Fencing For Conservation

The conflict between increasing human population and biodiversity conservation is one of the IUCN’s key threatening processes. Conservation planning has received a great deal of coverage and research as a way of conserving biodiversity yet, while theoretically successful, it has never been tested. Simple lines on maps to illustrate conservation areas are unlikely to be successful in the light of human encroachment. It may be that some form of overt display is necessary to ensure the protection of reserves. This may be signage, presence of guards/rangers or physical fencing structures. The need for some form of barrier goes beyond restricting human access. The megafauna of Africa pose a genuine threat to human survival. In southern Africa, fences keep animals in and protect the abutting human population. Elsewhere, fencing is not considered important or viable. Where poverty is rife, it won’t take much to tip the balance from beneficial conservation areas to troublesome repositories of crop-raiders, diseases and killers. Conversely, in New Zealand fences are used to keep animals out. Introduced species have decimated New Zealand’s endemic birds, reptiles and invertebrates, and several sites have been entirely encapsulated in mouse-proof fencing to ensure their protection. Australia faces the same problems as New Zealand, however surrounds its national parks with cattle fences. Foxes and cats are free to enter and leave at will, resulting in rapid recolonisation following poisoning campaigns. How long will these poison campaigns work before tolerance, aversion or resistance evolves in the introduced predator populations?

Fencing the Forest draws on archival and printed sources to shed fresh light on the ecological dimensions of the colonial impact on South Asia. The changing responses of rural forest users and the fortunes of the land they lived on are the key themes of this study.

A wildlife fence is a barrier that prevents or guides the movement of animals from one area to another. This guide covers various types of fencing that may be used to control wildlife in farming, forestry, landscape management and along linear corridors, in particular along roadsides, but also others, such as, railways and canals.

This dissertation examines how various anthropogenic barriers affect wildlife movement, and in particular, how fencing affects movement and behavior of both migratory prey and predators in semi-porous environments. I chose to examine this subject as our planets last remaining ecosystems are threatened by human encroachment due to population pressure, agriculture, and a myriad of other ecological stressors. In order to mitigate the encroachment, conservation fencing is rapidly becoming the norm even though constraining wildlife movement is fraught with ecological issues. My interest in conservation fencing was to examine the potentially hidden or understudied consequences of its usage. The introduction discusses human-wildlife conflicts and the role of fences. Chapters 1 and 2 review the literature concerning animal movement and landscape ecology and set the general framework from which follows the series of specific studies in Chapters 3-6. Chapter 3 compares basic monitoring methods that lie at the core of the studies that follow. In this chapter, a comparison of traditional track monitoring to modern camera trapping methods demonstrated the power of mechanical vigilance but also the importance of timely monitoring for managerial decisions. Chapter 4 examines the effectiveness of fence-gaps, a wildlife management tool designed to compromise between complete isolation by fencing and an open landscape. The results of this study showed that most of the species in situ have indeed discovered these fence-gaps. Chapter 5 explores the potentially unintended consequences of the creation of fence-gaps as these structures funnel migration movement and thus could act as prey-traps. Using a spatial analysis of carcass locations, the results of this study demonstrated that predation locations did not cluster near the fence-gaps. Chapter 6 examines predation near the perimeter fencing and within fenced areas designed to exclude elephant. Results showed that lion predation was not over-represented near the perimeter fences and that exclosures provided good hunting grounds for lion but these exclosures did not create prey-traps. The dissertation concludes that fencing is a useful conservation tool that requires reliable monitoring to understand how wildlife functions with fencing, and to permit managers to react to issues through an adaptive management framework.

Winner of the IENE Project Award 2016. This authoritative volume brings together some of the world’s leading researchers, academics, practitioners and transportation agency personnel to present the current status of the ecological sustainability of the linear infrastructure – primarily road, rail and utility easements – that dissect and fragment landscapes globally. It outlines the potential impacts, demonstrates how this infrastructure is being improved, and how broad ecological principles are applied to mitigate the impact of road networks on wildlife. Research and monitoring is an important aspect of road ecology, encompassing all phases of a transportation project. This book covers research and monitoring to span the entire project continuum – starting with planning and design, through construction and into maintenance and management. It focuses on impacts and solutions for species groups and specific regions, with particular emphasis on the unique challenges facing Asia, South America and Africa. Other key features: Contributions from authors originating from over 25 countries, including from all continents Each chapter summarizes important lessons, and includes lists of further reading and thoroughly up to date references Highlights principles that address key points relevant to all phases in all road projects Explains best-practices based on a number of successful international case studies Chapters are "stand-alone", but they also build upon and complement each other; extensive cross-referencing directs the reader to relevant material elsewhere in the book Handbook of Road Ecology offers a comprehensive summary of approximately 30 years of global efforts to quantify the impacts of roads and traffic and implement effective mitigation. As such, it is essential reading for those involved in the planning, design, assessment and construction of new roads; the management and maintenance of existing roads; and the modifying or retrofitting of existing roads and problem locations. This handbook is an accessible resource for both developed and developing countries, including government transportation agencies, Government environmental/conservation agencies, NGOs, and road funding and donor organisations.

Conservation of Marine Birds is the first book to outline and synthesize the myriad of threats faced by one of the most imperiled groups of birds on earth. With more than half of all 346 seabird species worldwide experiencing population declines and 29% of species recognized as globally threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the timing to determine solutions to threats could not be more urgent. Written by a diverse team of international experts on marine birds, this book explores the environmental and biogeographical factors that influence seabird conservation and provides concrete recommendations for mounting climate change issues. This book will be an important resource for researchers and conservationists, as well as ecologists and students who want to understand seabirds, the threats they are facing, and tactics to help conserve and protect them. Outlines both threats and solutions in the marine and terrestrial realm Synthesizes information to provide a comprehensive strategy moving forward, especially considering climate change Created by a team of experts with the latest and most comprehensive knowledge of seabird conservation

Offering insights on violence in conservation, this timely book demonstrates how and why the state in Africa pursues conservation objectives to the detriment of its citizens. It focuses on how the dehumanization of black people and indigenous groups, the insertion of global green agendas onto the continent, a lack of resource sovereignty, and neoliberal conservation account for why violence is a permanent feature of conservation in Africa.