Balancing agricultural productivity with biodiversity conservation is a critical challenge in rural Africa, where food insecurity and poverty intersect with growing ecological pressures. Understanding how communities anticipate and respond to socio-ecological change is essential for designing interventions that sustain livelihoods while safeguarding biodiversity. Using scenario-based methods with 317 household interviews near Kasungu National Park, Malawi, we explored how plausible futures, spanning conservation strategies, agricultural policies, and public interventions, might influence food security, natural resource use, people-park relations, and wellbeing. Scenarios involving increased farm input prices and wildlife translocations were widely expected to reduce food security and wellbeing and were perceived as unfair. In contrast, universal input subsidies and wildlife damage compensation were seen as fair and beneficial, though questions remain about their sustainability and governance. Buffer zone restoration generated geographically divergent responses: generally accepted in fenced communities but strongly opposed in unfenced areas due to expected restrictions on farmland and resource access. These findings demonstrate that interventions are experienced unevenly, shaped by geography, history, and social context. Policies that apply blanket approaches risk reinforcing inequities and undermining legitimacy. More effective strategies should integrate local perspectives, anticipate trade-offs, and align biodiversity goals with food security and human wellbeing.
Tag: buffer zones
Balancing act: navigating increasing human-wildlife conflict amidst megafauna recovery in the tropical lowlands of Nepal
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) involving megafauna is a global conservation concern. In the tropical lowlands of Nepal (Terai), the megafauna populations are increasing due to successful conservation efforts, introducing the potential for greater HWC. We analyzed the spatio-temporal trend of reported HWC incidents from 2013 to 2022 in the buffer zones of Bardia and Chitwan National Parks in the Terai. Of the total 14,989 reported HWC incidents, crop raiding (n = 8,129) and livestock depredation (n = 4,611) were the most common. Elephants were responsible for 42.8% of all incidents. Total HWC incidents increased over the 10-year period, and there was a significant association between total population estimates of rhino and tiger and total HWC incidents involving those species. At the site level, this association held except for rhino HWC in Bardia. Similarly, incidents of livestock depredation driven by leopard and tiger, and crop damage incidents from elephant, rhino, and boar, increased over the study period. In contrast, property damage—exclusively by elephants—remained relatively stable in Chitwan but decreased in Bardia, possibly reflecting seasonal and transboundary movement patterns of elephants, or the effectiveness of targeted mitigation measures that have reduced elephant intrusions into settlements. Conflict hotspots—defined as the wards in the top quantile of HWC incidents—indicated priority areas for focused mitigation and remedial efforts. Habitat restoration in the buffer zones and corridors outside PAs could potentially mitigate HWC, but it might simultaneously export HWC to new areas outside the PAs. Targeted community-based mitigation measures should be implemented in the peak raiding periods, and predator-proof sheds would reduce livestock losses; both initiatives require substantial external financial support. Finally, the widespread adoption of livestock insurance that responds to spatiotemporal risk should be considered, along with funding and coordination by government and conservation organizations. Overall, the evidence suggests that successful megafauna conservation may be associated with increased HWC. Nevertheless, our findings offer practical insights to guide species-specific conflict mitigation and HWC management in tropical landscapes where megafauna populations are recovering, and conflicts are intensifying.
Diversity, structure and socioeconomic importance of agroforestry systems in buffer zones of Bouba Ndjidda National Park, Cameroon
Protected areas in the Sudano-Sahelian zone face increasing threats from human activities. Establishing agroforestry systems in buffer zones is a strategy to mitigate these pressures. This study characterized agroforestry systems surrounding Bouba Ndjidda National Park, assessed tree diversity in agroforestry systems, and evaluated of the use pattern of agroforestry species. Farmers were randomly selected for interviews, and their farms surveyed to document agroforestry practices and woody flora. Four agroforestry systems were identified: agroforestry parklands (48.65%), homegardens (27.03%), fallows (13.51%), and live fences (10.81%). A total of 50 woody plant species, spanning 42 genera and 23 families, were recorded, with Fabaceae being the most dominant family. Senegalia polyacantha had the highest Importance Value Index (88.65). Fallows exhibited the highest biodiversity indices, with significantly greater Shannon (1.15 ± 0.18, P = 0.0103) and Simpson indices (0.64 ± 0.05, P = 0.0003) than live fences. Tree density was highest in live fences (P < 0.05), while tree diameter and height were significantly greater in agroforestry parklands than in fallows (P = 0.0187), homegardens (P = 0.0024), and live fences (P = 0.0003). Tree basal area was largest in live fences (P < 0.05). Woody plant species were primarily used for fuelwood (66.49%) and food (63.69%). Vitellaria paradoxa had the highest Use Value (4.36), while Anacardium occidentale had the highest Cultural Importance Index (1.00). Conservation assessments recorded Eucalyptus camaldulensis (near-threatened) in fallows and parklands, Tectona grandis (endangered) in homegardens, and two vulnerable species, Khaya senegalensis and Vitellaria paradoxa, in agroforestry parklands and homegardens.