Perceptions and Patterns of Human–elephant Conflict in Old and New Settlements in Sri Lanka: Insights for Mitigation and Management

Fernando, Prithiviraj; Wikramanayake, Eric; Weerakoon, Dushni; Jayasinghe, L.K.A.; Gunawardene, Manori; Janaka, H. K.

doi:10.1007/s10531-004-0216-z

Cited by 158 publications

(162 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The size of home ranges can vary greatly; home ranges of 10 to 800 square kilometers have been described (Clubb & Mason, 2002;Fernando et al, 2005). Asian elephants are generalists and browse and graze on a variety of plants.…”

Section: Asian Elephants In the Wildmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity Time Budgets of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Zoological Park

Lukacs¹,

Poulin²,

Besenthal³

et al. 2016

AB&C

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-The diurnal and nocturnal activity time budgets of five adult female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)were studied in a zoological park for two 24-hour, five 14-hour, and one 9-hour observation periods between May and June 2011. Relatively few studies have looked at detailed daytime and nighttime activity time budgets in captive Asian elephants. Continuous observation was used to measure the activity time budgets of at least one focal animal per observation period. The activity time budgets varied between animals and observation periods. The elephants spent 17-49% of the day (daylight hours) standing, 1-9% of the day walking, 19-44% of the day eating, and 1-20% of the day using enrichment items. At night, the elephants spent 29-87% of the observation period standing, 1-19% of the night eating, and 0.1-10% of the night using enrichment items. At night, elephants spent 0-45% of the observation period lying down. Variations in activity time budgets between elephants and observation periods have been observed in other studies of captive and wild elephants. Results of this observational study allow comparison between groups of captive elephants and between captive and wild elephants. Furthermore, results of this study can inform management strategies.

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Section: Asian Elephants In the Wildmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity Time Budgets of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Zoological Park

Lukacs¹,

Poulin²,

Besenthal³

et al. 2016

AB&C

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show abstract

“…HWC arises mainly because of the loss, degradation and fragmentation of habitats through human activities such as, logging, animal husbandry, agricultural expansion, and developmental projects [2]. As habitat gets fragmented, the boundary for the interface between humans and wildlife increases, while the animal populations become compressed in insular refuges.…”

Section: Background To the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Case Study in Wondo Genet District, Southern Ethiopia

Mekuyie¹

2014

AFF

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Abstract:The purpose of this research was to identify the type of human-wildlife conflicts and wild mammals that cause the conflict, determine the extent of damage and to provide a better understanding of the causes of human-wildlife conflict in Wondo Genet district. The study was carried out from December 2013 to June 2013. Four sample areas were selected to collect data on human-wildlife conflict; Gotu, Wosha Soyoma and Wethera Kechema villages and Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources. Data were collected using questionnaires, one to one interviews, observations and cross checking of crop loss using quadrants in selected crop lands, reviewing of literature, and was later analyzed using statistical package for social scientists (SPSS). In order to achieve the objectives of the study, the target population comprised the households living in sampled areas, local administrators and staffs who lived within Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources. The study established that crop damages, livestock killing, human disruption and property destruction were some of the mostly reported damages. The results of the study further indicated that animal species most involved in HWC were warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), bush pig (Potamochoerus larvatus), vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), Olive baboon (Papio anubis), porcupine (Hystrix cristata), Giant mole rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus) and African civet (Civettictis civetta). They were involved mostly in crop raiding/ damage. Most raided crops were maize (Zea mays), sugar cane (Saccharum africanum) and Enset (Ensete ventricosum). Over 75% of the population of Wondo Genet district was affected by crop raiders. Therefore, conservation education is paramount, coherent land use plans should be emphasized to determine where certain crops can be grown.

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“…The resilience of elephants to such attrition appears to be at least in part attributable to the greater availability of grasses and other secondary vegetation in abandoned farmland (Olivier, 1978;Fernando et al, 2005), together with their preference for forest-grassland interfaces (McKay, 1973). This is possibly in addition to the animals adapting their diets to crops such as rice, the extent of which doubled between 1959 and 2009 (Kikuchi, 1992;GOSL, 2012a Such a correlation does not, of course, imply that the elephant population has increased (or even remained stable) because of a loss of oldgrowth forest: but it does demonstrate that it has done so despite such loss.…”

Section: Despite Continued Forest Conversion and Degradation Forest mentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity conservation in Sri Lanka's novel ecosystems

Pethiyagoda

2012

Ceylon J. Sci. (Biol. Sci.)

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With Sri Lanka's old-growth forests having been reduced to less than 20% of their pre-colonial extent, increasing areas of land, formerly heavily influenced by humans, are being allowed to return to secondary forests. These range from land recovering from swidden cultivation in the dry zone, through abandoned tea plantations in the lower-montane zone, to partly-logged forests throughout the country. Although the secondary vegetation of these ‗emerging ecosystems' is often dominated by alien plant species and includes only a depauperate native flora, many threatened animals, ranging from amphibians to elephants, are able to utilize them for part or all of their life cycles. These novel ecosystems offer valuable conservation opportunities in two ways: (1) by increasing the area of occupancy of threatened species they contribute directly to a reduction in the level of threat; and (2) they provide a filter for triage, whereby threatened species that are intolerant of modified habitats could be awarded higher priority in the design of recovery plans. Available data suggest that among the Sri Lankan terrestrial vertebrates presently assessed as Endangered or Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List, 12 of 14 mammal species, three of four reptile species and 40 of 48 amphibian species occur also in emerging ecosystems. Despite their impoverished plant diversity, therefore, such ecosystems should be viewed as a conservation opportunity rather than a threat; they should be incorporated into the national protected areas network and their biodiversity monitored, especially in relation to threatened species.Those that establish stable populations over multiple generations could be down-listed so that greater conservation attention could be allocated to threatened species obligatorily dependent on old-growth forests.

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Perceptions and Patterns of Human–elephant Conflict in Old and New Settlements in Sri Lanka: Insights for Mitigation and Management

Cited by 158 publications

References 17 publications

Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity Time Budgets of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Zoological Park

Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity Time Budgets of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Zoological Park

Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Case Study in Wondo Genet District, Southern Ethiopia

Biodiversity conservation in Sri Lanka's novel ecosystems

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