Characterizing and Mitigating Elephant Crop Raiding as a Form of Human-Wildlife Conflict in the Border Communities of Gorongosa National Park

Abstract

Conflict between human settlements and protected populations of animals represents a central challenge to the successful and equitable long term management of environmental efforts. Crop raiding by elephants is a particularly serious form of human-wildlife conflict that is currently commonly found throughout Africa. From this issue a variety of studies have emerged researching manners in which this problem can be both better understood and improved upon. This 2 year study provides a quantitative assessment of the performance of crop raiding mitigation methods known as Beehive, Chili-Grease and Beechili fencing along high activity crossing points of the Pungwe River in Gorongosa National Park. Furthermore, this study quantitatively assesses a number of elephant behavioral patterns thought to heavily influence patterns of raiding across time and space in these systems. The study found that season, time of day, and sex exert visible control over patterns of elephant raiding behavior and further found that all three fences demonstrated an appreciable ability to repel elephants from crossing points with Beehive fencing displaying the highest rate of success. Characterizing predictive patterns in raiding and illustrating the performance of these mitigation methods provide valuable tools in the ongoing effort to alleviate the pressures of crop raiding on both protected natural lands and local communities.