Vol. 9(2), pp. 43-58, 2019
ISSN: 2276-7762
Copyright ©2019, the copyright of this article is retained by the author(s)
DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.15580/GJBS.2019.2.092019175
https://gjournals.org/GJBS
The knowledge of local people on human-wildlife conflict and their attitudes towards problematic wildlife around Wof-Washa Forests, North Shewa Administrative Zone, Ethiopia
Solomon Ayele Tadesse1*; Negash Tamru Zewde2
1Department of Natural Resources Management, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, Debre Berhan University, P. O. Box 445, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia
2Department of Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, Debre Berhan University, P. O. Box 445, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia
Article No.: 092019175
Type: Research
DOI: 10.15580/GJBS.2019.2.092019175
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) around wildlife areas is a common phenomenon, but rarely studied in Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge of local people on HWC and their attitudes towards problematic wildlife around Wof-Washa Forests (WoWF), Ethiopia. The study utilized a structured questionnaire comprising closed-ended questions which were administered to a total of 162 respondents. The respondents were randomly selected through a lottery system based on their house identification numbers. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze and interpret the data. The results revealed that HWC arising from crop damage and livestock predation was prevalent around WoWF. The common crop raiding wild animals were vervet monkey, warthog, anubis baboon, and gelada while common jackal and spotted hyena were major predators responsible for livestock predation. The respondents reported that guarding, chasing, and planting scarecrows were the main traditional measures used to manage HWC. More than three-fourth of the respondents (about 79%) held negative attitudes towards crop raiders and livestock predators. The multiple linear regression model predicted that several socioeconomic variables had significant effects on the attitudes of the respondents towards problematic wildlife (49% variance explained). Introducing community-based ecotourism initiative is recommended to mitigate the existing HWC around WoWF. Moreover, promoting the direct participation of local residents in decision-making and implementation is crucial towards the conservation and management of wildlife resources in the study site.
Submitted: 20/09/2019
Accepted: 23/09/2019
Published:
03/11/2019
*Corresponding Author
Solomon Ayele Tadesse
E-mail: solomon.ayele1972@ gmail.com
Mobile: +251-946-703660;
Office: +251-111-6815440
Fax: +251-111-6812065
Keywords:
crop damage; human-wildlife conflict; livestock predation; wildlife conservation and management; Wof-Washa Forests
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Journal Name : citation_journal : Greener Journal of Biological Sciences
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