Consequences of Poaching In East African National Parks

1. ENVS 220 Kyle Tibbett Colin Carver Consequences of Poaching In East African National Parks Methodology: In order to identify how manyhousehold nutritional requirements are fulfilled by poaching, and how this poaching affects social relations within these local communities, it is first important to determine that poaching has a noticeable effect on our research area. In order to do this we might engage in some method of population tracking, such as flying around in a helicopter and noting all of the big game animals present. It would also benefit us to sample a small area/population from various ecosystems and then apply the population density to other areas using statistical methods, andwe would then put this data into GIS (Geographical Information System). After obtaining these population samples, we could then obtain records of arrests of poachers, as well as animals wounded or killed by poachers both in and around these national parks. We would also identify areas where local inhabitants reside close to areas that are heavily poached using GIS and Census data gathered beforehand, and this would likely help us determine how much illegally poached meat is going to different households in the area. After determining that poaching has a noticeable effect in these areas, we would then interview about 5-10 local inhabitants in and around these national parks in order to determine the presence that poaching has in these different communities. Research Question: How much of an average household’s nutritional requirements are fulfilled by illegally poached meat and how does this affect ecosystem health and social relations within local communities? Background: The Serengeti is one of the most pristine and impressive ecosystems in the world5. However, it has been described as an, “ecological island in a rising sea of humanity”7. The population of East Africa has increased eightfold since 1900, and the demand for meat has grown at least that much6. This demand has recently been fulfilled by poaching the resident populations of millions of migratory animals that reside within protected areas3. 30,000 poachers remove an estimated 200,000 animals from protected areas of the Serengeti annually and this directly supplies meat over one million locals4. Poaching, motivated by local demand for protein, has been determined be the most serious threat to wildlife conservation in East Africa1. The unsustainable amount of poached meat not only has a massive effect on ecosystem health, but also influences that social dynamics of the local communities. It serves to both empower local populations by stimulating the economy and fulfills their nutritional requirements, but it makes them depententon a dwindling resource. A long term solution that addresses both wildlife conservation and local food supply must be researched and employed1. The major actors surrounding our research question are diagramed below. http://www.tanzaniaparks.com National Parks and protected areas in Tanzania. Most national parks have large populations surrounding them. Timeline: Week 1: Fly to Tanzania, define study area Weeks 2-4: Conduct aerial and ground surveys of big game animal populations in various ecosystems. Put into a Geographical Information System (GIS). Week 5: Obtain records of arrests of poachers, animals wounded or killed by poachers both in and around the protected area within the last ten years. Map relevant data into GIS system. Week 6: Identity areas where local inhabitants reside close to areas that are heavily poached using census data gathered beforehand. Week 7-8: Interview about 5-10 people who have various roles in the community in order to determine the presence that poaching has within the community. Week 9-10: Transcribe interviews and analyze, identifying trends or common themes. Week 11: Fly home and process the data obtained in order to draw conclusions and identify areas of future study. Wildebeest are the most sought after animal by poachers in East Africa, and over 100,000 are removed from protected areas annually. http://www.zedsafaris.com Much of the local population is reliant on this poached meat as a means of subsistence and protein. References: 1. Arcese 2. A. R. E Sinclair, and Peter Arcese. Serengeti 2. University of Chicago Press, 1995. 3. Asibey, Emmanuel O.A. “Wildlife as a Source of Protein in Africa South of the Sahara.” Biological Conservation 6, no. 1 (January 1974): 32–39. 4. Campbell 5. Costello, Chirstopher, Nicholas Burger, Kathleen A. Galvin, Ray Hilborn, and Stephen Polasky. “Dynamic Consequences of Human Behavior in the Serengeti Ecosystem.” In Serengeti 3, 301–24. The University of Chicago Press, 2008. 6. Milner-Gulland, E.J., and Elizabeth L. Bennett. “Wild Meat: The Bigger Picture.” Trends in Ecology & Evolution 18, no. 7 (July 2003): 351–357. 7. Sinclair, A. R. E., Craig Packer, Simon A. R. Mduma, and John M. Fryxell, eds. Serengeti 3: Human Impacts on Ecosystem Dynamics. 1st ed. The University of Chicago Press, 2008.