Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Goslar, Germany
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Pathways Europe 2018 – Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Goslar, Germany Contributions to the Pathways Europe 2018 - Human Dimensions of Wildlife: Resurrecting the Wild!? September 16-19, 2018 Goslar, Germany Conference Co-Chairs Michael Manfredo & Jerry Vaske, Colorado State University Eick von Ruschkowski, Alfred Toepfer Akademie for Nature Conservation Heribert Hofer, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Moritz Klose, WWF Germany Conference Advisory Board Robert Arlinghaus, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany Luigi Boitani, University of Rome, Italy Jeremy Bruskotter, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA Thomas Fish, National Coordinator, Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, Washington, D.C., USA Maarten Jacobs, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, Netherlands Andreas Krüss, Federal Nature Conservation Agency, Bonn, Germany Craig Miller, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, Champaign, USA Camilla Sandström, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umea, Sweden Ketil Skogen, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Oslo, Norway Pathways Conference Team Local Host: Eick von Ruschkowski Local Organizing Committee: Moritz Klose, Stefanie Klein, Jan Kehl, Josepha Prügel, Heribert Hofer, Eick von Ruschkowski Conference Director: Claire Nitsche Conference Coordinator: Wes White Student Assistants: Paula Baumgarten, Katharina Brüntgens, Karen Großkreutz, Ronja Herzberg, Nina Lefeldt, Mahan Moatamedi, Raphael Rosner, Kristin Weigt Pathways Europe 2018 – Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Goslar, Germany Seabirds and humans in close encounter: Do social norms regulate birder behaviour AAS ØYSTEIN1, STENSLAND STIAN2, MEHMETOGLU MEHMET3 1Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NORWAY; [email protected] 2Norwegian University of Life Sciences, NORWAY; [email protected] 3NTNU, NORWAY; [email protected] A survey among birding tourists in 2017 to the birdcliff Hornøya in northeast Norway was conducted in the winter of 2018. The objective was to investigate the role of assumed consequences and social norms on birders' behavior towards seabirds nesting in a birdcliff. At Hornøya, birders are able to get close to birds and birds not necessarily leave their nest or nest area even if people get close. Yet, studies show reduced recruitment success of birds nesting close to areas open to visitors. We analyse the importance of assumed consquences, as well as social norms on regulating birders' behavior toward birds, for instance to the extent they choose to move into areas closed to visitors or standing (very) close to birds. Implications of findings for management of the area including how to combine tourism and Conservation will be discussed. (At the moment I cannot be more specific about the results as the survey has just recently been sent out and analyses will be conducted in the summer). 1 Pathways Europe 2018 – Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Goslar, Germany Local evaluation of the effectiveness of the strategies against wildlife crop depredation AGYEMAN YAW1 1University of Energy and Natural Resources, GHANA; [email protected] Crop depredation represents a serious conflict around protected areas. Its recurrence undermines local support for long term conservation. Though studies have focused on aspects such as the economics, spatio-temporal and vulnerability of farms to crop depredation, little attention has been given to the local evaluation of the effectiveness of the strategies. This paper aimed at investigating the effectiveness of the strategies around Bui National Park. Data was collected using in-depth interviews, involving 17 participants in a farming community called Makala, Ghana. The results indicated that the strategies are generally less deterrent and ineffective in the long-term based on the recurrence of the conflict, though short-term and temporary success with some of the strategies were observed, particularly with those lethal strategies, as they pose threat to wildlife conservation. Understanding the effectiveness of the strategies provides knowledge about how the strategies could be made effective against crop depredation, and enhance co-existence. 2 Pathways Europe 2018 – Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Goslar, Germany Waterfowl hunters have imperfect waterfowl identification skills AHLERS ADAM1, MILLER CRAIG2 1Kansas State University, UNITED STATES; [email protected] 2University of Illinois, UNITED STATES; [email protected] Waterfowl management in North America is informed by detailed harvest data including the number, sex, and species of all waterfowl harvested. These data are often self-reported by waterfowl hunters via online surveys or harvest report forms. For harvest management programs to be successful, it is critical that self-reported harvest data are precise and accurate. If this assumption is not met, harvest data may be biased and subsequent management efforts (e.g., sex and species harvest limits) may be misinformed. We surveyed waterfowl hunters in Kansas, USA immediately after the 2017-2018 waterfowl season to assess their ability to identify waterfowl species and sex. Hunters were asked to complete an online survey via a handheld device at multiple non-profit events that were focused on waterfowl hunting. Our survey included photographs of breeding-plumage ducks that are commonly harvested in the Central Flyway in North America. Respondents had imperfect identification skills that were not influenced by hunter age or number of years hunting waterfowl. Identification was imperfect for all species and sexes, with ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris) and lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) having the greatest misidentification rates. Because our survey included high-definition photographs of breeding plumage waterfowl, or results likely underestimate true misidentification rates. Our results suggest there may be a potential bias in self-reported waterfowl harvest data. Future research should focus on incorporating potential bias estimates into hunter-harvest models. 3 Pathways Europe 2018 – Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Goslar, Germany Impacts and Economics of Wildlife-Cattle browsing in communities around and on Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria AKINYEMI ABIODUN1 1University of Ibadan, NIGERIA; [email protected] Management of native wild animals and cattle in farmlands and on a protected area is a contentious issue for farmers and the government. In 2016, the use of pesticides to poison wild animals and cattle began in southwestern Nigeria. Many farmers believe that the impact of browsing by native wild animals and cattle on food crops and pastures is significant and results in a considerable financial loss. Hence, the study was undertaken to quantify the browsing impact. Methods used to poison wild animals and cattle include the introduction of tempting carcasses, making salt licks from pesticides, soaking grains in pesticides and soiling waterholes. The wild animals examined include Buffalo Syncerus caffer, Roan Antelope Hippopotragus equinus, Senegal kob Kobus kobus, Western hartebeest Alcelaphus buselaphus, Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibious, Olive baboon Papio anubis, Bushbuck Tragelaphus sylvaticus, Red Flanked duiker Cephalophus rufilatus, Lion Panthera leo, and Oribi Ourebi ourebi. Results indicated significant (p>0.05) browsing damage to food crops mostly the yams-maize- cocoyams-cassava farm system interspersed with oil palm, cacao, rubber plantations and improved pasture such as Andropogon gayanus, Andropogon schirensis, Andropogon tectorum, Annona senegalensis, Afzelia africana and Borassus aethiopum that are in close proximity to bush boundaries resulting in large economic costs. Browsing damage seems to decline as distance from bush boundary increases. Wildlife and cattle appear to be preferentially browsing the food crops with a preference shown for perennial food crops. Feed availability has been found to be a determinant regarding the distance and direction wildlife and cattle will travel to browse. These results provide important information to stakeholders and better equip them to manage wildlife and cattle not only at protected area but also at the farmlands. 4 Pathways Europe 2018 – Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Goslar, Germany Natura 2000 Network in Poland - a barrier or a benefit for conservation needs? ET AL.1, TUSZNIO JOANNA2, RECHCIŃSKI MARCIN3 1Jagiellonian University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, POLAND; [email protected] 2Jagiellonian University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, POLAND; [email protected] 3Jagiellonian University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, POLAND; [email protected] Local communities’ participation in nature conservation has been widely recognized as improving conservation outcomes. This is especially important for biodiversity conservation in Europe, where many habitats were shaped by the humans’ traditional, extensive land use. Areas included into the Pan-European ecological network Natura 2000 (N2000) largely cover such habitats, which depend on human activity. Although the N2000 program is promoted as a chance for halting biodiversity loss and local communities’ sustainable development, in the majority of the EU member states, effective implementation of the network met various obstacles, mainly of socio-economic nature. Here, we present a comprehensive insight into N2000 functioning in Poland, a representative of Central Eastern European (CEE) countries, so that meeting