Doctoral Degrees (Conservation Ecology and Entomology)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Conservation Ecology and Entomology) by Subject "Agricultural ecology"

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    Farming with Predators - An agroecological approach to human-wildlife conflict on Namibian farmlands
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-03) Luyt, Eustatius du Chavoux; Leslie, Alison J.; Hui, Cang; Marker, Laurie; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Conservation Ecology and Entomology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Human-wildlife conflict is a worldwide and increasingly important problem. In the past most “solutions” to this problem have been either from an agricultural perspective or from a conservation perspective. As the goals of these two perspectives differ, there has been frustratingly little progress in preventing human-wildlife conflict. The “Farming with Predators” project aimed to cross this divide by designing a Decision Support System (DSS) for farmers and land managers aimed at mitigating human-wildlife conflict by combining ecological and agricultural information in a single agroecological model. In Namibia, four predator species are widely considered to be responsible for most livestock losses, namely: leopards (Panthera pardus), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), caracals (Caracal caracal) and black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas). Two of these predator species (A. jubatus and P. pardus) are classified as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species. Since about 90% of Namibia’s cheetahs are found on farmlands, finding solutions to conflict with farmers is a priority, for both cheetah survival and farming in Namibia. Some relevant aspects of the predators’ ecology are discussed using the literature and field data. The proposed DSS makes use of a cost-benefit analysis of current anti-predation measures used by Namibian farmers (using survey data) as well as ecological data on habitat preferences and the spatial behaviour of the predators, predator prey preferences and predator ecological interactions by using a Bayesian Network approach (Probabilistic Graphical Model). Important gaps in our knowledge that require further research in order to address farmer-predator conflict are highlighted in the process. If implemented and as farmers start using the program, the model can be updated with new data in order to enable greater accuracy. Some practical applications of agroecological principles in real-world farmer-predator conflict are also discussed.