The influence of socioeconomic factors on the densities of high-value cross-border species, the African elephant.
Unprecedented poaching levels triggered by demand for ivory in Far East Asia are threatening the persistence of African elephantLoxodonta africana. Southern African countries make an important contribution to elephant conservation and could soon become the last stronghold of elephant conservation in Africa. While the ecological factors affecting elephant distribution and densities have extensively been accounted for, there is a need to understand which socioeconomic factors affect elephant numbers in order to prevent conflict over limited space and resources with humans. We used elephant count data from aerial surveys for seven years in a generalized linear model, which accounted for temporal correlation, to investigate the effect of six socioeconomic and ecological variables on the number of elephant at the country level in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA). Important factors in predicting elephant numbers were the proportion of total land surface under cultivation, human population density and the number of tourists visiting the country. Specifically, elephant numbers were higher where the proportion of total land surface under cultivation was the lowest; where population density was the lowest and where tourist numbers had increased over the years. Our results confirm that human disturbance is affecting elephant numbers, but highlight that the benefits provided by ecotourism could help enhance elephant conservation. While future studies should include larger areas and more detailed data at the site level, we stress that the development of coordinated legislation and policies to improve land-use planning are needed to reduce the impact of increasing human populations and agriculture on elephant.
Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Silverton, South Africa; Amarula Elephant Research Programme, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Sarah-Anne Jeanetta
0000-0003-1598-464X
SJ
Selier
Amarula Elephant Research Programme, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
Rob
R
Slotow
Amarula Elephant Research Programme, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; Finnish Centre of Excellence in Metapopulation Biology, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Enrico
E
Di Minin
Biodiversity conservation; Distribution models; Elephant; Governance; Transboundary