Elephant Crop Damage: Subsistence Farmers’ Social Vulnerability, Livelihood Sustainability and Elephant Conservation

Abstract

African elephants (Loxodonta africana) induce considerable crop damage risks, shocks and stresses on subsistence farmers at the wildlife-agriculture interface. In this study, we explored the social dimensions of human-elephant interactions in the wildlife-agrarian landscape. The study aimed at unraveling the associated hazardous conditions and nature of the subsistence farmers’ social vulnerability and practices with respect to elephant crop damage, subsistence farmers’ livelihoods, and elephant conservation. Applying qualitative thematic content analysis, the sustainable livelihood framework (SLF) and additive generalized linear models (GLMs), this study revealed that the status of relational social capital influences human-elephant conflict (HEC) management and subsistence farmers’ responses, regardless of the farmers’ social learning and environmental values about the social-ecological system. The strengthening of multiple local stakeholder participation, institutional governance and access to livelihoods assets are needed for human food security and elephant conservation. Adoption of more effective nuanced crop protection counter-measures against elephants at farm level is urgently needed.

Investigating Gaps in Perception of Wildlife between Urban and Rural Inhabitants: Empirical Evidence from Japan

“…Furthermore, several studies (including the current study) have performed content analysis for questionnaires, interviews, and essay responses. However, previous studies have focused on tourism [43], the perceptions of farmers on wildlife management [44], and the risks of living with wildlife [45][46][47], but no study has utilized text-based questionnaires to assess individual perceptions of wildlife.…”

Sensitivity of Rural Households’ Livelihood Strategies to Livelihood Capital in Poor Mountainous Areas: An Empirical Analysis in the Upper Reaches of the Min River, China

“…With the deepening of research on livelihood issues conducted by relevant scholars, the sustainable livelihood approach (SLA) has gradually developed in theory and practice [7][8][9][10], and the framework for sustainable livelihood analysis proposed by the U.K.'s Department for International Development (DFID) is the most typical. This framework consists of five parts: vulnerability background, livelihood capital, organizational structure and policy system, livelihood strategy, and livelihood status; additionally, it regards rural households as the activity subjects in the vulnerability background and reflects the rural households' livelihoods from the aspects of livelihood capital, livelihood strategies, and livelihood status [2,11]. Specifically, livelihood capital represents the elements that enhance people's capacity to engage in different livelihood activities, and it not only plays a major role in making a living but also offers people the opportunity to influence the institutions and structures within which they operate [12,13].…”

Human–Wildlife Conflict: The Human Dimension of European Bison Conservation in the Bieszczady Mountains (Poland)

“…Kato et al [ 24 ] even stated that, in this context, human–human conflict is ironically an even more complicated problem than human–wildlife conflict. This is an unfavorable situation that should be avoided as it makes it very difficult to forge stakeholder agreement in management plans, as has been noted by many authors [ 24 , 36 , 55 , 56 , 60 , 61 , 62 ].…”

“…Our study indicated that they are the result of the perceived risk of forest use limitations and the damage caused by these animals ( Table 1 ), which becomes more important when it is happens directly to one’s own property ( Figure 4 ). These are typical reasons that shape society’s attitude towards the presence of wild animals [ 25 , 36 , 41 , 43 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ]. In the study by Klich et al [ 18 ], it was suggested that if the European bison does not occur in a given area, perception of this species is likely to be shaped by other wild species; on the other hand, where the European bison is present, its management is of primary importance.…”