This thesis explores human-wildlife interactions under community managed game parks. The thesis consists of an introductory chapter, study location chapter and four self-contained studies based on different samples from created clusters surrounding Nyatana Game Park, which make up the rest of the thesis chapters. Chapter one presents an introductory overview of wildlife management in Zimbabwe, specifically looking at human-wildlife interactions under CAMPFIRE projects, welfare dynamics and conservation implications for the surrounding communities who share boundaries with community-managed game parks. The chapter concludes by highlighting the challenges facing community-based wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe as well as the key concepts that will be the subject of the rest of the thesis. Chapter two presents the study location; it highlights the road map to the study area, starting with the provincial location, and indicates the specific districts from which respondents were selected. A brief agro-ecological summary of the study area is also presented; it looks specifically at climate, vegetation and a demographic data of the study area. Chapter three: Can game parks be trusted as livelihood sources? To answer this topical question, Chapter three explores livelihood adaptation strategies for households who share boundaries with Nyatana Game Park. Most of the community managed game parks, under CAMPFIRE principles in Zimbabwe, were established with the primary objective of generating revenue for the surrounding communities; this was done in the hope of using positive returns from game farming to promote the conservation of wildlife. Has this materialised in practice? Descriptive results from this study seem to suggest otherwise, where mixed farming and gold panning were the major livelihood adaptation choices reported by most households. The revenue from game farming was reported to be too low and inconsistent, to such an extent that the majority of the community regarded it as risky and unreliable. A multinomial logistic regression model for correlates of adaptation choices indicated that access to credit, markets, and extension may be some of the current institutional constraints inhibiting households from accessing off-farm sources for their livelihoods. In addition, household size, gender and age may enhance the adaptive capacity of households to move out of risky crop faming into other off-farm portfolio diversifications. The study, therefore, suggests that game parks, according to the evidence uncovered by the study, may not be trusted as a reliable and sustainable livelihood source. If local communities who share boundaries with game parks do not view them as reliable and sustainable livelihood sources, as concluded in Chapter three, how can they (local communities) be trusted to conserve them? To assess their perceptions of game parks, Chapter four presents a multinomial logistic regression model for perceptions of society on game parks using the African elephant as a typical example. The results suggest that Problem Animal Control (PAC) perceptions, livestock predation and issues of low and poor revenue distribution may be some of the critical perceptions capable of influencing surrounding communities to negatively participate in the conservation of wildlife. The results further suggest that using wildlife proceeds to finance observable local common pool infrastructure may positively influence the surrounding communities to conserve wildlife. The chief conclusion regarding game parks, therefore, was that the surrounding communities were in favour of the obliteration pathway, although minimal conservation perceptions were also available. Given the negative conclusions regarding game parks, as suggested in Chapters three and four, citizens would then wonder if any meaningful hope for community managed game parks exists. Chapter five probes the buffer zone livelihood link under community managed game parks, using evidence from the Nyatana Game Park. The binary logistic regression model results, for buffer zone participation and resource extraction combinations by surrounding communities, suggest that resource extraction may be market driven rather than focussing on domestic consumption. The study therefore concludes that the buffer zone livelihood link as currently practiced, though potential, may fail to address the livelihood expectations of the sub-district producer communities. The study therefore calls for extreme caution whenever the buffer zone livelihood link is considered, because several institutional and design conflicts exist within this dynamic. In Chapter six, the study further probed the buffer zone income dynamics for the sub-district producer community. The results of descriptive statistics suggest that the contribution of buffer zone activities to household income may be significant with a positive correlation to household agricultural income for communities who reside inside or close to the park (primary sub-district producer community). Using the Gini decomposition approach and Lorenz curves, the study concluded that a buffer zone income may be capable of contributing to more equally distributed incomes for rural communities who share boundaries with game parks. With respect to the correlates of household income, the results suggest that household size and age may negatively influence income from buffer zone activities, while gender may have a positive effect. This was also true for education and Livestock Units (LUs) with respect to income from self employment; the former positively and the latter negatively related. The results further suggest that land size may also be positively significant in order to explain income from agriculture as well as total income. With regard to the distance from the buffer zone, the results suggest a negative influence with respect to the buffer zone, agriculture and total income. The implied message therefore suggests that buffer zones may provide active livelihood sources which are capable of financing rural household agriculture. The income equalizing effect which is portrayed may also further imply that, if correctly targeted and promoted, a buffer zone income could possibly address the current income inequality which is generic in rural areas. However, this potential may not be realized due to the current buffer zone design status (created for local secondary use as opposed to commercial primary use), restrictive policies and poor institutional support. With this dilemma facing community managed game parks (threats as summarised in Chapters three and four amid the potential hope summarized in Chapters five and six), Chapter 7 concludes the study by suggesting that the human-wildlife interaction model, though currently theoretical, may have significant practical potential in addressing the livelihoods of the surrounding communities as well as promoting the conservation of wildlife. This could be possible if available challenges that range from low revenue, insecure property rights, high human-elephant conflict and institutional design conflict for buffer zone utilization are corrected by means of the free market system. This would allow market forces to deliver on the expectations of the ―human-wildlife interactions model‖ – sustainable livelihoods for the former and intergenerational conservation for the latter.

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Röjningsinstruktioner och virkesinköpare anser att rönn, asp, sälg/salix och ek (RASE) ska sparas i ungskogsröjningar för att det ska finnas annat foder åt skogslevande vilt än produktionsskog. Dessutom är ett vanligt råd till skogsägare av virkesköparna att satsa på foderskapande åtgärder för att avleda hjortdjuren. Undersökningen av ungskogsröjning visar dock att teori och praktik inte går ihop, där få stammar av RASE sparas och det är troligare att björk sparas. Enstaka RASE kan sparas i lucka där de inte kan konkurrera med en huvudstam av det planterade trädslaget. En alternativ skogsskötsel, som Öster Malma-modellen, ser blandskog som en mer ekonomiskt stabilt skogsbestånd och det bidrar samtidigt med mer lövskog än traditionell skötsel som sköter bestånd utifrån monokulturer. Forskning har även visat att foderkonkurrens mellan hjortdjuren kan göra att älg betar mer tall än bärris. En kunskapsbaserad viltförvaltning som omfamnar fler arter än en skulle kunna vara en del av lösningen.

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Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) are a critically important prey species for Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). Determination of snowshoe hare distribution and abundance is needed in western Wyoming for lynx conservation. We used linear regression to examine the correlations between snowshoe hare density, as determined by mark-recapture estimates, and fecal pellet plot counts on both uncleared and annually cleared plots on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, western Wyoming. We found significant correlations between hare density estimates and fecal pellet counts for both uncleared and annually cleared pellet counts; however the relationship was much stronger for annually cleared pellet counts. Adjusting the buffer size by omitting hard habitat edges (not used by hares) around the trapping grids improved correlations between hare density and fecal pellet counts further. We recommend pellet counts from annually cleared plots be used when precise estimates of snowshoe hare abundance are required. Though precision is sacrificed when using uncleared plots, they are useful as a coarse index of habitat use by hares. The derived regression equations should be used to identify foraging habitat for lynx in western Wyoming. In addition to snowshoe hares, in western Wyoming red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and grouse (Bonasa umbellus and Dendragapus obscurus) are used by Canada lynx. Whether young forests or older multi-storied forests contain more snowshoe hares, red squirrels, and grouse in western Wyoming is currently unknown. We estimated snowshoe hare density, and indexed red squirrel and forest grouse abundance in 3 classes of 30-70-year-old lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and 4 classes of mature multi-storied forest with a spruce (Picea engelmannii)-fir (Abies lasiocarpa) component. We recorded landscape and forest structure characteristics to understand how these influence lynx prey abundance. Overall, snowshoe hares, red squirrels, and forest grouse were more abundant in multi-storied forests than young forests. Forest attributes that predicted prey abundance were often more prevalent in multi-storied forests. Results from this study suggest that multi-storied forests with a spruce-fir component were disproportionately important to snowshoe hares, red squirrels, and forest grouse in western Wyoming. Canada lynx conservation efforts should focus on maintaining, enhancing, and promoting multi-storied forests in this region.

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) currently inhabit about 56% of pre-settlement distribution of potential habitat. In 2005, the Castle Country Adaptive Resources Management Local Working Group (CaCoARM) was formed to address concerns regarding local sage-grouse populations in Carbon and Emery counties. In 2006-2007, CaCoARM identified the Wildcat Knolls and Horn Mountain as areas of special concern for greater sage-grouse conservation. Both sites selected by the group were inhabited by what appeared to be small isolated sage-grouse populations. Factors limiting small isolated greater sage-grouse populations throughout its range are diverse and largely site-specific. During 2008-2009, I captured, radio-collared, and monitored 43 sage-grouse between the two populations to document their ecology and seasonal habitat use patterns. The sites are only 24 km apart, but the populations appear to be isolated from each other. Sage-grouse on Horn Mountain and Wildcat Knolls are one-stage migratory and non-migratory, respectively. Although nesting and brooding success varied between sites, my results were comparable to those published in studies throughout the species' range. Overall male survival was lower on the Wildcat Knolls than Horn Mountain (P = 0.003). Hens that selected brood sites exhibiting increased shrub cover and grass height were more successful than hens that selected sites with lower shrub cover and lower grass height. Potential nesting habitat on the Wildcat Knolls and Horn Mountain were estimated at 2,329 and 5,493 ha, respectively. Hens that selected nest sites farther from non-habitat edge were more successful than hens that selected nest sites that were closer to non-habitat edge on the Wildcat Knolls. Higher nest success observed on the Wildcat Knolls was attributed to less habitat fragmentation. Isolated populations of greater sage-grouse are more susceptible to lower amounts of genetic diversity that may lead to inbreeding depression and increased rates of disease and parasites. I collected mitochondrial DNA samples from both the Wildcat Knolls and Horn Mountain populations. Although the haplotype frequencies recorded in the Wildcat Knolls and Horn Mountain populations were low, one was shared with several Utah populations. The documented low genetic diversity (especially on Horn Mountain) confirmed the isolation suspected by the local working group. Microsatellite tests may provide insights to enhance understanding of genetic differences among sites, and assist managers in determining whether or not translocations are necessary to maintain population genetic diversity. Biologists should not only continue to take samples for genetic comparison, but also record morphometric and behavior data.

Intermountain West bison abundance and chronology is much debated, but little work addressing these debates has occurred in eastern Oregon. Historic records indicate bison were absent from eastern Oregon at Euro-American contact. However, during explorations in eastern Oregon in 1826 Ogden reported bison skeletons in a dry lake bed, suggesting bison once lived in the area. This study reviews archaeological and paleontological records, and ethnohistoric accounts of early 19th century explorers, to synthesize the Holocene history of bison eastern Oregon. Bison NISP (number of identified specimens) was documented from site reports when available, and overall abundance was measured by number of sites and number of dated components containing bison. Optimal foraging theory suggests archaeofaunal assemblages can be used to determine abundance of high-ranked prey such as bison in the paleoenvironment. To determine bison chronology for undated archaeological and paleontological contexts, 15 bison bone samples were selected for AMS dating. In total, 136 archaeological site reports were reviewed, 102 include discussions of faunal analysis, and 20 provide evidence of bison. Two paleontological records provided sufficient data to include in this study. Bison NISP values were relatively small and in reports offering quantitative faunal data, bison represented a minimal percentage of the total mammalian assemblage. Of the AMS results, five were problematic and excluded from the study, and ten provided unambiguous ages ranging from 800-160 BP. Previously published dates in conjunction with new AMS dates support a late Holocene presence of bison in eastern Oregon. Bison are present, yet scarce, in the early Holocene and altogether absent between 7,000-3,000 BP. Research results for this study are similar to those from other Intermountain West regions. Research suggests large ungulates such as bison were never abundant in the Intermountain West due to environmental constraints. Grassland degradation caused by the introduction of cattle provides proof that the region is inappropriate for large grazing herds. Understanding the prehistory of bison in the region has implications for management of modern herds as well as grassland conservation issues.

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