Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to determine the scale of marine poaching in the Table Mountain National Park by analysing the amounts of South African abalone, West Coast rock lobster, and shellfish, finfish and bait species confiscated from fishers operating in the park’s marine protected area between 2000 and 2009. The research objectives were fourfold, namely to strengthen conceptual frameworks on illegal harvesting in protected areas; identify the quantities of the various species seized by park officials over the decadal period; cartographically plot the areas in which confiscations took place; and distinguish the different resource users and stakeholders operating in the park and examine the roles they play in resource exploitation. Data was collected from offence logbooks maintained by SANParks rangers and managers, and from records kept by Marine and Coastal Management and the South African Police Services. GIS outputs indicated seizure events over the spatial area of the park. Further data relating to the levels of poaching was sourced from illegal fishers operating in the park who discussed their operations candidly. The research findings indicate that poaching of both abalone and rock lobsters has increased significantly over time. Other marine species show lesser amounts of resources poached over the ten-year period. Spatial outcomes suggest that confiscations of abalone occur predominantly on the east coast of the park, while higher seizure events occur on the west coast for lobsters. Shellfish, finfish and bait species were confiscated in equal amounts from illegal fishers on both the east and west coasts. Future research recommended includes garnering further confiscations data from the police services and undertaking contemporary baseline assessments to discover the effects poaching has had on the resource base since the previous stock assessment in 2001. The challenge laid out for the custodians of the Table Mountain National Park marine protected area is to provide and protect cultural and environmental resources, without compromising biodiversity management, community associations and conservation strategies. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die skaal van marienebronstroping in die Tafelberg Nasionale Park te bepaal deur middel van die ontleding van die hoeveelhede Suid-Afrikaanse perlemoen, Weskus-kreef en skulpvis, vinvis en aasspesies wat vanaf oortreders (2000 tot 2009), gekonfiskeer is. Die doel van die navorsing was viervoudig naamlik, die versterking van die navorser se konseptuele-basis rondom die stroping van hulpbronne in beskermde gebiede; die bepaling van die hoeveelhede en tipe spesies wat deur parkbeamptes in beslag geneem is; die plekke waar konfiskasies plaasgevind het; en om die verskillende hulpbron gebruikers en belanghebbendes te onderskei en hulle rolle in die mariene-hulpbron benutting te ondersoek. Primêre konfiskasie-data is verkry vanaf SANparke se logboeke wat deur beamptes instandgehou is en sekondêre data is verskaf deur Mariene en Kusbestuur en die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens. Beslagleggingsgebeure is dmv GIS tegnologie op kaarte vasgelê. Verdere inligting oor die vlakke van stroping is bekom deur openhartige gesprekvoering met vissers wat onwettig in die park bedrywig is. Die navorsing het bevind dat die stropery van perlemoen en kreef met die verloop van tyd aansienlik toegeneem het. Ander mariene spesies het kleiner hoeveelhede stropery van die hulpbron oor die studietydperk aangetoon. Ruimtelike voorstellings toon dat perlemoen-stropery hoofsaaklik aan die ooskus van die park voorkom, terwyl groter beslagleggings/konfiskerings van kreef aan die weskus van die park plaasgevind het. Skulpvis, vinvis en aasspesies is gekonfiskeer by vissers wat onwettig bedrywig is in ewe groot hoeveelhede op beide die ooskus en die weskus. Toekomstige navorsing moet meer inligting oor beslagleggings van die polisie bekom en die kontemporêre basislynassesserings moet meer gereeld onderneem word om veral die effek van stropery op die hulpbron bloot te lê. Die laaste basislyn-assessering het in 2001 plaasgevind. Die uitdaging voor die bewaarders van die park se marienebeskermde gebiede is om kulturele en omgewingshulpbronne toeganklik vir alle gebruikers te maak maar dit ter selfder tyd ook te beskerm, sonder om biodiversiteit, gemeenskapassosiasies en bewaring strategieë te kompromitteer.

This research deals with the challenges of the conservation of tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in the Chitwan National Park of Nepal and aims to be a model for tiger conservation in the tropical areas of other tiger range countries. Despite the high level of public concern and major investments during the last few decades for conservation, wild tigers continue to be under grave threat, and their preservation now requires, more than ever before, using reliable ecological knowledge for their conservation interventions. In this dissertation, I investigated various factors that affect on tiger conservation in this park: population status of prey, dietary patterns of tiger and its impact on sympatric carnivores (e.g., leopard) and increasing human-wildlife conflicts, effects of habitat structures and human disturbances on prey and predator species abundance and distribution.

Humans’ hunting for ivory has had a serious impact of the African elephant population. Ivory has throughout history been a symbol of manhood and status. As the market of ivory expanded to the rest of the world, the market demand for ivory became higher than what the elephants could manage to provide. In the 1980’s, the African elephant population was threatened by extension and it was reduced with 50 percent in ten years. For this reason, CITES placed the African elephant population under a ban, which made it an illegal act to trade ivory and other elephant parts.

This research is presented in three sections. Section 1 presents the research report in an academic paper format. Section 2 provides a comprehensive literature review and Section 3 describes the research methodology and methods employed during the research. The tourism industry is the fastest growing sector within the South African Economy, with over 2.6 million foreign tourists visiting South Africa each year. Wildlife, landscapes and scenery are cited as the primary attractions for visiting the country, with over 45 percent of tourists visiting at least one wildlife or nature reserve during their stay in South Africa (Kerley et al., 2011:2). Sixty percent of those tourists travelled for leisure purposes, with 643,883 of the tourists utilising safari lodge accommodation during their visit (Ruggles-Brise, 2013). The Eastern Cape achieved 3.1 percent; of those tourist arrivals, with a bed-night contribution of 734,339, compared to the 16.8 percent (1.9million) and 10.5 percent (1.07million) for Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces respectively (Ruggles-Brise, 2013). The Eastern Cape lodges represent less than half the bed-nights achieved by Mpumalanga and Limpopo lodges. Due to the number of possible bed-nights available to lodges in the Eastern Cape, it is increasingly important for individual lodges to provide a unique experience, in order to be competitive in attracting guests (Saayman, 2013:81). This was used form part of the foundation to this research in determining the marketability of three lodges in the Eastern Cape, which was derived from the attractiveness of the lodges, determined by guests visiting the lodges. This research follows on from four previous surveys commissioned by INDALO, the Eastern Cape Private Nature Reserve Association in 2004 Sims-Castley et al. 2004), 2006 (Langholz et al., 2006), 2008 (Snowball et al., 2008) and 2011 (Kerley et al., 2011). Part of the research was to identify the main attractions of the reserves. These previous surveys provided a foundation for this research to follow on investigating guest motivations for visiting the three sample lodges and to determine visitor perception of poaching and whether it would impact their motivations for visiting the reserve. In order to address the goals of the research qualitative data was gathered during survey interviews conducted at the three sampled reserves. Seventy five (75) guests were interviewed, equally over the three reserves. Quantitative data was also gathered during the interview surveys, utilising Likert scale questions, prompting guests to choose their top attractions, from which basic descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data being able to determine possible trends amongst respondents and lodges. Results verified guest motivations from the previous surveys, confirming that game viewing, especially the “Big 5” remained the most important attraction for visitors to the reserves while the availability of natural scenery and landscape, high end accommodation and service, the proximity to the garden route and being located in a malaria free area were also see as attractive attributes of the lodges as per the previous surveys. Where the gap in the research was indicated based on guests perception of poaching and whether it would impact their motivations for visit these lodges, impacting that lodges marketability (attractiveness). Results indicated that if they were unable to view the iconic ‘Big Five’ at the reserve due to the extent of poaching. Respondents indicated that the impact would likely and very likely impact their decision to choose the reserves over another reserve that could. Indicating the potential impact that poaching would have on lodges if they were to lose their iconic species which would spell the loss in attractiveness and therefore marketability.

No description available.

Poaching is a persistent issue that threatens many of earth’s species including therhino. The methods used by poachers are varied, but many use guns to carry outtheir illegal activities. Gunfire is extremely loud and can be heard for kilometres.This thesis investigates whether it is possible to aid anti-poaching efforts in Kenyawith a gunshot detection and estimation device using an array of microphones. Ifsuccessful, the device could be placed around the savannah or any exposed areaand warn if poaching is taking place in the nearby. If a shot is fired within theaudible range of the device’s microphones, a trained machine learning algorithmdetects the shot on the edge using a microprocessor. The detection runs in realtime and achieved an accuracy of 93% on an unbalanced data set, where themajority class was the one without gunshots. Once a detection has been made, thereceived signal power to each microphone is used to produce a direction of arrivalestimate. The estimate can produce an angle estimate with a standard deviationof 66.78° for a gunshot, and with a standard deviation of 7.65° when testing themodel with white noise. Future implementations could use several devices thatdetected the same event, and fuse their estimates to locate the shooter’s position.All of this information, as well as the sound file, can be used to alert and assistlocal wildlife services. The challenges of this project have been centred aroundmaking a system run in real time with only a microprocessor on the edge, whilealso prioritizing low cost components for future deployment. / Project Ngulia

No description available.

Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit dem Pendjari-Nationalpark in Nord Benin, der 1954 während der französischen Kolonialzeit als Wildschutzgebiet gegründet wurde. Seitdem ist er Objekt konfliktreicher Aushandlungsprozesse zwischen Akteuren der Anrainer wie Feldbauern, Viehhirten sowie Jägern und der Parkverwaltung. Auf Grundlage ethnographischer Beobachtungen während einer 19monatigen Feldforschung und Analysen der Interaktionen zwischen diesen Akteuren geht die Arbeit im Wesentlichen der Frage nach, wie der Nationalpark als für verschiedene Akteursgruppen sozial relevante Realität konstruiert wird. Besondere Beachtung gilt dabei der Konstruktion von Räumen, Identitäten und Institutionen, die eng miteinander verbunden sind, wie die Arbeit durch theoretische Überlegungen und empirische Daten zeigt. Kern der Arbeit ist eine erweiterte Fallstudie zu den Kooperationsbestrebungen zwischen der Parkverwaltung und den lokalen Jägern. Sie verhandeln die Räume des Parks neu, der für die Jäger Jagdgebiet und Welt der Geister darstellt, während die Parkverwaltung und Akteure der internationalen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit dieses Territorium als staatlich geschütztes Gebiet für Biodiversität betrachten. Mit den akteursspezifischen Raumvorstellungen gehen unterschiedliche Normen und Werte einher. So legitimiert die Parkverwaltung den Schutz der Natur durch die entsprechende Gesetzeslage, wohingegen sich die lokalen Jäger als verantwortlich gegenüber lokalen Autoritäten sowie gegenüber den Geistern der Tiere und des Buschs empfinden. Die Identität der lokalen Jäger, die eng an den Umgang mit dem Raum des Nationalparks und den mit ihm verbundenen Normen und Werten geknüpft ist, wird in ihren Interaktionen mit der Parkverwaltung grundlegend gewandelt: von lokalen Jägern vor der Ausrufung des Schutzgebietes zu Wilderern im Nationalpark und schließlich zu lokalen professionellen Jägern, die an der Parküberwachung beteiligt sind. Die Erzählungen der Geschichte des Parkgebietes und die Ethnographie des alltäglichen Handelns der Jäger und ihrer Dorfgemeinschaften machen diesen Wandel deutlich. Vor der Parkausrufung waren sie innerhalb ihrer Gemeinschaft hoch anerkannt für ihre Verdienste bei der Entdeckung von neuen Siedlungsgebieten und als Verteidiger gegen äußere Feinde und die Kolonialmacht. Außerdem konnte man von ihnen das im lokalen Kontext sehr prestigeträchtige Wildfleisch erhalten. Nicht zuletzt wurde ihnen großer Respekt für ihren Mut gezollt, sich den Gefahren der Jagd zu stellen und den Geistern der wilden Tiere sowie des Busches zu begegnen, von denen sie gemäß den lokalen Vorstellungen magische Kräfte erhalten können. Allerdings wurden sie seit der Gründung des Parks und des radikalen Ausschlusses der Anrainerbevölkerung (fortress conservation) zunächst als zu „bekämpfende Wilderer“ deklariert. Diese neue Identität des Wilderers wurde mit der Zeit sowohl von der Anrainerbevölkerung als auch von den lokalen Jägern selbst übernommen. Erst mit der partizipativen Wende seit den 1990er Jahren und insbesondere infolge der Integration der Jäger in die Parküberwachung wurde ihre Identität erneut gewandelt: Sie wurden zu „lokalen professionellen Jägern“. In der Implementierung partizipativer Maßnahmen werden auch die Einflüsse der internationalen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit und Diskurse auf das lokale Handeln ersichtlich. Dies wird deutlich bei der Integration der lokalen Jäger in die Überwachung des Parks. Dazu wurden neue Institutionen wie eine Jägervereinigung und neue Vorgehensweisen der Parküberwachung ausgehandelt. Die Stabilität dieser neuen Institutionen wird im Rahmen der Arbeit anhand der von Elinor Ostrom vorgeschlagenen Design-Prinzipien bewertet. Hauptsächlich leistet die Arbeit einen grundlegenden und empirisch fundierten Beitrag zu wissenschaftlichen Debatten der Mensch-Umwelt-Beziehungen sowie insbesondere der politischen Ökologie, indem sie die soziale Produktion des Nationalparks und der mit ihm verbundenen Räume, Identitäten sowie Normen, Werte und Institutionen betrachtet. Darüber hinaus liefert sie auch praktische Empfehlungen für die Gestaltung einer partizipativen Verwaltung von Naturschutzgebieten, insbesondere von Nationalparks.

This dissertation reports on the findings of a study conducted in order to understand the impact of the attitudes and perceptions of some residents in Bloemfontein, towards rhino poaching and anti-rhino poaching initiatives in South Africa. Prominent theoretical models, such as the theory of reasoned action (TRA), the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the decomposed theory of planned behaviour (DTPB), and the Rosenberg and Hovland Tripartite model of attitudes and perceptions, were used to help understand Bloemfontein residents’ attitudes and perceptions towards rhino poaching and anti-rhino poaching ini-tiatives in South Africa. Data was collected from residents in areas such as the Central University of Technology, the University of the Free State, the Waterfront Mall and the Mimosa Mall, respectively. A total of 252 usable responses were obtained, and the sta-tistical package for social sciences (SPSS) as well as a descriptive statistical instrument, were used to analyse the data. The findings of the study revealed that residents’ attitudes and perceptions to-wards rhino poaching and anti-rhino poaching initiatives contribute significantlytowards their intentions to act positively or negatively in curbing or reducing rhino poaching crime in South Africa. The research findings also showed that while there are differences in attitudes and perceptions between residents across different demographic groups, demographic factors alone are weak predictors of residents’ attitudes and perceptions towards rhino poaching. The study found that perceived trust, practical approaches, intentions to act and effective community involvement significantly contribute to residents’ positive attitudes and perceptions towards anti-rhino poaching initiatives in South Africa. The implications of other factors such as corruption, economic challenges, willingness of the authorities to act, and the heightened demand for rhino horn trade, have been discussed, and suggestions for future research are made. / Environmental Sciences / M.A. (Environmental Management)

Abalone poaching is a major problem in South Africa. The South African abalone, Haliotis midae, rates as an extreme example of high levels of illegal harvesting. The research aimed at examining the role of the different role players in preventing poaching of the species in the East London area of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and determining the challenges the officers faced as there was an increase in poaching in the area. To achieve this aim, the research techniques including questionnaires, interviews and focus groups were used. Fisheries compliance and enforcement faces challenges of the illegal harvesting of abalone since 1994. In the past 18 years (1994-2012), and more specifically in the past nine years (2004-2012), poaching of abalone has increased at an alarming rate along the East London coastline. The failure of the state to issue fishing rights and conduct effective sea-based compliance, combined with the incentives to fish abalone created the conditions for rapid emergence of illegal harvesting. The uncontrolled fishing had a dramatic effect on the stock, and the average size of abalone decreased significantly. The Eastern Cape Province abalone cultivation industries were developed due to the decline in harvesting of abalone. Government departments such as the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism; the South African Police Services together with the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency have conducted joint operations to combat the illegal harvesting of abalone. These operations have led to many arrests of abalone poachers along the East London coastline. The quantity of confiscated abalone has increased from 2007 to 2011. The positive results achieved by the departments during joint operations showcase robust efforts to eradicate the environmental transgression in the East London Coastline. Joint operations are encouraged by all the departments to save the species for future generations. Workshops involving different stakeholders had to take place and the policies in place must have a bottom-up approach where communities are involved.