Demographic drivers of a refugee species: large‐scale experiments guide strategies for reintroductions of hirola

Ali, Abdullahi H.; Kauffman, Matthew J.; Amin, Rajan; Kibara, Amos; King, Juliet; Mallon, David; Musyoki, Charles; Goheen, Jacob R.

doi:10.1002/eap.1664

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Two punctuated dry periods occur between the wet seasons: the short dry season in January-March (locally referred to as Jilal) and the long dry season which occurs from July to October (locally referred to as Hagaa). Large carnivores in the region include lions Panthera leo, cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus, spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta and African wild dogs Lycaon pictus; Ali et al (2017Ali et al ( , 2018. The preferred habitat of hirola occurs on open grassland in the 400-550 mm rainfall zone in both subcounties (Bunderson, 1981;Ali et al, 2017).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…13 000 individuals in 1970 to <500 individuals currently (Probert et al, 2015). In Garissa County and elsewhere in eastern Kenya (see Ford, Fryxell & Sinclair, 2016), these trends were associated with human population growth, increasing numbers of livestock, increased frequency of drought and elephant extirpation, subsequently triggering the loss of herbaceous biomass and replaced with bare soil or woody cover leading to degradation of forage supply for grazing species like hirola (Ali et al, 2017(Ali et al, , 2018. Much of the hirola's historical range occurred in semi-arid grasslands, which were inhabitated by nomadic people and wildlife.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating support for rangeland‐restoration practices by rural Somalis: an unlikely win‐win for local livelihoods and hirola antelope?

Ali

Amin

Fischer

et al. 2018

Animal Conservation

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In developing countries, governments often lack the authority and resources to implement conservation outside of protected areas. In such situations, the integration of conservation with local livelihoods is crucial to species recovery and reintroduction efforts. The hirola Beatragus hunteri is the world's most endangered antelope, with a population of <500 individuals that is restricted to <5% of its historical geographic range on the Kenya-Somali border. Long-term hirola declines have been attributed to a combination of disease and rangeland degradation. Tree encroachment-driven by some combination of extirpation of elephants, overgrazing by livestock, and perhaps fire suppression-is at least partly responsible for habitat loss and the decline of contemporary populations. Through interviews in local communities across the hirola's current range, we identified socially acceptable strategies for habitat restoration and hirola recovery. We used classification and regression trees, conditional inference trees, and generalized linear models to identify sociodemographic predictors of support for range-restoration strategies. Locals supported efforts to conserve elephants (which kill trees and thus facilitate grass growth), seed and fertilize grass, and remove trees, but were opposed to livestock reduction. Locals were ambivalent toward controlled burns and soil ripping (a practice through which soil is broken up to prevent compaction). Livestock ownership and years of residency were key predictors of locals' perceptions toward rangeland-restoration practices. Locals owning few livestock were more supportive of elephant conservation, and seeding and fertilization of grass, while longer term residents were more supportive of livestock reduction but were less supportive of elephant conservation. Ultimately, wildlife conservation outside protected areas requires long-term, community-based efforts that are compatible with human livelihoods. We recommend elephant conservation, grass seeding and fertilization, manual tree removal and resting range from livestock both to enhance the potential for hirola recovery and to build positive rapport with local communities in the geographic range of this critically endangered species.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating support for rangeland‐restoration practices by rural Somalis: an unlikely win‐win for local livelihoods and hirola antelope?

Ali

Amin

Fischer

et al. 2018

Animal Conservation

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“…Fences have been employed in attempts to mitigate numerous conservation issues, including human–wildlife conflict, invasive species control, prevention of disease transmission and delineation of protected area boundaries (Hayward & Kerley, 2009; Gadd, 2012; Hayward & Somers, 2012; Beale et al, 2013). In some cases fences have led to positive conservation outcomes such as reductions in human–elephant conflict (Knickerbocker & Waithaka, 2005), protection of threatened native species from invasive species in New Zealand (Burns et al, 2012), or, in the case of the Critically Endangered hirola antelope Beatragus hunteri in Kenya, from native predators (Ali et al, 2018). However, although fences can have positive impacts, the effects are often mixed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fencing affects African wild dog movement patterns and population dynamics

O’Neill

Durant

Strebel

et al. 2021

Oryx

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Wildlife fences are often considered an important tool in conservation. Fences are used in attempts to prevent human–wildlife conflict and reduce poaching, despite known negative impacts on landscape connectivity and animal movement patterns. Such impacts are likely to be particularly important for wide-ranging species, such as the African wild dog Lycaon pictus, which requires large areas of continuous habitat to fulfil its resource requirements. Laikipia County in northern Kenya is an important area for wild dogs but new wildlife fences are increasingly being built in this ecosystem. Using a long-term dataset from the area's free-ranging wild dog population, we evaluated the effect of wildlife fence structure on the ability of wild dogs to cross them. The extent to which fences impeded wild dog movement differed between fence designs, although individuals crossed fences of all types. Purpose-built fence gaps increased passage through relatively impermeable fences. Nevertheless, low fence permeability can lead to packs, or parts of packs, becoming trapped on the wrong side of a fence, with consequences for population dynamics. Careful evaluation should be given to the necessity of erecting fences; ecological impact assessments should incorporate evaluation of impacts on animal movement patterns and should be undertaken for all large-scale fencing interventions. Where fencing is unavoidable, projects should use the most permeable fencing structures possible, both in the design of the fence and including as many purpose-built gaps as possible, to minimize impacts on wide-ranging wildlife.

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“…2017), and hirola ( Beatragus hunteri ) (Ali et al. 2018), suggesting that even intensive actions can be associated with ambiguous outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ex situ management as insurance against extinction of mammalian megafauna in an uncertain world

Farhadinia

Johnson

Zimmermann

et al. 2020

Conservation Biology

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The persistence of endangered species may depend on the fate of a very small number of individual animals. In situ conservation alone may sometimes be insufficient. In these instances, the International Union for Conservation of Nature provides guidelines for ex situ conservation and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) indicates how ex situ management can support the CBD's objectives by providing insurance policies for species. The circumstances that justify its use are uncertain. To evaluate the current in situ extinction risk and ex situ management of 43 critically endangered species of mammalian megafauna, we used nonmetric multidimensional scaling and geopolitical variables related to governance, economics, and national policy within their extant ranges. We then fitted generalized additive models to assess the contribution of each variable to the ordination. Fifteen (almost one-third) of the world's terrestrial mammalian megafauna are not the subject of any ex situ management. Seventy-three percent of these taxa occur in areas characterized by political uncertainty, such as border zones or areas affected by armed conflicts, mainly in Africa and the Middle East. A further 23% of taxa in ex situ programs do not meet sustainability criteria for inbreeding avoidance. Strategic conservation planning, such as the One Plan approach, may improve ex situ management for these taxa. Given the escalating trend in threats afflicting megafauna, ex situ management should be considered more rigorously, particularly in politically unstable regions, to achieve CBD Target 12 (prevent extinction of threatened species).

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Demographic drivers of a refugee species: large‐scale experiments guide strategies for reintroductions of hirola

Cited by 13 publications

References 55 publications

Evaluating support for rangeland‐restoration practices by rural Somalis: an unlikely win‐win for local livelihoods and hirola antelope?

Evaluating support for rangeland‐restoration practices by rural Somalis: an unlikely win‐win for local livelihoods and hirola antelope?

Fencing affects African wild dog movement patterns and population dynamics

Ex situ management as insurance against extinction of mammalian megafauna in an uncertain world

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