Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.48548/pubdata-1490
Resource typeJournal Article
Title(s)Multiple anthropogenic pressures challenge the effectiveness of protected areas in western Tanzania
DOI10.48548/pubdata-1490
Handle20.500.14123/1564
CreatorGiliba, Richard A.  0000-0003-1886-1311
Fust, Pascal  0000-0002-7630-4698
Kiffner, Christian  0000-0002-7475-9023
Loos, Jacqueline  0000-0002-7639-2894
AbstractDespite being key conservation instruments, the ecological effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) is contested. To assess the ecological effectiveness of PAs in the Katavi-Rukwa Ecosystem (KRE) in western Tanzania, we investigated temporal changes in land-use and population densities of six large mammal target species (elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, topi, and hartebeest) across areas with different conservation category, ranging from unprotected to strictly protected. During six survey periods between 1991 and 2018, we analyzed data from remote sensing and aerial wildlife surveys to derive (i) spatiotemporal patterns of cropland cover in relation to protection category; (ii) population densities of the six-target species; and (iii) distribution of these species across protection category, land-use and environmental variables. During the surveyed period, cropland increased from 3.4 % to 9.6 % on unprotected land and from ≤0.05 % to <1 % on protected land. Wildlife densities of most, but not all target species declined across the entire landscape, yet the onset of the observed wildlife declines occurred several years before the onset of cropland expansion. Logistic regression models indicated that target species preferred the national park over less strictly PAs and areas distant to cropland. As our data do not support a direct link between land-use change and wildlife densities, additional factors may explain the apparent ecosystem-wide decline in wildlife. To bolster wildlife conservation in the KRE, we recommended proactive strategies to reduce direct threats to wildlife and cropland expansion toward wildlife dispersal areas and migratory corridors.
LanguageEnglish
KeywordsConservation; Effectiveness; Exploitation; Land Use; Change; Protection Status
Year of publication in PubData2024
Publishing typeParallel publication
Publication versionPublished version
Date issued2022-03-29
Creation contextResearch
NotesThis publication was funded by the Open Access Publication Fund of Leuphana University Lüneburg.
Published byMedien- und Informationszentrum, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg
Related resources Relations of this publication
Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 

Giliba_Multiple_anthropogenic_pressures_challenge_the_effectiveness_of_protected_areas_in_western_Tanzania.pdf
MD5: 0270bab549c26e23778dfffc0d75b6e5
License: 
open-access


3.1 MB

Adobe PDF
View/Open

Items in PubData are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Citation formats
Access statistics

Page view(s): 4

Download(s): 3