Mapping of human wildlife conflict hotspots in Silowana complex of Western province in Zambia.
| dc.contributor.author | Chilambe, Brian | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-09-03T07:19:25Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-09-03T07:19:25Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description | Thesis of Master of Science in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation | |
| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation is about a study conducted on mapping HWC hotspots in Silowana Complex of Western Province in Zambia. Spatially identifying HWC (hotspots) and possible mitigation measures is necessary to inform HWC management in order to facilitate a nonviolent coexistence of humans and wildlife. This study used Earth Observation techniques, Geographic Information Systems and spatial modelling to identify areas at risk of HWC and possible mitigation measures to address the conflict, based on the Silowana Complex (SC) as a case study area. The study achieved three (3) specific objectives: it analysed forms of HWC; modelled HWC hotspots and established possible HWC mitigation measures in the case study area The study achieved its objectives through a total of 200 HWC incident records covering 2020 to 2021 acquired from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW). To supplement this dataset, a semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 100 respondents. The study modelled HWC occurrences together with environmental predictor variables extracted from the land cover map. The land cover map was classified from entinel 2 Level 1C satellite images using the Supported Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm in ArcGIS Pro (Version 2.4.1). Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) software (Version 3.4.1) was used to model HWCs. The outputs were analyzed and mapped using ArcGIS Pro (Version 2.4.1). Further, the study found that, HWC is caused by the following species of wildlife in their order of magnitude; African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) at 47%, Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) at 24%, Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) at 21%, Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) at 2% each, Lions (Panthera Leo) at 1% and Common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) at 1 %. Further, the study analyzed seasonal patterns of HWC and found that HWC occurred throughout the year with peaks in March and October. Further, the study found that a total of 550 km2 or 55,000 hectares of SC (5% of its area) was at risk of HWC. The results showed that of the total HWC hotspot areas, 60% were in the GMA, 22% were in the Open area, and 18% were in the National Park. The study also established that community members practiced exclusionary and deterrent methods to mitigate HWC. The practice of these methods show that community members had knowledge of how to mitigate HWC. The study concluded that Lower West Zambezi GMA experienced more HWC than Sioma Ngwezi National Park. Further, human communities in the GMA are the most affected by HWC than those in the National Park. The study recommended that, DNPW and its conservation partners should consider promoting community-based HWC management, conservation education, livelihood diversification, and prioritize integrated land use planning in addressing HWC in both the National Park and GMA. In addition, future studies on this topic could largely replicating this model in other landscapes in Zambia. Further research is needed focused on quantifying the impacts (Physiological, Social and Economic) of HWC on local human communities. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://dspace.unza.zm/handle/123456789/8831 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.title | Mapping of human wildlife conflict hotspots in Silowana complex of Western province in Zambia. | |
| dc.type | Thesis |