How do African elephants utilize the landscape during wet season? A habitat connectivity analysis for Sioma Ngwezi landscape in Zambia

Abstract The influence of environmental factors on the distribution and persistence of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) is pertinent to policy makers and managers to formulate balanced plans for different land‐use types. The study focuses on movement of elephants and how they utilize foraging...

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Autores principales: Doubt Chibeya, Heather Wood, Sara Cousins, Kerryn Carter, Moses Amos Nyirenda, Henry Maseka
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Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Wiley 2021
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Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/84f6f71b9d2441e08007ad4dc452b311
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:84f6f71b9d2441e08007ad4dc452b3112021-11-08T17:10:40ZHow do African elephants utilize the landscape during wet season? A habitat connectivity analysis for Sioma Ngwezi landscape in Zambia2045-775810.1002/ece3.8177https://doaj.org/article/84f6f71b9d2441e08007ad4dc452b3112021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8177https://doaj.org/toc/2045-7758Abstract The influence of environmental factors on the distribution and persistence of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) is pertinent to policy makers and managers to formulate balanced plans for different land‐use types. The study focuses on movement of elephants and how they utilize foraging areas in Sioma Ngwezi landscape in Zambia by answering the following questions: (1) Which environmental variables and land‐cover class predict the movement of elephants during the wet season in Sioma Ngwezi landscape? (2) What is the wet season suitable habitat for elephants in Sioma Ngwezi landscape? (3) What are the major wet season movement corridors for elephants in Sioma Ngwezi landscape? We used GPS telemetry data from the collared elephants to assess habitat connectivity. Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and linkage mapper were the tools used to predict habitat suitability, movement corridors, and barriers in the landscape during the wet season. The study identified elevation, land cover, and NDVI as the most important environmental predictors that modify the dispersal of elephants in the landscape during the wet season. Additionally, a total of 36 potential wet season corridors were identified connecting 15 core areas mainly used for foraging and protection from poachers in the landscape. Of these, 24 corridors were highly utilized and are suggested as priority corridors for elephant movement in the landscape. The identified wet season habitats and functional corridors may help to combat elephant poaching by patrolling areas with high relative probability of elephant presence. The findings may also help abate human–elephant conflict such as crop‐raiding by managing identified corridors that run into agriculture zones in the game management area.Doubt ChibeyaHeather WoodSara CousinsKerryn CarterMoses Amos NyirendaHenry MasekaWileyarticlehabitat suitabilityhuman–elephant conflictsKAZALoxodonta africanamaximum entropyresistant rasterEcologyQH540-549.5ENEcology and Evolution, Vol 11, Iss 21, Pp 14916-14931 (2021)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic habitat suitability
human–elephant conflicts
KAZA
Loxodonta africana
maximum entropy
resistant raster
Ecology
QH540-549.5
spellingShingle habitat suitability
human–elephant conflicts
KAZA
Loxodonta africana
maximum entropy
resistant raster
Ecology
QH540-549.5
Doubt Chibeya
Heather Wood
Sara Cousins
Kerryn Carter
Moses Amos Nyirenda
Henry Maseka
How do African elephants utilize the landscape during wet season? A habitat connectivity analysis for Sioma Ngwezi landscape in Zambia
description Abstract The influence of environmental factors on the distribution and persistence of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) is pertinent to policy makers and managers to formulate balanced plans for different land‐use types. The study focuses on movement of elephants and how they utilize foraging areas in Sioma Ngwezi landscape in Zambia by answering the following questions: (1) Which environmental variables and land‐cover class predict the movement of elephants during the wet season in Sioma Ngwezi landscape? (2) What is the wet season suitable habitat for elephants in Sioma Ngwezi landscape? (3) What are the major wet season movement corridors for elephants in Sioma Ngwezi landscape? We used GPS telemetry data from the collared elephants to assess habitat connectivity. Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and linkage mapper were the tools used to predict habitat suitability, movement corridors, and barriers in the landscape during the wet season. The study identified elevation, land cover, and NDVI as the most important environmental predictors that modify the dispersal of elephants in the landscape during the wet season. Additionally, a total of 36 potential wet season corridors were identified connecting 15 core areas mainly used for foraging and protection from poachers in the landscape. Of these, 24 corridors were highly utilized and are suggested as priority corridors for elephant movement in the landscape. The identified wet season habitats and functional corridors may help to combat elephant poaching by patrolling areas with high relative probability of elephant presence. The findings may also help abate human–elephant conflict such as crop‐raiding by managing identified corridors that run into agriculture zones in the game management area.
format article
author Doubt Chibeya
Heather Wood
Sara Cousins
Kerryn Carter
Moses Amos Nyirenda
Henry Maseka
author_facet Doubt Chibeya
Heather Wood
Sara Cousins
Kerryn Carter
Moses Amos Nyirenda
Henry Maseka
author_sort Doubt Chibeya
title How do African elephants utilize the landscape during wet season? A habitat connectivity analysis for Sioma Ngwezi landscape in Zambia
title_short How do African elephants utilize the landscape during wet season? A habitat connectivity analysis for Sioma Ngwezi landscape in Zambia
title_full How do African elephants utilize the landscape during wet season? A habitat connectivity analysis for Sioma Ngwezi landscape in Zambia
title_fullStr How do African elephants utilize the landscape during wet season? A habitat connectivity analysis for Sioma Ngwezi landscape in Zambia
title_full_unstemmed How do African elephants utilize the landscape during wet season? A habitat connectivity analysis for Sioma Ngwezi landscape in Zambia
title_sort how do african elephants utilize the landscape during wet season? a habitat connectivity analysis for sioma ngwezi landscape in zambia
publisher Wiley
publishDate 2021
url https://doaj.org/article/84f6f71b9d2441e08007ad4dc452b311
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