http://idl-bnc.idrc.ca:80/dspace/handle/10625/49258 2013-05-25T10:44:06Z http://idl-bnc.idrc.ca:80/dspace/handle/10625/51186 Title: Wildlife monitoring and conservation in a West African protected area Authors: Cole Burton, Andrew Abstract: Global declines in biological diversity are increasingly well documented and threaten the welfare and resilience of ecological and human communities. Despite international commitments to better assess and protect biodiversity, current monitoring effort is insufficient and conservation targets are not being met (e.g., Convention on Biological Diversity 2010 Target). Protected areas are a cornerstone of attempts to shield wildlife from anthropogenic impact, yet their effectiveness is uncertain. In this dissertation, I investigated the monitoring and conservation of wildlife (specifically carnivores and other larger mammals) within the context of a poorly studied savanna reserve in a tropical developing region: Mole National Park (MNP) in the West African nation of Ghana. I first evaluated the efficacy of the park’s long-term, patrol-based wildlife monitoring system through comparison with a camera-trap survey and an assessment of sampling error. I found that park patrol observations underrepresented MNP’s mammal community, recording only two-thirds as many species as camera traps over a common sampling period. Agreement between methods was reasonable for larger, diurnal and social species (such as many larger ungulates and primates), but camera traps were more effective at detecting smaller, solitary and nocturnal species (particularly carnivores). Long-term patrol data were also subject to considerable sampling variation that could make interpretation of wildlife trends unreliable, and I suggest ways in which this locally based monitoring program may be improved. Given the ecological and cultural importance of carnivore species, their propensity for human conflict, and the difficulty with which they are monitored, I assessed their status and vulnerability to extinction in MNP. Only 9 of 16 historically occurring carnivore species were detected in the camera-trap survey (covering 253 stations deployed for 5,469 trap days between October 2006 and January 2009). A hierarchical multi-species occupancy model applied to camera-trap data indicated a low overall likelihood of the presence of undetected species. Results from concurrent sign, call-in, and village surveys, as well as patrol records, provided more equivocal evidence of carnivore occurrence but supported the conclusion that many carnivores have declined and are likely functionally or fully extirpated from the park, including the top predator, lion (Panthera leo). Evidence of local human-carnivore conflict was also documented, including hunting of carnivores for traditional use and in retaliation for livestock depredation. Contrary to expectation, variation in carnivore persistence was not explained by ecological or life-history traits such as body size, home range size or fecundity, thus raising doubt as to the predictability of carnivore community disassembly. I extended the multi-species occupancy model to test hypotheses about extrinsic influences on carnivore community dynamics in MNP. I derived spatially explicit GIS descriptors of heterogeneity in illegal hunting pressure, law enforcement patrol effort, prey biomass, and habitat productivity, and used a Bayesian modeling framework to assess support for their effects on carnivore occurrence. The framework explicitly accounted for spatial autocorrelation and variation in species- and site-specific detection probabilities. Contrary to my expectation, there was no indication of a consistent, negative effect of illegal hunting activity on spatial patterns of carnivore occurrence. By contrast, occurrence patterns of most species were positively associated with prey biomass, and several species had either positive or negative associations with riverine forest (but not with other indicators of habitat heterogeneity). I conclude that pressure from hunting and other anthropogenic impacts remains high for West African wildlife, even within protected areas, but that human-wildlife relations are complex and their consequences inadequately predicted by simple models of extinction risk. Existing monitoring programs may generate data unsuitable for strong inference on wildlife community dynamics, and careful attention to objectives and methodology is needed. More attention to the protection and recovery of carnivore populations is also needed, as are further focused and interdisciplinary efforts to inform and improve wildlife conservation in West Africa. Description: Also available at: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxjb2xlYnVydG9ufGd4OjM5ZTE4ZTgxOGRlOGFhNTU 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://idl-bnc.idrc.ca:80/dspace/handle/10625/51185 Title: Sea otter tourism in British Columbia : the effects of interpretation on the conservation attitudes and behavioural intentions of boat-based and aquarium visitors Authors: Poirier, Sarah Victoria Abstract: Visitation to marine wildlife viewing tours has increased steadily in the last few decades. Despite concerns over negative impacts, one of the anticipated benefits to wildlife viewing is increased visitor support for marine conservation. In this study, sea otters were used as a case study to determine how wildlife viewing may alter visitor attitudes and behavioural intentions towards marine conservation. In particular, the effects of the inclusion of interpretation in marine wildlife observation were analysed. This study includes the experiences of marine wildlife visitors to boat-based tours in Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, as well as the experiences of visitors to the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. A questionnaire was used to determine the importance of sea otters to wildlife viewing tours, how both aquarium and boat-based wildlife viewing experiences influence visitor learning, and what implications this has for marine conservation. Sea otters were found to be important incidentally-viewed species in the boat-based tours. Sea otters were oftentimes not the main draw, but visitors very much enjoyed their presence. The provision of interpretation on its own affected visitor attitudes and behavioural intentions. However, the most significant difference in the promotion of conservation attitudes and behaviours was when the observation of sea otters was coupled with interpretation regarding sea otters. The same trend was observed in both the boat-based tours in Tofino and the captive wildlife viewing at the aquarium. These results indicate that the most important role of the tour guide is in locating marine species, and providing targeted interpretation about the species during observation. Thus, marine wildlife tourism can increase overall visitor support for marine conservation through affecting attitudes and behaviours. 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://idl-bnc.idrc.ca:80/dspace/handle/10625/51184 Title: Role of the sea kayak tour guide : mixed methods exploration into the guides' perspective Authors: Kellow, Matthew Abstract: This study examines the phenomenon of wilderness tour guiding in order to identify how natural tourism guides recognize, understand, and utilize the opportunity to deliver interpretation to clients. The study utilized personal interviews, participant field observations, and an industry survey. Interviews explored the perspectives of four veteran sea kayak guides, one raft and one mountain guide. Following the interviews a survey was administered to a British Columba based sea kayak guiding professional body. Lastly, the results from both the interviews and survey were further explored through participant field observations of sea kayak guides leading commercial tours. Results demonstrate that sea kayak guides believe themselves to be facilitating opportunities for environmental and cultural learning and behavioral change within their clients; however, the field observations did not completely support the survey results, highlighting a difference between what sea kayak guides self reported compared to actual guides in the field. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://idl-bnc.idrc.ca:80/dspace/handle/10625/51183 Title: Potential for Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) affiliated with BC's protected area system Authors: Rozwadowska, Anna Abstract: Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) related to protected areas (PAs) originated in the 1980‟s in Zimbabwe, Africa, in the buffer zone communities of Africa‟s National Parks. CBNRM attempted to address the problems associated with colonial, protectionist style „fence and guns‟ conservation management approaches, which excluded resource-based communities from conservation areas. CBNRM attempts to meet the biodiversity conservation objectives of conservation areas, and the sustainable development and livelihood objectives of neighbouring communities. While CBNRM initiatives have been well documented internationally over the past decades, little is known about the status of CBNRM within Canada. In order to bridge this knowledge gap and to link trends in conservation and protected areas management internationally to Canada and to British Columbia (BC), this thesis examines the potential for community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) affiliated with BC's Protected Area System. “Potential” is determined by comparing the situation in BC to the international CBNRM experience. The study draws on a sample of Conservancies from the categories of the BC Protected Area (PA) System, focusing particularly on the nine Sea-to-Sky Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) Area Conservancies and neighbouring First Nations communities: Squamish, L‟il‟wat and In-SHUCK-ch. Information has been obtained through interviews (guided by semi-structured questionnaires) conducted with BC government informants and First Nations representatives, supplemented by key documents. The questionnaire examined the potential for CBNRM according to a.) the community's perspective: potential (costs and) benefits of the protected area, including goods and services, cultural and social benefits and sustainable economic development opportunities provided by the protected area; and benefits of community involvement in natural resource management and protected area governance; and b.) the conservation perspective: benefits through community cooperation in biodiversity conservation within the targeted protected area. Other factors that have been identified through the international experience to affect CBNRM initiatives, such as use regulation; tenure; policies and legislation; awareness of and support for the protected area; and community capacity were thoroughly examined across all sources of information. This study finds that there is potential for CBNRM affiliated with the BC PA system in protected area designations such as „Conservancies‟. Potential relates to the role of CBNRM in biodiversity conservation, meeting the aspirations of BC‟s First Nations communities, and in recognizing First Nations as legitimate stakeholders in protected areas and conservation management. As in the international experience, numerous social, political, economic and other factors present opportunities and challenges to the adoption of CBNRM in BC. This thesis concludes with key recommendations for protected areas and conservation management in BC and Canada and identifies opportunities to further explore key topic areas that arose from the research findings. 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://idl-bnc.idrc.ca:80/dspace/handle/10625/51182 Title: Assessing community conditions that facilitate implementation of participatory poverty reduction strategies Authors: Muruvi, Wanzirai Abstract: The goal of the current study was to describe the organizational and institutional foundations within traditional rural communities that facilitate implementation of participatory community poverty reduction programs. The focus was on communities within or adjacent to protected areas. A case study research approach was used to assess community mobilization, participation and analytical capacity and also to evaluate community groups and organizations for their competence to be local implementing agents of poverty reduction programs. The research findings showed that inadequate skills and organizational levels limited the ability of communities to fully utilize protected areas as poverty reduction initiatives. Key determinants of community participation were the ability to mobilize and also to undertake detailed analysis of local situations. Community mobilization depended on the relationship between the mobilizing agent and the community, social cohesion and gender. Analytical capacity was influenced mostly by the level of education, prior experience and gender. Interestingly, community groups that had the highest potential to be implementing agents, had strong ties to traditional institutions, suggesting that groups with well recognized power and legitimacy within the community are better positioned to facilitate implementation of community poverty eradication initiatives. A number of indicators of community competence were identified and these were used to develop an analytical framework that can be used as a diagnostic tool for determining community competence. 2011-11-01T00:00:00Z