The conflict between humans and elephants in the central African forests
The conflict between humans and elephants in the central African forests
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1365-2907.1996.tb00147.x
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发表时间：
1996-06-01
期刊：
影响因子：
4.9
通讯作者：
Barnes, RFW
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Barnes, RFW
当大象和人类占据同一片森林时，彼此都会因为对方的存在而受苦。农民面临着被大象抢走庄稼的风险，而大象则因定居点、农业、道路和发展项目而流离失所。大象也被猎杀以获取象牙。19世纪，随着欧洲的繁荣，赤道森林的象牙贸易扩大了，然后在20世纪，随着远东的繁荣，象牙贸易又扩大了。森林象的数量每次都在减少。大象在森林地区不受欢迎，人口的增加加上中非民主的传播对它们的未来构成了重大威胁。如果要让生活在赤道森林里的村民容忍大象，就必须减少大象带来的成本，增加大象给农村居民带来的好处。建议采取三管齐下的策略，包括土地使用规划、减轻作物损失的措施和提高大象价值的方案。如果大象在森林生态系统中的重要性得到认可，如果它们被驯化用于伐木或运输，或者如果它们的存在是吸引游客到森林地区的因素之一，那么大象可以被视为资产。然而，基于狩猎的管理策略最有可能保护大象，因为狩猎在森林人民的文化中很重要。以战利品为目的的狩猎运动可能会带来最大的收入。社区野生动物管理项目，由村委会做出决定，可以防止过度开发。然而，没有简单的答案，因为一种管理形式可能与另一种管理形式的目标相冲突。
Elephants and humans each suffer from the presence of the other when they occupy the same forests. Farmers risk losing their crops to elephants, while elephants are displaced by settlements, agriculture, roads and development projects. Elephants have also been hunted for ivory. The ivory trade in the equatorial forests expanded in the nineteenth century as Europe prospered, and then again in the twentieth century as the Far East prospered. Forest elephant numbers were depleted each time.Elephants are unpopular in the forest zone, and increasing human populations combined with the spread of democracy in central Africa pose a major threat to their future. If elephants are to be tolerated by villagers living in the equatorial forests, the costs they impose must be reduced and the benefits to the rural populace must be increased. A three-pronged strategy is suggested, involving land-use planning, measures to mitigate crop damage, and programmes to enhance the value of elephants. Elephants could be viewed as assets if their importance in the forest ecosystem were recognized, if they were domesticated for logging or transport, or if their presence was one of the factors which attracted tourists to the forest zone. However, management strategies based on hunting have the best chance of conserving elephants because of the importance of hunting in the culture of the forest people. Sport hunting for trophies may bring the greatest revenues. Community wildlife-management programmes,where village councils make the decisions, could prevent overexploitation. There are no simple answers, however, because one form of management may conflict with the goals of another.