Suchergebnisse

Successful mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts requires an approach that incorporates both the ecological aspects of wildlife and the social considerations of the affected stakeholders and these must be considered in an integrated fashion at multiple temporal and spatial scales. In this dissertation, I examine the relationship between farmers around Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) in southwestern Manitoba and the regional elk (Cervus elaphus) population, in order to better understand and resolve these long-standing conflicts more effectively. Local perspectives were documented throughout this study, initially through 40 community meetings in 2000 and 2001 prior to formal data collection, then through a mail-out survey in 2002, and later through participatory mapping exercises from 2003 to 2006. A longitudinal analysis of historical information regarding elk-agriculture conflicts using the interviews and government letter files indicated that diverse types of conflicts have occurred annually for the last 127 years. Issues related to bovine tuberculosis (TB) in elk in the last 15 years have been some of the most intense conflicts ever occurring, but these are based on previous conflicts and they have further undermined the already strained relationship between farmers and RMNP. The most important factor associated with high concern regarding bovine TB was the frequency that farmers observed elk on their land. To examine the biophysical aspects of elk interactions with agriculture, 212 wild elk were captured from 2002-2005 using a net-gun fired from a helicopter and given a GPS satellite collar (n=25) of VHF transmitter (n=187). Overlap in space use between elk and cattle was high in summer and low in winter based on both the collar data and local knowledge, though farmers identified higher levels of overlap throughout the year. During the spring elk calving period, the home ranges of 73% of the parturient elk remained entirely within protected areas, while 6% were exclusively on farmland, and 21% included ...

One of the key issues facing fishery managers, policy-makers and researchers has been acknowledging local institutions and rule systems for managing common pool resources. In this paper, we discuss local institutions and rule systems of community fisheries from two oxbow lake Fisheries in Southern Bangladesh. Both of the fisheries have been under private and state management systems resulting in different management outcomes. Control of fishers and stocking for production enhancement have been key management options of the lakes, but progress has not been satisfactory due to higher associated costs of management and uneven resource benefits distribution. On the other hand, community fisheries have focused on sharing benefits, controlling access, avoiding conflict and maintaining ecosystem health. Community fisheries have been managed through local rules and management practices above and beyond government regulations. Taking community fisheries in Bangladesh as a model fisheries and examining local rules as an effective means of controlling fisher access to a common resource, we explore here the impacts of local rules that have had different levels of governance outcomes in relation to state and private systems. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews (40 individuals) and group meetings (one for each site covering 15–20 individuals). Reviews of secondary records also support the analysis. Findings of this study highlight the advantages of local rules and also raise questions about how differential property rights and lack of negotiation power of local communities have constrained the success of community fisheries. At the group level, the capacity of local fishers to make their own rules and implement them locally is a critical factor for community fisheries systems.

Many species at risk in Canada and globally are at or approaching a crisis, especially where little or nothing consequential is being done to prevent extirpation. Such is the case of endangered boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in southern Alberta, Canada. Expedient but inadequate emergency 'fixes' have been experimentally implemented to arrest their decline and potential extirpation, but use of these measures raises important ethical problems. In their study of the effects of killing wolves (Canis lupus) on the Little Smoky woodland caribou population, Hervieux et al. (2014a) employed lethal methods that included shooting a firearm from a helicopter and the use of strychnine baits. Both of these methods raise critical questions with regard to animal welfare. When it is necessary to kill an animal, reliable humane procedures must be used to avoid pain or distress, and produce rapid loss of consciousness until death occurs. Also relevant are formal approvals by government and institutional animal ethics committees that adhere to Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guidelines. Shooting a moving animal from a helicopter is prone to error and not conducive to shots that quickly render animals insensitive to pain or produce a consistently quick kill. Strychnine does not meet the CCAC's criteria for an acceptable killing method, and is specifically prohibited as an injectable option for euthanizing animals. Its use under uncontrolled conditions at bait sites is likely even less suitable. In addition, the risks of non-lethal and painful injuries from this poison and associated deaths to large numbers of non-target animals clearly contravene the CCAC guidelines for wildlife research. This study did not meet the CCAC's guidelines and did not adhere to the Canadian Journal of Zoology's requirement that all research must be approved by an institutional animal care committee. More broadly, and regardless of the failure of formal safeguards and implicit justifications offered by authors, we should be concerned ...

Domestic animal health services are supplied to communities in Canada's Northwest Territories (NT) in diverse ways, including private veterinary practices in 2 of 33 communities, and by mail-order, fly-in, free clinics, and a government-coordinated lay vaccinator program in some of the other 31 communities. We evaluated delivery, needs, and potential uptake of domestic animal health services in the Sahtu Settlement Area, NT by offering free clinics for 225 dogs in 2008 and 2009; and administered questionnaires to 42 dog owners and 67 students in 2008. Owners indicated that 20% of dogs were neutered, 37% had had rabies vaccinations, and 29% had been dewormed. Physical examination of dogs demonstrated that 54% were "thin" and 4% were "emaciated." Owners and youth showed a range of attitudes toward dogs and supported improved domestic animal health services. Future services need to build on existing programs and collaborate with communities to ensure relevance, ownership, and sustainability.

Grizzly bears have been observed with increasing frequency in northern Manitoba, Canada over the last four decades (1980 – 2020), likely originating from the established population in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. We summarize and present an interdisciplinary synthesis of documented observations of grizzly bears in northern Manitoba from historical records from the Hudson's Bay Company Archives, published literature, direct observations, remote camera observations, government agency reports, the first author's field notes, volunteered observations, and media and social media reports. A total of 160 observations were recorded, 140 of them since 1980. Spatially, these observations all fall within the Southern Arctic, Hudson Plains, and Taiga Shield ecozones within Manitoba and span from the northern limit of Manitoba at the Nunavut border to the south shore of the Nelson River. Grizzly bears were historically present in northern Manitoba prior to 1980, though in very low numbers, but the frequency of observations has increased significantly since then. Most observations (86%) were less than 1 km from the Hudson Bay coast. Grizzly bears appear to select for open habitats and against forested ones. Reported observations, however, have been largely opportunistic, and the geographical distribution of observer efforts was uneven, so our data likely contain spatial and temporal biases. All confirmed observations were of single bears, suggesting that the present population is likely maintained by dispersal from the population to the north. Understanding grizzly bear ecology, distribution, and demographics north and west of Churchill will be critical for more accurately assessing the status and conservation needs of grizzly bears in the province. ; Au cours des quatre dernières décennies (1980 – 2020), de plus en plus de grizzlis ont été observés dans le nord du Manitoba, au Canada, vraisemblablement en provenance de la population établie au Nunavut et dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest. Nous résumons et présentons une synthèse interdisciplinaire d'observations documentées de grizzlis dans le nord du Manitoba à partir de dossiers historiques des archives de la Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson, d'ouvrages publiés, d'observations directes, d'observations en provenance de caméras à distance, de rapports d'organismes gouvernementaux, de notes prises sur le terrain par les principaux auteurs, d'observations participatives ainsi que de signalements prélevés dans les médias et les médias sociaux. Dans l'ensemble, 160 observations ont été consignées, dont 140 depuis 1980. Du point de vue géographique, ces observations ont toutes été faites dans les écozones du sud de l'Arctique, des plaines hudsoniennes et de la taïga du Bouclier du Manitoba, allant de la limite nord du Manitoba à la frontière du Nunavut jusqu'à la rive sud du fleuve Nelson. Les grizzlis étaient présents dans le nord du Manitoba avant 1980, bien qu'en très petits nombres, mais la fréquence des observations s'est accrue considérablement depuis cette époque. La plupart des observations (86 %) ont été faites à moins d'un kilomètre de la côte de la baie d'Hudson. Les grizzlis semblent opter pour les habitats ouverts au détriment des habitats forestiers. Cependant, les observations signalées sont largement opportunistes et la répartition géographique des efforts des observateurs n'était pas égale, ce qui signifie que nos données sont vraisemblablement empreintes d'un biais spatial et d'un biais temporel. Toutes les observations confirmées se rapportaient à des ours seuls, ce qui suggère que la présente population découle probablement de la dispersion de la population du Nord. La compréhension de l'écologie, de la répartition et de la démographie des grizzlis au nord et à l'ouest de Churchill jouera un rôle critique dans l'évaluation plus précise de l'état des grizzlis et de leurs besoins en conservation au sein de la province.