Following African elephant trails to approach conservation differently


Date:
August 31, 2020
Source:
Purdue University
Summary:
Elephant trails may lead the way to better conservation approaches.

'Think of elephants as engineers of the forests. Elephants shape the
landscape in many ways that benefit humans. We're talking thousands
of miles of trails. If we think about the loss of elephants over
time, then we will see the forest structure change and human
activities also would shift.'


FULL STORY ========================================================================== Elephant trails may lead the way to better conservation approaches.


========================================================================== "Think of elephants as engineers of the forests," said Melissa J. Remis, professor and head of anthropology at Purdue University, who is best
known for her work in ecology and behavior of western gorillas and
their ecosystems.

"Elephants shape the landscape in many ways that benefit humans. We're
talking thousands of miles of trails. If we think about the loss of
elephants over time, then we will see the forest structure change and
human activities also would shift." These massive creatures trample
thick vegetation through dense forests in the Central African Republic's
Congo Basin as they move from the forests' fruit trees to more open
water sources where they hydrate, bathe and socialize.

African forest elephants, highly sociable animals, travel in small family groups to meet others at these muddy water sources, which are full of
rich minerals that they can't find in the forests. By clearing routes
to these destinations, elephants have created a very complex network
of roads that residents, tourists, scientists and loggers still use
today. If elephant populations decline, the forest grows over the trails.

"The fabric and way of life of local communities, and even for the
industries and conservation organizations that exist in African forests,
have largely been shaped by elephant landscape design," said Carolyn
A. Jost Robinson, a former Purdue doctoral student and current visiting
scholar who also is director of sociocultural research and engagement
at the nonprofit Chengeta Wildlife.

"People rely on these elephant highways, and they also are invaluable
at understanding and explaining the networks." Remis and Jost Robinson
focus on these massive trail networks and the ecosystem and local foraging community, called the BaAka, as they evaluate how biological anthropology
plays a role in conservation. Their research is specific to the elephant
trails leading to Dzanga Saline, a famous forest clearing with a large
water source in the Congo area. Their findings are published online in
American Anthropologist.

"Anthropologists are very famous for critiquing conservation but not
always for coming up with effective solutions," Remis said. "The area
of conservation is dominated by biological sciences, and you can't make
change just tending to ecosystems. Conservation messages focus on flagship species, like elephants, and rarely do they consider the knowledge or
needs of people relying on or living with those species. Attention on both could help further conservation and human rights issues." Framing the big picture More than 30 years ago, Purdue University's Melissa Remis visited
the Dzanga- Sangha Protected Areas for the first time as a biological anthropologist to study gorillas. She became known as the gorilla lady
as she visited the site dozens of times. Her fieldwork showed her that
to know and study the gorillas, she had to learn about the forest and
other wildlife from the local residents who share the land for food,
shelter and medicines. Now Remis' work focuses on the big picture --
how the effects of conservation affect people, and what role biological anthropology can play.

"We're broadening the conversation about conservation," said Jost
Robinson, who became known as the child of the gorilla lady by local
residents at their African research site. "When you see a picture in
a magazine story about ivory trafficking and elephant hunting, it
is unlikely that the article will capture the entire experience of
the community, as well as tourists, researchers and companies with
local interests. As part of this change -- whether you want to talk
about climate change, forest access or wildlife protection -- these relationships have evolved and taken on new shapes. We looked back
on years of data and stories and realized there was a story to tell."
By focusing on the local BaAka community, especially the hunters known
as tuma, the scientists capture information from local residents about interaction and living with elephants that is usually not a part of conservation plans.

"We want this to be a model for showing how to get additional insights
when addressing how to conserve forests in better collaboration with those people who rely on them for cultural and material sustenance," Remis
said. "Being able to tell their stories and share their deep knowledge
about the area, and what closing off an elephant trail or part of the
forest can due to cut off access to food, medicines or social networks,
is usually not part of the conservation approach. We need to hear the
BaAka in their own words."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Purdue_University. Original written by
Amy Patterson Neubert. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Melissa J. Remis, Carolyn A. Jost Robinson. Elephants, Hunters, and
Others: Integrating Biological Anthropology and Multispecies
Ethnography in a Conservation Zone. American Anthropologist, 2020;
122 (3): 459 DOI: 10.1111/aman.13414 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200831112356.htm

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