Thesis (M.S.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-98). / xii, 98 leaves, bound 29 cm

In South Australia, overabundant kangaroo populations are managed through commercial harvest. Kangaroo harvest rates over the past decade have averaged only 40% of the harvest quota despite strong demand for the product. With kangaroo populations increasing, the problem of low kangaroo harvest rate in South Australia requires research attention. Previous research regarding kangaroo harvest has focused on questions of biology and ecology and little attention has been directed towards advancing understanding of the human dimensions of kangaroo management. This research sought to fill this gap in knowledge. Qualitative research methods were most appropriate due to the focus on social and institutional dimensions of kangaroo management. Data were collected during interviews with people involved in commercial kangaroo harvest: landholders, harvesters and meat processors. The main topics covered were regnlations and policy, economic issues, the rights and interests of various industry stakeholders and South Australian harvest rates. The views of Aboriginal people were also sought including the significance of kangaroos to Aboriginal people, access to kangaroos for subsistence harvest, kangaroo management and the kangaroo industry. The main findings of this research are presented as a series of peer-reviewed articles: • Article I introduces the research topic and presents preliminary findings of this study. • Article 2 establishes that an increase in South Australia's low harvest rate is needed if kangaroo harvest is to make greater contributions to regional communities, and recommends institutional reform to meet this goal. • Article 3 examines the management regime for kangaroos in South Australia and shows how the informal rules in use are often incongruent with the formal rules established by management administrators. • Article 4 describes the undervalued position of landholders in the kangaroo industry and the obstacles to landholders deriving income from kangaroo harvest. • Article 5 discusses the cultural basis of Aboriginal perspectives on kangaroo harvest and includes suggestions for appropriate ways for Aboriginal people to contribute to kangaroo management. The main findings of this research were applied in a comparative study of kangaroo management with that of moose management in Finland. This study found that similar social and institutional factors impact on the management of moose and kangaroos. The broad lessons for wildlife management drawn from the comparative study are: • mobile wildlife resources require flexible management systems • stakeholder involvement is critical to management • hunters/harvesters are conservative of their resource base • declining harvester numbers need to be addressed through support, incentives and training. These lessons can be applied in part, or in whole, to other overabundant and mobile wildlife species. Thus this thesis makes contribution to kangaroo management by making specific recommendations for the industry, but also contributes to wildlife management in a broader sense through the application of findings to other species. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1298303 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, 2007

In South Australia, overabundant kangaroo populations are managed through commercial harvest. Kangaroo harvest rates over the past decade have averaged only 40% of the harvest quota despite strong demand for the product. With kangaroo populations increasing, the problem of low kangaroo harvest rate in South Australia requires research attention. Previous research regarding kangaroo harvest has focused on questions of biology and ecology and little attention has been directed towards advancing understanding of the human dimensions of kangaroo management. This research sought to fill this gap in knowledge. Qualitative research methods were most appropriate due to the focus on social and institutional dimensions of kangaroo management. Data were collected during interviews with people involved in commercial kangaroo harvest: landholders, harvesters and meat processors. The main topics covered were regnlations and policy, economic issues, the rights and interests of various industry stakeholders and South Australian harvest rates. The views of Aboriginal people were also sought including the significance of kangaroos to Aboriginal people, access to kangaroos for subsistence harvest, kangaroo management and the kangaroo industry. The main findings of this research are presented as a series of peer-reviewed articles: • Article I introduces the research topic and presents preliminary findings of this study. • Article 2 establishes that an increase in South Australia's low harvest rate is needed if kangaroo harvest is to make greater contributions to regional communities, and recommends institutional reform to meet this goal. • Article 3 examines the management regime for kangaroos in South Australia and shows how the informal rules in use are often incongruent with the formal rules established by management administrators. • Article 4 describes the undervalued position of landholders in the kangaroo industry and the obstacles to landholders deriving income from kangaroo harvest. • Article 5 discusses the cultural basis of Aboriginal perspectives on kangaroo harvest and includes suggestions for appropriate ways for Aboriginal people to contribute to kangaroo management. The main findings of this research were applied in a comparative study of kangaroo management with that of moose management in Finland. This study found that similar social and institutional factors impact on the management of moose and kangaroos. The broad lessons for wildlife management drawn from the comparative study are: • mobile wildlife resources require flexible management systems • stakeholder involvement is critical to management • hunters/harvesters are conservative of their resource base • declining harvester numbers need to be addressed through support, incentives and training. These lessons can be applied in part, or in whole, to other overabundant and mobile wildlife species. Thus this thesis makes contribution to kangaroo management by making specific recommendations for the industry, but also contributes to wildlife management in a broader sense through the application of findings to other species. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1298303 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, 2007

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Montana, 2004. / Typescript. Additional information available on author's web site. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-142).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.) -- University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2005. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Feb. 1, 2006). Thesis advisor: David S. Buckley. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The development of conservation and management programs for an animal population relies on a knowledge of the number of individuals in an area. In order to achieve reliable estimates, precise and accurate techniques for estimating population densities are needed. This study compared the use of direct and indirect methods of estimating kudu (Trage/aphus strepsiceras), bush buck (Trage/aphus scriptus), common duiker (Sy/vicapra grimmia), and blue duiker (Philantamba manticala) densities on Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. These species prefer habitats of dense forest and bush for concealment and are therefore not easily counted in open areas. Herein direct observation counts were compared to indirect sampling via pellet group counts (clearance plots, line transects, variable-width transects, and strip transects). Clearance plots were examined every 2 weeks, while all other methods were conducted seasonally, from August 2002 until August 2003. The strip transect method provided the lowest density estimates (animals per hal ranging from 0.001 for bushbuck to 0.025 for common duiker, while direct observations yielded the highest estimates, ranging from 0.804 for bush buck to 4.692 for kudu. Also, a validation of methods was performed against a known population of kudu during which the DISTANCE method yielded the most accurate results, with an estimated density of 0.261 that was within the actual density of 0.246 to 0.282. In addition, the DISTANCE method was compared to helicopter counts ofkudu and its estimates were found to be approximately 2.6 times greater than the helicopter count results. When the assessment of the methods was made, the cost, manpower and effort requirements, coefficient of variation, and performance against a known population for each method were taken into consideration. Overall, the DISTANCE method performed the best with low cost, minimal manpower and effort requirements, and low coefficient of variation. On Shamwari Game Reserve, the DISTANCE method estimated 0.300 kudu, 0.108 bushbuck, 0.387 common duiker, and 0.028 blue duiker per ha, which, when extrapolated to the total number of animals present within subtropical thicket habitat, estimated 1973 kudu, 710 bush buck, 2545 common duiker, and 184 blue duiker.

La gestion de la faune sauvage hors des ENP pose en premier lieu la question de la connaissance des milieux qu'elle fréquente et de l'évolution de leur capacité d’accueil. Aboutir à une description détaillée de la répartition qualitative et quantitative des espèces, avec comme seuls collecteurs de données des professionnels formés à ces fins, peut sembler utopique. L’immensité des espaces de la campagne banale combinée à la mobilité des espèces supposent une présence régulière et un relevé assez fréquent d'indices de présence lorsque des suivis sont nécessaires. Si certains chercheurs et gestionnaires n’hésitent désormais plus à utiliser l’écologie participative comme un moyen de collecte de ces données, cette méthode souffre parfois d’un manque de bénévoles, donc d'un défaut d’informations sur certaines parties des maillages qu'il faudrait renseigner. Dans ce contexte, envisager de solliciter ceux qui façonnent ces milieux naturels, donc qui séjournent longuement et utilisent cette nature, semble une alternative plausible pour acquérir des informations et des savoirs nécessaires à la gestion de la faune sauvage. Or, la qualité de ceux-ci est à interroger pour en mesurer la richesse et la fiabilité, et donc les possibilités ou non de les mobiliser dans des processus de suivis ou de gestion. Afin de conduire cette recherche, un objet et un terrain d’étude appropriés étaient nécessaires. Le choix s’est porté sur les savoirs locaux des chasseurs de gibier d’eau des zones humides girondines. La pratique de la chasse de la nuit a été plus particulièrement ciblée, ces adeptes disposant de carnets sur lesquels ils enregistrent parfois depuis longtemps des observations de l’avifaune, et l’activité en elle-même imposant de se tenir dans un poste fixe. Au-delà de leurs observations, des savoirs locaux potentiellement importants ont donc pu être accumulées. Dans les deux cas, l’accès à ces items est complexe et impose de créer une relation de confiance, que nous avons acquise grâce à l’échange d’informations. Il a ainsi été possible de poursuivre notre recherche en nous intéressant à l’aspect « observations » grâce aux carnets, puis à l’aspect « savoirs » en menant des entretiens en situation avec ces locaux. Notre travail interroge d’abord à la nature des informations nécessaires à la gestion de différentes espèces de la faune sauvage, et à la variabilité des moyens qui sont utilisés pour les collecter. La mobilisation de savoirs appartenant parfois à des ruraux amène ensuite à s’interroger sur leur pertinence scientifique. Il apparaît que ces derniers peuvent s’avérer être des contributions probantes qui concourent à une meilleure gestion de la faune sauvage. Ainsi, on montre ensuite en quoi différentes pratiques cynégétiques mobilisent des savoirs qui semblent pouvoir contribuer à la gestion de la faune sauvage. Les caractéristiques de la chasse de nuit au gibier d’eau la rendent plus propice à la collecte d’observations et de savoirs originaux, dont certains pourraient contribuer à la gestion de l’avifaune migratrice. Les zones humides girondines apparaissent alors comme un terrain d’étude approprié. Puis, on regarde de manière détaillée en quoi consiste la pratique de la chasse au gibier, et on montre que ces pratiquants sont susceptibles de collecter des informations originales sur l’avifaune et les milieux humides. La fiabilité des informations collectées et donc la qualité des observateurs pouvant être hétérogènes suivant les affinités de ces pratiquants, les meilleurs d’entre eux doivent être identifiés. On s’attache alors à déceler, en utilisant leurs carnets, les chasseurs qui, parmi la masse de ces individus, s’avèrent être des observateurs fiables. Au-delà, les informations qu’ils ont accumulées sont susceptibles de s’être combinées en savoirs. A travers une série d’entretiens puis d’évaluations, c’est la nature et la richesse de leurs savoirs qu’on interroge, pour identifier les plus experts et compétents d’entre eux. / The wildlife management outside the protected natural area asks the question of knowledge of the environments it attends and the evolution of their capacity. Achieve to a detailed description of the qualitative and quantitative distribution of species, with the only professionals as data collectors trained for these purposes, seems Utopian. The immensity of spaces of trivial campaign combined with the mobility of species involved a regular presence and a fairly common statement for presence indices when monitoring is necessary. While some researchers and managers are now more reluctant to use the participatory ecology as a way of collecting these data, this method can sometimes suffer from a lack of volunteers. A lack of information can exist on some parts that it would inquire. In this context, consider seeking those who shape these natural environments, staying long and using this nature seems a plausible alternative to acquire information and knowledge necessary to wildlife management. But the quality of these collectors is to ask to measure wealth and reliability, and thus the opportunities or not to engage in follow-ups or management process. To conduct this research, an object and a field of appropriate study were required. The choice fell on local knowledge of waterfowl hunters of the Gironde wetlands. The practice of hunting at night was particularly targeted, these enthusiasts have books on which they sometimes long record observations of birds, and the activity itself imposing to stand in a fixed position. Beyond their observations, potentially significant local knowledge could therefore be accumulated. In both cases, access to these items is complex and requires to create a relationship of trust that we have gained through the exchange of information. It was thus possible to continue our research by focusing on the aspect of "observations" through books, and then to the aspect of "knowledge" by conducting interviews with these locals hunters. Our work first examines the nature of the information necessary for the management of different species of wildlife and variability wherewithal that are used to collect. The mobilization of knowledge sometimes belonging to rural then raises questions about their scientific relevance. It appears that these may contribute to better management of wildlife. Thus, we show how various hunting practices mobilize knowledge that appear to contribute to the management of wildlife. The characteristics of the night hunting waterfowl make it more conducive to the collection of observations and original knowledge, some of which could contribute to the management of migratory birds. Wetlands Gironde appear as an appropriate field study. Then, we look in details what constitutes the practice of hunting game, and show that these practitioners are likely to collect original information on birds and wetlands. The reliability of information collected and therefore the quality of the observers may be heterogeneous according to the affinities of these practitioners, the best of them should be identified. The last part then attaches to detect, using their notebooks, hunters who among the mass of these individuals turn out to be reliable observers. In addition, the information they are likely to have accumulated combined knowledge. Through a series of interviews and evaluations, it is the nature and the richness of their knowledge that asks to identify the most expert and competent of them.

Human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) emerge as complex conservation challenges impairing human livelihood and wildlife populations. Research on HWC, however, has traditionally approached these components apart and focused on single/ similar species, hampering a broader understanding of the connections between ecological drivers and human dimensions of conflicts. We here develop and test a model integrating ecological and human components of HWC, focusing on three species - opossum, crab-eating fox and puma. We investigated the pathways through which the ecological context (forest cover) affects experiences with wildlife (contact and damage), and how such experiences influence tolerance via beliefs, emotions and attitude. We interviewed 114 landowners across 13 landscapes varying in forest cover in a region of the Brazilian Atlantic forest and tested our model using Piecewise Structural Equation Modeling. We found that: i. forest cover negatively affected tolerance, but just towards the largest species; ii. relevance and effects of distinct experiences with wildlife on beliefs and emotions varied across species; iii. beliefs and emotions influenced tolerance, but negative emotions were relevant only for the largest species. Conflicts with larger species can then be understood as disservices provided by forests, indicating the relevance of framing HWC within a broader perspective that consider the trade-offs with ecosystems services. For some species, positive experiences with wildlife may counteract the negative effects of damages to livestock in shaping human behavior. Models such as ours - that structure relationships between ecological and human components - can help identifying deeper, more effective leverage points to improve interventions to mitigate HWC / Conflitos entre seres humanos e fauna silvestre emergem como desafios complexos, ameaçando o sustento de populações humanas e a conservação de populações de animais silvestres. Contudo, pesquisas sobre conflitos tradicionalmente abordam esses componentes separadamente e focam em espécies individuais ou similares, dificultando o entendimento mais amplo das conexões entre determinantes ecológicos e dimensões humanas dos conflitos. Neste estudo, desenvolvemos e testamos um modelo conceitual integrando componentes ecológicos e humanos dos conflitos, focando em três espécies - gambá, cachorro-do-mato e onça-parda. Investigamos os caminhos através dos quais o contexto ecológico (cobertura florestal) afeta experiências (contato e dano), e como tais experiências influenciam a tolerância à fauna por meio de crenças, emoções e atitude. Entrevistamos 114 proprietários rurais em 13 paisagens com diferentes proporções de cobertura florestal em uma região da Mata Atlântica e testamos nosso modelo usando equações estruturais do tipo Piecewise. Encontramos que: i. a cobertura florestal afetou negativamente a tolerância, mas apenas para a maior espécie; ii. a importância e os efeitos de diferentes experiências com a fauna sobre crenças e emoções variaram entre as espécies; iii. crenças e emoções influenciaram a tolerância, mas emoções negativas foram relevantes apenas para a maior espécie. Conflitos com espécies maiores podem então ser entendidos como desserviços providos por florestas, indicando a relevância de inserir os conflitos humano-fauna em perspectiva mais ampla, que considere as relações com serviços ecossistêmicos. Para algumas espécies, experiências positivas podem compensar os efeitos negativos dos danos a criações na formação do comportamento humano. Modelos como o nosso - que estruturem as relações entre os componentes ecológicos e humanos - podem ajudar a identificar pontos de alavancagem mais profundos e efetivos para melhorar intervenções visando a mitigação dos conflitos com a fauna

Rangers, as vanguards of wildlife conservation, are constantly fighting off armed poachers. That makes their work stressful and dangerous. In spite of this, their needs are neglected and are not considered as the focus is on saving wildlife. Undoubtedly, the African continent is not spared from the unrelenting poaching menace that threatens to drive the world’s wildlife spicies into extinction. In response to this scourge, countries, in their quest to safeguard these species from extermination, have signed various treaties, continuously come up with different strategies and pledged their support to fight illegal wildlife trading. This study was conducted at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HIP) and Mkhuze Game Reserve, which are under the management of Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Wildlife Management. These parks have turned into a battlefield between poachers and rangers. The intrinsic case study approach, which is explorative and interpretive in perspective, was used to unravel and describe the experiences from the world view of rangers. A descriptive qualitative research design was used to gain insight from the rangers about their challenges and needs in the workplace. Furthermore, developmental research was used to design and develop a tailor- made technology – a ranger resilience-building model – to assist rangers to deal with their workplace challenges. Focus group discussions were conducted with a group of rangers, while individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers in order to solicit information from purposively selected sample of rangers and managers at HIP and Mkhuze Game Reserve, that assisted in the development of the model. Ethical considerations, which involve the informed consent of the participants, confidentiality and privacy, participants’ right to withdraw from the study and the management of information, were applied to ensure that the participants were protected from harm. The collected data was analysed by using codes and themes that best described the experiences of the rangers, and data verification was done before the process of model development. It was evident that rangers are faced with a variety of workplace challenges, such as poor quality of work life, unpleasant living conditions, coupled with poor amenities, inadequte wellness interventions, and the poor management and implementation of policies by the Human Resources (HR) Department. Nevertheless, teamwork and their cultural practices were positive aspects that promoted their coping capacities in dealing with their everyday challenges. / Social Work / D. Litt. et Phil.(Social Work)