Mudzengi Clarice Princess, Murwira Amon, Zengeya Fadzai, Halimani Tinyiko, Fritz Herve, Murungweni Chrispen
Department of Livestock, Wildlife and Fisheries, Great Zimbabwe University, P. Bag 1235, Masvingo, Zimbabwe.
Department of Geography, Geospatial Science and Earth Observation, University of Zimbabwe, Mount Pleasant, P. O Box MP 167, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Trop Anim Health Prod. 2025 May 29;57(5):232. doi: 10.1007/s11250-025-04484-7.
Livestock based rural livelihoods in close proximity to conservation areas are often associated with human-wildlife conflict. A deeper comprehension of factors contributing to this can help develop strategies to resolve the impact of human-wildlife conflict on livestock production. We tested whether dry season livestock foraging hotspots were linked to key browse species (KBS), and whether they facilitated livestock-wildlife interactions. We detected livestock browsing hotspots, determined their patch characteristics, and established factors influencing their occurrence. We used kernel density estimation (KDE) and nearest neighbor hierarchical clustering (Nnh). The KDE is a non-parametric method that uses a density estimation technique, while the Nnh is a method used to group similar data points based on their distances. Both methods detected three hotspots comprising Colophospermum mopane and Dichrostachys cinerea mixed woodland, and D. cinerea vegetation. Spatial overlap between detected hotspots was relatively high (Szymkiewicz-Simpson coefficient (Overlap Coefficient) = 0.7; Minta Index = 0.6). Fine-scale habitat patch quantifications indicated that connectivity between D. cinerea patches was higher than D. cinerea and C. mopane patches (Connectivity Index = 60.0%; Patch Cohesion Index = 98.0%). Distance from water was the most significant factor (P < 0.05; AUC = 0.9; AICc = 59.1), explaining probability of occurrence of hotspots. Multiple-distance scale spatial cluster analysis showed significant spatial associations between elephants and livestock. Results suggest that KBS are concentrated around browsing hotspots, which could facilitate livestock-wildlife interactions. Improving livestock feed availability outside conservation areas, and spatial planning for grazing management and wildlife corridors could mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into foraging behaviours at the livestock-wildlife interface, and underscores the need for sustainable management strategies to balance conservation and rural livelihoods, thereby improving coexistence.
靠近保护区的以牲畜为基础的农村生计往往与人类-野生动物冲突相关。深入理解导致这种冲突的因素有助于制定策略，以解决人类-野生动物冲突对牲畜生产的影响。我们测试了旱季牲畜觅食热点是否与关键 browse 物种（KBS）相关联，以及它们是否促进了牲畜与野生动物的相互作用。我们检测了牲畜啃食热点，确定了它们的斑块特征，并确定了影响其出现的因素。我们使用了核密度估计（KDE）和最近邻层次聚类（Nnh）。KDE 是一种使用密度估计技术的非参数方法，而 Nnh 是一种用于根据数据点之间的距离对相似数据点进行分组的方法。两种方法都检测到了三个热点，包括柯罗梭木和银合欢混交林地以及银合欢植被。检测到的热点之间的空间重叠相对较高（Szymkiewicz-Simpson 系数（重叠系数）= 0.7；Minta 指数 = 0.6）。精细尺度的栖息地斑块量化表明，银合欢斑块之间的连通性高于银合欢和柯罗梭木斑块（连通性指数 = 60.0%；斑块凝聚力指数 = 98.0%）。距水源的距离是最显著的因素（P < 0.05；AUC = 0.9；AICc = 59.1），解释了热点出现的概率。多距离尺度空间聚类分析表明大象与牲畜之间存在显著的空间关联。结果表明，KBS 集中在啃食热点周围，这可能促进牲畜与野生动物的相互作用。改善保护区外的牲畜饲料供应，以及进行放牧管理和野生动物走廊的空间规划，可以减轻人类-野生动物冲突。总体而言，本研究为牲畜-野生动物界面的觅食行为提供了有价值的见解，并强调了需要可持续管理策略来平衡保护与农村生计，从而改善共存状况。
