Elephants and veterinary fencing
An application of predictive modeling to optimize land-use planning in support of
southern African wildlife conservation and rural livestock keeping.
An application of predictive modeling to optimize land-use planning in support of
southern African wildlife conservation and rural livestock keeping.
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Veterinary fencing crisscrosses much of southern Africa, protecting livestock from contracting diseases like foot and mouth from wild populations, but negatively impacting wildlife by preventing wild mammals from migrating seasonally to access grazing, water and other resources. This project will use advanced computer modeling, drawing on existing datasets from radio-collared animals, to investigate how elephants and other mammals currently move about southern Africa's KAZA TFCA, the largest such landscape in Africa, and how elephant movement patterns might change if alternative approaches to livestock disease management less dependent upon fencing were adopted. By simulating migrations using real-world tracking data, potential scenarios for integrative, sustainable land-use management become easier to understand and evaluate.
As ecotourism revenues now rival those of livestock in much of the KAZA region, conservation of large herbivores that shape ecosystems and draw tourists is crucial. In keeping with the One Health theme of both Cornell Atkinson and the Cornell Wildlife Health Center, this project will highlight the sustainable benefits of optimizing land-use planning at the interface of wildlife, livestock, and human health and livelihoods. This project has yet to start! I'll post more when I've done more. Meanwhile, check out these resources:
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