Contributed Paper
Mechanistic understanding of human–wildlife conflict through a novel application of dynamic occupancy models Varun R. Goswami,∗ †‡ ∗∗ Kamal Medhi,§ James D. Nichols,¶ and Madan K. Oli∗ † ∗
School of Natural Resources and Environment, 103 Black Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, U.S.A. †Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, U.S.A. ‡Wildlife Conservation Society, India Program, 1669 31st Cross 16th Main, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Bengaluru 560070, India §Samrakshan Trust, Bolsalgre, Baghmara, Meghalaya 794102, India ¶United States Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Suite 4039, 12100 Beech Forest Road, Laurel, MD 20708, U.S.A.
Abstract: Crop and livestock depredation by wildlife is a primary driver of human–wildlife conflict, a problem that threatens the coexistence of people and wildlife globally. Understanding mechanisms that underlie depredation patterns holds the key to mitigating conflicts across time and space. However, most studies do not consider imperfect detection and reporting of conflicts, which may lead to incorrect inference regarding its spatiotemporal drivers. We applied dynamic occupancy models to elephant crop depredation data from India between 2005 and 2011 to estimate crop depredation occurrence and model its underlying dynamics as a function of spatiotemporal covariates while accounting for imperfect detection of conflicts. The probability of detecting conflicts was consistently
Mechanistic understanding of human–wildlife conflict through a novel application of dynamic occupancy models Varun R. Goswami,∗ †‡ ∗∗ Kamal Medhi,§ James D. Nichols,¶ and Madan K. Oli∗ † ∗
School of Natural Resources and Environment, 103 Black Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, U.S.A. †Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, U.S.A. ‡Wildlife Conservation Society, India Program, 1669 31st Cross 16th Main, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Bengaluru 560070, India §Samrakshan Trust, Bolsalgre, Baghmara, Meghalaya 794102, India ¶United States Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Suite 4039, 12100 Beech Forest Road, Laurel, MD 20708, U.S.A.
Abstract: Crop and livestock depredation by wildlife is a primary driver of human–wildlife conflict, a problem that threatens the coexistence of people and wildlife globally. Understanding mechanisms that underlie depredation patterns holds the key to mitigating conflicts across time and space. However, most studies do not consider imperfect detection and reporting of conflicts, which may lead to incorrect inference regarding its spatiotemporal drivers. We applied dynamic occupancy models to elephant crop depredation data from India between 2005 and 2011 to estimate crop depredation occurrence and model its underlying dynamics as a function of spatiotemporal covariates while accounting for imperfect detection of conflicts. The probability of detecting conflicts was consistently
