Consequences of Poaching In East African National Parks

1. ENVS 220 Kyle Tibbett Colin Carver Consequences of Poaching In East African National Parks 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 surrounding East African national parks? Methodology The first step in addressing our research question is to prove that poaching has a noticeable effect of the populations of big game animals. We can assess this by conducting various spatial surveys on sample plots within our research area. Using inferential statistics, we can then derive the total population of big-game animals from these observations. This data with then be imported into a Geographical Information System (GIS). After obtaining population samples, we will acquire national park records of the arrests of poachers, as well as animals killed or wounded by poachers. The data will be imported in the GIS program and by looking at the areas of the park that these events occurred in; areas that face more frequent poaching can be identified. The next step will be to identify areas were poaching is prevalent and big game animal populations are low. This is poaching will have the largest effect on the health of the ecosystem. Importing the most recent population census data available into GIS, communities that reside by heavily poached areas can be attained. In order to investigate the social aspects of the issue, we will conduct surveys in our chosen communities. About 30 people will be interviewed to address how much poached meat the locals consume an average, how big of an presence poaching has on the community, and attitudes surround whether poaching negatively affects biodiversity or its impacts on the local economy. 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 dependent on 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 The national parks and protected areas of Tanzania. Most national parks are adjacent to large human populations. 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 within protected areas. Put into a Geographical Information System (GIS). Weeks 5-6: Obtain records of arrests of poachers and animals killed or wounded by poachers both in and around the protected area within the last ten years. Map relevant data into GIS system. Week 7:Identity areas where local inhabitants reside close to areas that are heavily poached using census data gathered beforehand. Weeks 8-12: Interview approximately 30 people who have various roles within communities in order to determine the presence that poaching has within the community. Week 12-15: Transcribe interviews and analyze, identifying trends or common themes. Week 16: Fly home and start to process the data obtained in order to draw conclusions and identify areas of future study. Wildebeest are currently the most sought after animal by poachers in East Africa due to their sheer abundance. Over 100,000 are removed from protected areas annually. http://www.zedsafaris.com Much of the local population in East Africa is reliant on poached meat as a means of subsistence and source protein. Livestock does not provide a large source of protein due to cultural biases and providing more versatile uses than wild meat. References Arcese, Peter, Justine Hando, and Ken Campbell. “Historical and Present-Day Anti-Poaching Efforts in Serengeti.” In Serengeti 2: Dynamics, Management, and Conservation of an Ecosytem, 504–33. University of Chicago Press, 1995. 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, Ken, and Heribert Hofer. “People and Wildlife: Spatial Dynamics and Zones of Interactions.” In Serengeti 2: Dynamics, Management, and Conservation of an Ecosytem, 534–70. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. 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.