Combining wildlife occupancy and attitudinal surveys to improve AlWusta Wildlife Reserve management

Al Uwaisi, Abdul

Abstract

Understanding the interactions between people and the landscape, their resource use, activities and needs is an important component of effective natural resource management, particularly in protected areas (Reserves) that are actively inhabited and used by people. The effectiveness of protected areas is strongly influenced by their inhabitants.
In spite of the potential impact of the ALWusta Wildlife Reserve (WWR) on bedouins, as well as influence locals on protected area, and despite the comprehensive study of Bedouin pastoral practices in the region (Châti, 1983), But there was no research or survey about the ways in which local people and the reserve managements can combine information to improve biodiversity conservation, maintain traditional use and access to WWR.
During 2019-2020, I conducted this study aimed to understand the attitudes of the local population towards wildlife, their spatial use patterns, current needs and practices regarding the reserve and its wildlife, particularly the Nubian ibex. I combined anthropological evidence with wildlife distribution data to map, visualize, and understand interactions, potential problems, and solutions between local populations, wildlife, and reserve management.
The findings of this study were showed that all locals included in this survey stated that wildlife populations had declined in recent times including ibex numbers and no one of the respondents’ reported improvements in natural or socio-economic factors, with reductions in the amount of rain being reported by 60% of respondents. Additionally, using the camera trap, Ibex were captured at 65 of the camera locations giving a naïve occupancy of 39.8%. The number of Ibex visiting these 65 cameras averaged 3.4 Ibex per 100 days indicting a very low-density, dispersed population. Future work on WWR management and other species occupancy should explore interspecific interactions in addition to habitat selection in order to develop more robust monitoring and management practices

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Dec 6, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 13, 2022
• Keywords: Modelling occupancy; Al-Wusta Reserve
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/8188524
• Award Date: Jun 13, 2022