This qualitative multiple case study explored human-elephant conflict-coexistence relationships and issues of conservation in Namibia (Damaraland) and Sri Lanka (Wasgamuwa) from a posthumanist, multispecies perspective. Within each region, conflict between humans and elephants is considered high, elephants are considered endangered and are of high conservation priority, the human population has grown significantly, and community-based organizations are implementing holistic approaches to increase positive relations between humans and elephants. This study was guided by research questions that explored the current landscape of the human-elephant-conservation nexus within each region, the shared histories between humans and elephants over time, and the value in utilizing more-than-human theoretical and methodological frameworks to enhance human-elephant relationships and support conservation efforts. Data collection methods included participant observation, naturalistic observation, interviews, visual data, and documents. Data was triangulated and analyzed within each case, as well as across cases. Major themes were identified within each case that describe unique contexts, cultures, and shared histories. These findings were then analyzed comparatively. Emergent themes across cases identified ways that a more-than-human framework may be useful in fostering coexistence between humans and elephants and supporting conservation efforts. This study contributes to the evolving scholarship on multispecies approaches to inquiry and methodology from the position of conflict resolution scholar, supports a more inclusive framework for analyzing human-wildlife conflicts, discusses theoretical and methodological implications in multispecies research, and provides recommendations for future research.

Large carnivores are among the most challenging species to conserve in our modern and crowded world. Having large spatial requirements and living in low density, they generally require wide and relatively undisturbed areas. In Europe, one of the most anthropized areas of the planet, these needs must be fulfilled in a complex human-dominated landscape. The reintroduced brown bear population living in the Central Alps represents one of the most emblematic examples of a constrained carnivore: despite a steady population increase in the first few years after reintroduction, the population did not substantially expand its range, nor has the Alpine-Dinaric metapopulation been reestablished as envisioned. Although humans have lived in the Alps for centuries, little is known about their impact on the bear population. In other environments humans are known to function as a “super-predator” by changing habitats, competing for space, consuming resources, and harvesting, which alters the ecological niche of animals, especially large carnivores. This dissertation aims to evaluate this phenomenon by assessing the effects of human disturbance on brown bears in the Alps. Anthropogenic disturbance is generally assessed by structural proxies, such as infrastructure and land use, which overlook the impact of human presence. In the first Chapter, we developed the Cumulative Outdoor activity Index (COI) to derive anthropogenic disturbance using crowdsourced data by Strava and validated it with ground truth observations derived from a local camera trapping survey. The intensity of COI provided an effective measure of functional anthropogenic disturbance, and it outperformed all commonly-used proxies of structural disturbance in predicting bear habitat use. When displacement is not an option because of habitat limitations and social mechanisms, bear mobility may clash with human activity. During the moments of lowest mobility, such as resting periods, animals have decreased ability to cope with risky situations, and therefore the selection of suitable resting areas is crucial for the long-term survival of individuals. In the second Chapter, we measured multi-scale response to risk perception (i.e., COI) and resource proximity using bedding sites by GPS radio-collared adult brown bears in the Alps. To map resources across the study area, we developed a GIS-database combining spatial and non-spatial ecological information to map fruit availability. We observed that bears apply a security-food trade-off strategy, avoiding functional anthropogenic disturbance while in proximity to resources. In the third Chapter, we explicitly tested the effect of an abrupt interruption of human mobility during COVID-19 lockdown on bears’ use of ecological corridors. Using bear occurrences reported to local authorities during the recent COVID-19 outbreak, we observed that bears used human-dominated areas more frequently, approached more intensively hot spots for road crossing network, and used areas further from the population core areas more often than previous years, suggesting that connectivity increased with reduced human mobility. In a comparatively human-free system, for the fourth Chapter we used longitudinal morphometric data to analyze drivers of changes in body mass as part of an international collaboration with biologists studying the grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Specifically, we analyzed changes in lean body mass and fat percentage during years of major ecosystem perturbations. We observed that individual lean body mass during the last two decades was primarily associated with population density, but not body fat percentage, showing density-dependent factors. Our combined findings (Chapters 1-3) showed that brown bears have to adapt their space use, movement, and resource proximity as a result of functional anthropogenic disturbance. In Chapter 4 we explored one effect of unconstrained bear space use on individuals, as manifested through density-dependent effects on body size. In the Alps, however, we found multiple instances of the human-super predator outcompeting bears so as to make density-dependent effects likely less significant as compared to human-caused mortality. These effects could occur in a variety of socio-ecological contexts across Europe, jeopardizing the long-term establishment of both newly reintroduced bear populations, as well as spatially limiting those naturally present in the environment. In response to disturbance, bears have had to reduce their ecological niche in human-dominated landscapes. Allowing humans and bears to coexist in the same landscape is a challenging task, but it is essential for the long-term survival of this newly reintroduced population that are otherwise at risk of extinction.

Biodiversity loss is one of the major environmental threats facing the planet. Incentive-based conservation is one means to reduce human pressure on wildlife by providing economic incentives for resource-dependent people to protect the environment. Marine wildlife tourism is one of the fastest growing tourism sectors globally and is viewed as an important incentive-based approach for achieving marine conservation goals. However, few studies have linked participation in the provisioning of marine wildlife tourism activities with positive social and ecological conservation outcomes. The goal of this dissertation is to provide greater understanding of the conservation value of marine wildlife tourism using whale shark tourism as a case study with a main focus on social conservation outcomes amongst tourism providers. Positive changes in perceptions, attitudes and values towards target species and their environments can be an important element of incentive-based conservation. The study has the following objectives: (1) to assess the status of the global whale shark tourism industry, including types (e.g., captive, non-captive), real and potential impacts, conservation value and management challenges and best practices; (2) to examine the ethics of provisioning whale sharks in Oslob, Philippines, the largest, non-captive viewing site in the world; (3) to determine if working in ecotourism changed the attitudes and behaviours of locals towards whale sharks and the ocean, and if tourism type affects those outcomes; (4) to assess the marine wildlife value orientations of locals working in whale shark tourism to achieve greater understanding of the factors influencing their conservation attitudes and behaviours; (5) to explore the potential long-term impacts of poorly conceived incentive-based conservation projects on social and ecological conservation outcomes; and (6) to re-examine and update the conceptual and theoretical background for wildlife tourism in light of the findings of this study. Methods include a comprehensive literature review, tourist surveys, social media content analysis, and interviews with locals working in whale shark tourism at four sites in the Philippines. Results suggest that marine wildlife tourism can play an important role in changing locals’ attitudes and behaviours towards the focal species and habitat; however, smaller-scale, more established sites had greater conservation value than the mass tourism or failed sites suggesting that small-scale, community-based ecotourism is the best approach to meeting conservation goals of marine wildlife tourism. Yet, few tourism sites meet these standards. Global standards are needed to ensure whale shark tourism activities meet desired conservation goals. Such standards should include management requirements (e.g., licensing, mandatory education program) and interaction guidelines (e.g. minimum viewing distances, limits on the number of swimmers/boats, etc.). The findings also emphasise that economics should not be the only or primary metric used to measure conservation success; rather, the focus should be on assessing a more comprehensive range of social and ecological conservation outcomes of these activities. / Graduate / 2020-04-16