Beatty Biodiversity Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
PLoS One. 2011;6(11):e27129. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027129. Epub 2011 Nov 9.
Human conflict generally has substantial negative impacts on wildlife and conservation. The recent civil war (1995-2006) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) resulted in a significant loss of wildlife, including elephants, due to institutional collapse, lawlessness and unbridled exploitation of natural resources such as minerals, wood, ivory and bushmeat. We used data from distance sampling surveys conducted before and after the war in a protected forest, the Okapi Faunal Reserve, to document changes in elephant abundance and distribution. We employed Generalized Additive Models to relate changes in elephant distribution to human and environmental factors. Populations declined by nearly fifty percent coinciding with a major increase in elephant poaching as indicated by reports of ivory trade during the war. Our results suggest that humans influenced elephant distribution far more than habitat, both before and after the war, but post-war models explained more of the variation. Elephant abundance declined more, closer to the park boundary and to areas of intense human activity. After the war, elephant densities were relatively higher in the centre of the park where they were better protected, suggesting that this area may have acted as a refuge. In other sites in Eastern DRC, where no protection was provided, elephants were even more decimated. Post-war dynamics, such as weakened institutions, human movements and availability of weapons, continue to affect elephants. Survival of remaining populations and recovery will be determined by these persistent factors and by new threats associated with growing human populations and exploitation of natural resources. Prioritizing wildlife protection, curbing illegal trade in ivory and bushmeat, and strengthening national institutions and organizations in charge of conservation will be crucial to counter these threats.
人类冲突通常会对野生动物和保护产生重大的负面影响。刚果民主共和国（DRC）最近的内战（1995-2006 年）导致了野生动物的大量损失，包括大象，这是由于机构崩溃、无法无天以及对矿产、木材、象牙和丛林肉等自然资源的肆无忌惮的开发。我们使用了在战前和战后在一个受保护的森林，奥卡皮野生动物保护区，进行的距离抽样调查的数据，记录大象数量和分布的变化。我们采用广义加性模型来研究大象分布的变化与人类和环境因素之间的关系。在战争期间象牙贸易的报道表明，偷猎大象的行为急剧增加，导致大象数量减少了近一半。我们的研究结果表明，在战前和战后，人类对大象分布的影响远远超过了栖息地，但是战后的模型解释了更多的变化。在公园边界附近和人类活动密集的地区，大象的数量下降得更多。战后，大象的密度在公园中心相对较高，那里得到了更好的保护，这表明该地区可能起到了避难所的作用。在刚果民主共和国东部的其他没有得到保护的地区，大象的数量甚至更少。战后的动态，如机构削弱、人类流动和武器的可获得性，继续影响着大象。剩余种群的生存和恢复将取决于这些持续存在的因素以及与人口增长和自然资源开发相关的新威胁。优先考虑野生动物保护、遏制象牙和丛林肉的非法贸易以及加强负责保护的国家机构和组织，将是应对这些威胁的关键。
