PACHYDERMS, PLANTAINS AND POVERTY: THE CASE OF BIA CONSERVATION AREA Sam, M.K, Adjapong, A. O, Oduro W.K, Oppong, S.K, Danquah, E, Akom, E. & Ofori-Amanfoh, R. Wildlife Division, Forestry Commission Western Region - Takoradi
Structure of my presentation Introduction Goal and research objectives Methods Results and Discussions Conclusion
Introduction Human-elephant conflict is a problem around many parks and reserves across Africa As human populations increase and elephant populations become more concentrated in isolated protected areas and remnant forest habitats, these conflicts are almost certain to escalate
Introduction There has not been much systematic data gathering attempts to appreciate the issue i.e. including understanding the elephants requirements (and preferences) around the Bia Conservation Area (BCA) and the characteristics of human/elephants conflicts around the park This is important in our efforts to help conserve the elephants and reduce biodiversity loss but also secure the livelihood of the surrounding communities as strategies are devised to reduce crop losses to elephants
Research goal The conservation of forest elephants in the Upper Guinea forest zone of West Africa
Research objectives severity of crop- To determine the distribution and raiding and crop damage around BCA To assess the factors that influence crop depredation by elephants around BCA To determine the profile/kinds of elephants groups (family, bull or individuals) that raid crops To assess the economic importance of the crop damage phenomenon in the local economy v. To determine what measures farmers were using to curb crop raiding
Research Site An extensive network of 12 FR and 2 W/LIFE R Size : 50km x 100km Dry to moist semideciduous forest zone Alt. 170m 240m Forest Achrosols
Methods 1. Social survey of human-elephant conflicts-questionnaires 2. Field assessment of elephant cropraiding and damage using AfESG elephant damage report sheet 3. Field assessment of elephants involved in crop-raiding Data analysis Damage score index (Hoare, 1999) Regression models Computation of age and sex of groups of problem elephants
Major findings Severity of Crop damage The main human-elephant conflict issue in the study area is farm destructions by elephants (86%,n=360) Crop raiding is a serious problem which occurs throughout the year. However, crop damage may start from April and become sever in June, and may continue steadily till September. Almost half of the people who reported crop damage by elephants were employing different kinds of traditional deterrent methods of driving away elephants from their farms of which noise making and firing of guns and carbide bombs were most prominent.
Major findings In their attempts to deter the elephants, the majority of farmers (72%, n=360) were afraid for their lives and had usually relied on the Wildlife Division (WD) guards to drive raiding elephants back to the reserves. Within the study period, there was a total of 215 raids on farms around the Bia Conservation Area alone. Less than 1 % of land under cultivation within 5 km of the park boundary were destroyed by elephants The individual farmers damaged farm was estimated to be between 14% to over 90% of a farm Plantain, closely followed by Cocoa and Cassava were the most raided crops (23%, 22% and 22% of all crop raids recorded, n= 215)
Major findings There was significant relationship between number of raids and number of plantain farms (r 2 =0.911, P<0.001)
Major findings Crop raiding was largely targeted at crops that were mostly matured (86% of total number of times crops were raided n= 215) and of good quality Crop raiding was also targeted at crops that were mostly matured (79% of total number of times crops were raided n= 215) and of good quality
Major findings The more combination (especially, if there are more than two different crops) species on a farm the more it attracts elephants There was significant relationship between number of raids and number of food crop species (r 2 =0.861, P<0.0001).
Major findings 3 10 3 05 3 00 6 40 N 6 35 Bia NP 6 30 Bia RR 6 25 6 20 Most crop raiding occurred around the south eastern boundary of the park 0 5 10 km Legend = Crop raiding sites
Major findings About 25% of the elephants in the park were involved in crop raiding Both family and Bull groups of elephants participate in crop raiding around the park Communities living around the BCA lost about GH 16,910 (an average of about GH 528.44 per affected village) as a result of crop raiding by elephants
Conclusions Within limits of data gathered, the risk of crop raids depends largely upon the proportion of land under cultivation in an area, number of crop species on the farm and the number of farms with maize, yam, cassava, cocoa, but especially plantain present The strongest predictor of risk is the nearest distance between an area under cultivation and the reserve boundary Given that people must eat, and the current policy of the Government of Ghana is to conserve the country s last remaining elephants, then there is the need to search for a form of agriculture that reduces the risks of attracting elephants. The most effective action a farmer can take is to move further away from the park boundary, reduce the number of farms within that band, or change to planting of crops that elephants do not usually cherish.
Acknowledgements US Fisand Wildlife Service. Dr Holly Dublin, Prof. Nigel Leader-Williams, Dr Hugo Jachmann and Dr Richard Barnes, Dr Emmanuel Danquah Forestry Commission, Wildlife Division, Local communities Field Assistants, Chiefs and people of the study area IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group (AfESG), A Rocha Ghana
Thanks for your Attention