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Botswana faces a different challenge in elephant conservation and management to most other African countries. Thanks to successful conservation efforts and a minimal amount of poaching it now has the largest savannah population of African elephant (Loxodonta africana) - approximately 150,000 (DWNP pers comm.) in sub-Saharan Africa. With a current population growth of ~6% per annum (DWNP, 2006) and a consequent increase in their range, the elephant is unfortunately now perceived to be a problem animal. It is feared that high concentrations of elephants (especially around permanent water sources) are causing detrimental effects on the vegetation and consequently affecting other herbivore species, not to mention the effect on human beings living on the periphery of this expanding elephant range. Many local communities are complaining of crop loss, property damage, fear of walking to work/school, and even human deaths. The Government of Botswana is under immense pressure from many of its citizens to do something about this expanding "problem", and management measures such as wide-scale culling or transfrontier conservation are being discussed.

A relatively recent expansion in the range of elephants throughout northern Botswana, has contributed to a large influx into the Okavango Delta and, as a result, an increase in the number of Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) reports from many of the local communities there. HEC poses one of the most serious challenges to wildlife management throughout the Okavango Delta and, as such, has been chosen as an important management intervention in the implementation of the Okavango Delta Management Plan (ODMP). An overall understanding of the underlying patterns and processes of elephant movements and ecology, through extensive fieldwork and data collation, is essential however before effective management and HEC mitigation measures can be implemented. Indeed HEC has been identified as one of the five priority issues in the conservation of the African elephant.

HEC is a complex subject and a multi-faceted approach is needed to address the issue. On the one hand elephants can provide immense benefit to local populations through the tourism industry and yet, on the negative side elephants require a large natural resource base and plenty of space and where their need for these resources overlaps with humans, competition and conflict results.

To gain an overall understanding of human-elephant conflict in an area the distribution, frequency and severity of HEC cases need to be investigated. From other studies it has been found that the distribution, number and type of HEC incidents are often very variable between years and there may be many contributing factors e.g. rainfall, water availability, fruiting of wild trees, hunting activity by people, recent immigration of people etc. It has been suggested that a minimum of about three years is required to gain a comprehensive understanding of HEC in any one area. Therefore, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) has planned to implement an ongoing monitoring programme, to record HEC incidents and quantify crop damage using enumerators in the field.

This project will work together with and compliment the DWNP monitoring programme, by collecting the essential corresponding data on the ecology and movements of elephants in one of the main hotspot areas, which the ODMP project and Government resources could not otherwise accommodate.

This project aims to contribute information on the ecology and movements of elephants in human-elephant conflict (HEC) 'hotspot' areas of the Okavango's Panhandle. The overall goal is to assist wildlife managers and farmers in developing practical and effective alternative land-use planning strategies to try and reduce such conflict in the area. Data is being collated on elephant population numbers and structure, their movements and migration routes, and habitat utilisation of elephants utilising the 'Panhandle.'

The project also aims to provide valuable information on where elephants are coming from in order to position and concentrate mitigation measures (i.e. chilli fields and electric fences) in places where they will be most successful. Investigating the ecology of elephants utilising conflict "hotspots" will provide an understanding of why, when and where conflict occurs and which elephants are the main perpetrators.

This will aid in developing effective land use planning strategies and successful positioning of mitigation measures, as well as creating a model to predict future conflict incidents and hence enable the avoidance of potential conflict.

Objectives
The main objectives of the project are to:

1. Identify how many elephants utilise the HEC hotspot area of the Okavango panhandle;

2. Identify what elephants in the population are involved in HEC incidences;

3. Investigate elephant movement in the area and establish to what extent HEC incidences are related to seasonal and/or more frequent movement patterns into the conflict areas and what factors affect this movement (i.e. food availability etc.);

4. Identify the main migration routes in the area and establish how these routes impact the rate of HEC incidents in the area, i.e. do most incidents occur on these routes;

5. Investigate elephant habitat utilisation and determine the proportion of habitat use near human settlements to other habitats, and in addition investigate which environmental factors determine habitat selection in the study area i.e. water availability.

6. Disseminate findings and information to all stakeholders through the media, website and reports.

7. Conduct educational talks in Kgotla meetings and schools within the study area and organizations such as HOORC, EHF and BWTI.

Methodology
Knowledge of the ecology of the elephant population in areas where HEC occurs is essential in developing effective management strategies to reduce HEC. Data collected on movements and ecology of elephants - via ground and aerial surveys - will then be illustrated using GIS software. Visual maps will be produced which will provide a resource that can be used to predict spatial patterns of HEC cases. Results will be analysed to recognise if there are seasonal fluctuations in number and structure of populations, who the main perpetrators of conflict (gender, age, individuals) are and whether there are sufficient influx of elephant (and other wildlife) into areas surrounding affected villages to facilitate CBNRM programmes.

This will aid in developing effective land use planning strategies and successful positioning of mitigation measures, as well as creating a model to predict future conflict incidents and hence enable the avoidance of potential conflict.

Community consultations and education will form an essential component of the project. For the success of any wildlife management and conservation actions, collaboration with local communities is essential. All information obtained from the project will also be disseminated to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), to assist in decision-making and management of HEC and thereby facilitating local capacity building in the government department responsible for human-wildlife conflict resolution.

The overall project is designed to run for a total period of three years in the field and one year for data analysis and write up back in the laboratory.

 

Annual Report – 2011
The third year of the project has progressed well in 2010 and the project write-up phase has now commenced.

Only 185 fields were raided in 2010 compared to 208 in 2009 and 413 in 2008. A detailed comparison of raided and non-raided fields over the past three years was conducted. 12 elephants were killed in 2010, with a total of 27 killed as problem animals over the past three years in the eastern Okavango Panhandle.

The project trained and employed 12 enumerators in 2010 from the 12 main villages in the study area.
Ground-transect surveys collected data on the spatial use of elephants, people and livestock and 589 detailed interviews were conducted with farmers from elephant-raided and non-raided fields, contributing to a total of 942 interviews conducted over the past three years. Farmers were generally very cooperative.

A comprehensive aerial survey took place in July in collaboration with Elephants Without Borders, covering NG11, NG12 and NG13, finding a population of approximately 14 800 elephants in the area.

Two training workshops for farmers took place, the first providing theory and practical training in Conservation Agriculture (CA) techniques. CA enables farmers to establish smaller, permanent fields that produce higher harvest yields than traditional fields, whilst conserving soil quality and water through minimum tillage and mulching techniques. Smaller fields are easier to protect from wildlife damage especially when used in combination with mitigation techniques. The second workshop discussed current methods and taught new methods of community-based conflict management, including the use of chilli pepper as an elephant deterrent.

July 2010
During March, April, and May 2010 raided field monitoring continued and transects to assess the spatial use of elephants and people were carried out. Fields not raided by elephants in 2010 have been assessed during June. Detailed farmer interviews with farmers raided by elephants have been completed.

A total of 226 fields have been raided by elephant in the 2010 crop season, with the majority of raids occurring in Beetsha Village. A total of 12 elephants have been killed in the 2010 crop season through problem animal control. In 2008, six elephants were killed as problem animals and in 2009, 12 elephants were killed in the Okavango Panhandle, making a total of 31 elephants killed in the last three years.
 
Educational talks have been conducted in five village schools, including Kauxwi, Xakao, Sekondomboro, Ngarange and Mogotho.

A dry season comprehensive aerial population survey took place in July 2010, a detailed report of which will be submitted shortly. Elephants Without Borders assisted with the survey again, making data comparable to the previous survey from 2008. The same observers were used, thus reducing observer bias.

Ground transects have been driven three times a month during March to July, to collect data on the spatial use of elephants, people and livestock in the study area. Data input is underway for 2010 data.

A total of 45 main elephant pathways have been identified through the study area. The points where these cross the main road and where they occur close to fields have been marked on the GPS and mapped in Arc View. The pathways have been identified through local knowledge from the community and through spoor identification during the ground transect surveys. Mapping using aerial orthophotographs has been completed to illustrate the routes of the main pathways through the bush. Groundtruthing has been carried out to ensure all mapped pathways are utilised by elephant. Maps should be ready to view by the end of 2010.

In July we carried out an enumerator debrief session with all 12 enumerators and our research assistants. The workshop took place in Gunotsoga Primary School, who kindly donated the cost of the venue. All the farmers who were trained in chilli mitigation techniques in 2009 also attended the meeting to give feedback on their experiences of using and growing chilli.