An applied movement ecology approach to the adaptive management of human-wildlife conflicts

Abstract

With ever-expanding and increasingly mobile human populations, human-wildlife conflicts are becoming more frequent and of greater consequence. Thus, there is critical need for development of better approaches for assessing the efficacy of wildlife-management practices to determine whether they achieve their intended goals. Given the common use of disturbance to control animal movement patterns, I propose that ‘Movement Ecology’, the study of how and why species move, is in ideal basis for understanding how problem animals respond to management actions, and management actions can be improved. In this thesis, I present an inexpensive (c. $250 USD) and effective (FSR c. 92%) commercially-available satellite GPS tracking device that can be easily adapted for use on free-ranging animals. This device, SPOT Trace®, costs approximately an order of magnitude less than other similar devices, but is just as effective. I then demonstrate, using a case study, how the movement ecology paradigm can be used to improve the disturbance-based management of human-wildlife conflicts. For this I deployed SPOT Trace® GPS tracking devices on black swans (Cygnus atratus) with the aim of investigating: (1) whether it is possible to detect in the swans’ tracking data their responses to the management action; (2) how information about the swans’ responses can be used to evaluate the efficacy of management actions. I was successful in detecting a response in all birds that were, based on their locations, predicted to respond to the management action. Although I did not intend to make specific inferences about how bird-strike risk of black swans could be reduced, I was able to provide some examples of how tracking data can be interpreted with respect to management outcomes, as well as how future studies of bird strike can be improved by applying an applied movement ecology approach. Finally, I discuss the relevance of movement ecology to study of other human-wildlife conflicts. Employing a movement ecology perspective to implementation of adaptive management programmes shows great promise as means of reducing the consequences of human-wildlife conflict.