CHAPTER 2: HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT AND THE COMMUNITY: ANALYSIS OF COMMUNITY ATTITUDES AND BUSHMEAT UTILIZATION USING SOCIAL SURVEYS

CBE is way toward sustainability Specifically- it is a way to balance conservation near Tsavo National Park with rural economic development Social Surveys allow us to: ascertain the community’s feelings toward conservation tourism wildlife the levels of human-wildlife conflict

Social Surveys as Tools for Conservation CBE requires a good understanding of the potential impact on the local community (Schmidt-Soltau 2004) Six villages: Rukanga, Jora, Bungule, Kiteghe Makwasinyi and Kisimenyi Potential threats to the effectiveness of CBE 1.High levels of human-wildlife conflict in the region 2.Negative view of wildlife in the community

Our Survey Instrument 66 yes or no questionsThree categories: Bushmeat Ecotourism Wildlife Translated into Kiswahili ID number and coded by village

Hypotheses I.Due to the abundant snaring activity in the region the surveys will indicate bushmeat utilization within the villages and will not be congruent with our molecular analysis. II.Due to apparent geographic, economic and demographic differences the survey responses will differ on a per question basis among the villages

Methods: Conducting the Surveys Aug 5 th to 14 th 2006 Women as respondents Survey teams Translators Introduction Assurance of anonymity Raffle for prizes Top Prize! A Kerosene Stove and jug of kerosene

Results Bushmeat Section % “YES” Responses Examine Trends Ecotourism Section % “YES” Responses Examine Trends Wildlife Section % “YES” Responses Examine Trends Differences among the Villages On a per question basis Identify the “outlying” village

Bushmeat Section: Percent of “YES” Responses- Support Hypothesis

Parties implicated in participation in bushmeat activities

Rationale for participation in bushmeat activities

Ecotourism Section: Percent of “YES” Responses Respondents were significantly more positive regarding their perceived benefit of ecotourism than their actual experience with tourists (KW Mann-Whitney p=0.014)

Wildlife Section Percent of “YES” Responses: Conflict

Wildlife Questions # of "YES" Responses % of Respondents answering "YES" Is protecting wildlife important? Is killing wildlife necessary to protect crops? Is a fence necessary to protect residents? Is a fence necessary to protect crops? Wildlife Section Percent of “YES” Responses: Protection of Wildlife, Residents and Crops

Significance Outlying Village YES responses Do villagers kill wild animals for food?p<0.05KETmore MAKfewer Do family members purchase wild animal meat for food?p<0.05JORfewer Have you sold hand-made items to tourist? p<0.001KISFewer MAKMore Sold farm products to tourists?p<0.05JORFewer Have villagers been injured by wildlife?p<0.001KETFewer Has home been damaged by wildlife?p<0.001BUNMore Is killing wildlife necessary to protect crops?p<0.05JORMore Is a fence necessary to protect residents?p<0.05MAKFewer Is a fence necessary to protect crops?p<0.05MAKFewer Significant Differences among the Villages: Support Hypothesis

Bushmeat Trade is not commercialized but informal Is protection of crops the “true” driving force? Ecotourism Positive attitudes Realistic goals? Wildlife Human-Wildlife conflict is high Fencing? Discussion

Differences among these villages Future studies Replicate successful strategies in other villages Baseline from which to measure changes Bushmeat activities Community attitudes Human-wildlife conflict. Analysis of changes in these areas Alert stakeholders of potential issues threatening CBE initiatives Gauge the programs’ success in meeting its goals

Issues with the Survey Honest Answers/ Lack of Trust Presence of Outside Influences – Other women – Men – KWS More Taita translators needed Illiteracy

Future Research Network Analysis: informal bushmeat trade major businesses in each village Innovative and inexpensive ways to protect the villagers’ crops Collect more economic, demographic and geographic data on the villages to Look for correlations concerning less bushmeat availability Lower human-wildlife conflict and higher profits from tourism