conflict is to understand why that conflict exists. In order to gain this understanding, a study of elephant movement through the CH1 Concession of the Chobe Enclave, Botswana was conducted. Elephant corridors were mapped in Google Earth according to usage frequency. The results showed that elephants use pathways with the least amount of human resistance most frequently, supporting the theory that elephants avoid risk associated with humans.

o 52 elephant corridors and 149 groups were recorded.

o The activity was 65% for breeding herds, 20% for bachelor herds, and 15% for lone bulls.

o 3 corridors on the CRT and 6 on the BKT had majority male use, the rest were breeding herd majority.

o The only high use pathway, with 27 total groups, occurred on the CRT (Fig. 1).

o Each transect had 2 medium use paths with the rest being low or no use (Fig1 & Fig. 2).

o Breeding groups held the large majority of activity for medium and high use corridors (Chart 1).

o Breeding and male groups held a nearly equal percentage of activity on low use corridors (Chart 1).

Our studies found that the most used corridor had the most direct and efficient pathway to the river; this pathway also had the least amount of human interference (Fig. 1). This finding supports the theory that elephants associate human activity with risk, and therefore avoid large human settlements2. Chart 1 shows that male groups tend to prefer lower use pathways that go closer to settlements, suggesting that males are willing to take more risk than female groups. The protection of major corridors can be an important step to reducing HEC. This was a short term study, but the results show it is worth continuing. In the future, this study can be expanded to asses how the proximity of crop fields to elephant corridors effect the frequency of crop raiding.

o This study was conducted based on the methods developed by Anna Songhurst2.

o An elephant pathway can be identified by lack of vegetation and presence of elephant spoor and dung.

o Spoor less than 24 hours old were recorded with GPS.

o Pathways within 100 meters of each other were grouped as one corridor.

o Direction of movement, heard type, and a rough estimate of individuals were recorded.

o Cattle posts and corridors were mapped in Google Earth.

Human-wildlife conflict is on the rise all over Botswana. When focusing on HEC conflict, it is vital to understand how these elephants use the land. Protecting major corridors and giving elephants the buffer zone they need to reach the water source safely will not only benefit elephants but humans as well. Further continuation of this study is needed in order for the CH1 concession to fully asses and understand elephant movement.

Human-wildlife conflict is a growing concern for wildlife management in Botswana. The CH1 concession of the Chobe Enclave is an area of land set aside by the Botswana government for agriculture, wildlife, and tourism. The overlap of agriculture and wildlife increases the human-wildlife conflict, specifically the human-elephant conflict (HEC). During the planting seasons, elephants raid crop fields as they move through the region towards local water sources. This puts undue-stress on farmers who rely on these crops for food and income. Elephants are adversely affected by farmer retaliation and growing habitat degradation due to the spread of human agricultural systems. The Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks has highlighted the importance of conducting research on elephant movement and HEC1. These studies are conducted so the government can be informed when planning land use, in order to avoid developing near major elephant corridors. Mitigation and coexistence strategies are the key to reducing HEC. This study is a basis for further research that will provide crucial information on elephant movement and corridor usage in relation to the presence of human settlement throughout the concession.

1.Bourquin, S. & Brooks, C. (2013). Protocol for the Okavango Wildlife Monitoring System. Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks. Chemonics International Inc.

2.Songhurst, A., McCullouch, G. & Coulson, T. (2015). Finding pathways to human–elephant coexistence: a risky business. Oryx, Page 1-8. Fauna & Flora International.

Taylor DameryUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignEmail: tdamery2@Illinois.eduPhone: 217-433-9207

Chart 1. A bar graph showing the percentage of breeding group and male group (including bachelor herds and lone bulls) activity on low, medium, and high use corridors. Breeding group activity is shown in orange and male group activity is shown in yellow.