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journal article Open Access Feb 01, 2024

Wildlife corridor degradation and human‐wildlife conflict: A case study from Tanzania

Manase Elisa ORCID Tim Caro ORCID Lisa Yon Ian C. W. Hardy ORCID Sarah Roberts ORCID Elias Symeonakis ORCID
African Journal of Ecology Vol. 62 No. 2 · Wiley
View at Publisher Save 10.1111/aje.13264
Abstract
AbstractIn many African countries, anthropogenic pressure and poor governance have led to the degradation of wildlife corridors, which are important for the long‐term viability of wildlife populations. Yet the nature of such degradation is poorly understood, hindering our ability to reverse these trends. We studied a deteriorating wildlife corridor between Katavi and Mahale National Parks in western Tanzania. Using satellite imagery, we found that the corridor still contains large areas of natural vegetation, diverse terrain and numerous water sources. There has nonetheless been increasing encroachment of the corridor by people between 1990 and 2017, exemplified by a 9% reduction in the area covered by miombo woodlands and a fourfold increase in the area covered by settlements and agricultural land. We used three additional methods to assess deterioration over the last three decades: elephants' movement routes, peoples' perception of animal populations and incidents of human–wildlife conflicts. Elephants were primarily found only in the parts of the corridor adjacent to the two national parks. Tracking of elephant spoor revealed a much‐diminished corridor use, suggesting that seemingly ‘healthy’ habitat within a wildlife corridor will not necessarily predict the presence of elephants or perhaps of other species. Other factors particularly the increasing presence of humans in the area are possibly more important for predicting elephant use of a corridor. Interviews with local residents and conservation experts suggested that, although use by some animal species has declined, many ungulates were still seen in the corridor and neighbouring villages, some of which were associated with human–wildlife conflict. All villages around the corridor were affected by the human–wildlife conflict; this comprised crop damage, livestock injury or killing and attacks on humans. We conclude that corridors could be restored if people were restricted from settling, but this would require governments to enact policies that balance the conservation of Natural Capital with survival of human populations; the latter may involve internal migration in response to growing population pressures.
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Showing 50 of 61 references

Metrics
7
Citations
61
References
Details
Published
Feb 01, 2024
Vol/Issue
62(2)
License
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Authors
M
Manase Elisa

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Manchester Manchester UK; Tanzania National Parks Authority Arusha Tanzania

T
Tim Caro

School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UK

L
Lisa Yon

School of Veterinary Medicine and Science University of Nottingham Nottingham UK

I
Ian C. W. Hardy

School of Veterinary Medicine and Science University of Nottingham Nottingham UK; School of Biosciences University of Nottingham UK; Department of Agricultural Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland

S
Sarah Roberts

School of Sociology and Social Policy University of Nottingham, University Park Nottingham UK

E
Elias Symeonakis

Department of Natural Sciences Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK

Funding
National Geographic Society
Cite This Article
Manase Elisa, Tim Caro, Lisa Yon, et al. (2024). Wildlife corridor degradation and human‐wildlife conflict: A case study from Tanzania. African Journal of Ecology, 62(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13264
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