Human-wildlife conflict:A bibliometric analysis during 1991–2023

The escalating conflict between human and wildlife due to competing demands for limited space and resources has raised concerns worldwide,and understanding the dynamics of this conflict is crucial for devising effective strategies and policies.The present study is an attempt to carry out a bibliometric analysis of the published literature on the topic of human-wildlife conflict(HWC)for the period of January 1991–February 2023.For carrying out the analysis of the data obtained from Web of Science,the‘Bibliometrix'tool,developed through the R programming language,was used.The findings of the study revealed that a total of 1592 documents have been published on the HWC research topic from January 1991 to February 2023 within 338 sources.It is observed that the number of publications has continuously increased since 1991,with an annual growth rate of 5.16%.A total of 4995 authors have contributed to the targeted research field.Of the 388 sources,the journal‘Biological Conservation'is the most relevant and productive,followed by‘Oryx'and‘Human Dimensions of Wildlife'.Based on the country production analysis,authors from 110 countries have contributed to the field,and the USA has the highest frequency of publications on HWC,followed by the UK and Australia.The USA also has the highest multiple country publications and has collaborated with 88 countries,with the highest frequency of collaboration with the UK,followed by India,Australia,and South Africa.The most frequently used keywords include‘human-wildlife conflict',‘conservation',‘conflict',‘human-wildlife',‘wildlife',‘wildlife management',‘livestock',‘management',‘coexistence',and‘carnivore'.The present study identifies the most prolific authors,sources,institutions,and countries,as well as the study hotspots in the subject of HWC,which may assist researchers in finding the best working and publication platforms.Further,it may also help them identify reliable research partners to acquire the best findings and develop more effective strategies and policies to address the issue.

Spatiotemporal changes in antlerless proportion of culled Sika deer in relation to deer density

Population management of herbivores is widely applied to decrease damage to forests in the northern hemisphere. Culling more antlerless deer, including females and fawns, is an effective means of reducing the population and helps to improve management efficiency. To increase the efficiency of antlerless-biased culling, we assessed the spatiotemporal distribution of the antlerless ratio in culled sika deer (Cervus nippon) in relation to population density. We hypothesized that the antlerless ratio is higher at the center of the distribution than at the margins of the deer’s range, because dispersal processes differ according to sex and age: Young male deer first disperse into an unoccupied area, and then males may become established in the new area for approximately 10–15 years before the number of females increases. A statistical model revealed spatiotemporal changes in the antlerless ratio of culled sika deer. The change in the ratio basically fit the density distribution of the deer, which was estimated independently on the basis of fecal pellet count surveys. The antlerless ratio estimated from the model increased asymptotically as deer density rose. The results support our hypothesis and suggest that antlerless sika deer will be more easily culled at the center rather than at the margins of the distribution range. These findings should help to increase the efficiency of managing the deer via antlerless-biased culling.

Contextual influences on animal decision-making:Significance for behavior-based wildlife conservation and management

Survival and successful reproduction require animals to make critical decisions amidst a naturally dynamic environmental and social background(i.e.“context”).However,human activities have pervasively,and rapidly,extended contextual variation into evolutionarily novel territory,potentially rendering evolved animal decision-making mechanisms and strategies maladaptive.We suggest that explicitly focusing on animal decision-making(ADM),by integrating and applying findings from studies of sensory ecology,cognitive psychology,behavioral economics and eco-evolutionary strategies,may enhance our understanding of,and our ability to predict how,human-driven changes in the environment and population demography will influence animal populations.Fundamentally,the decisions animals make involve evolved mechanisms,and behaviors emerge from the combined action of sensory integration,cognitive mechanisms and strategic rules of thumb,and any of these processes may have a disproportionate influence on behavior.Although there is extensive literature exploring ADM,it generally reflects a canalized,discipline-specific approach that lacks a unified conceptual framework.As a result,there has been limited application of ADM theory and research findings into predictive models that can enhance management outcomes,even though it is likely that the relative resilience of species to rapid environmental change is fundamentally a result of how ADM is linked to contextual variation.Here,we focus on how context influences ADM,and highlight ideas and results that may be most applicable to conservation biology.

Assessment of food supplementation and surveillance as techniques to reduce damage caused by black capuchin monkeys Sapajus nigritus to forest plantations

Black capuchin monkeys Sapajus nigritus are among several mammalian species that damage forest plantations, pri- marily plantations of pine trees （Pinus spp.） in South Brazil. Management practices to reduce these damages include supplemen- tary food offerings and plantation surveillance. To assess the efficiency of these techniques, four treatments were evaluated： feeding （F, with supplementary bananas and maize）, surveillance （S, in situ, wherein men patrolled the plantations, deterring the monkeys）, feeding ＋ surveillance （FS） and control （no procedures） （C）. The efficiency assessment of each treatment involved the number of recorded primate sightings in the treatments with the presence of guards （S and FS） and a damage inventory of the outskirts of the experimental points immediately before and after the experiment. These data were complemented by a simulta- neous study of the availability of fruit, the primary item in the diet of this primate species, in the remnant native forest in the study area. Most sightings of S. nigritus occurred early in the morning, and in general, sightings were inversely proportional to the availability of native fruits. This trend was most evident in treatment FS, most likely due to the presence of food. Treatments F and FS exhibited higher percentages of damage, indicating that these are inefficient management techniques. Treatment S exhi- bited the lowest damage rate, but at a high cost, making this technique difficult to apply over large expanses. The development of other management techniques, such as environmental enrichment and the use of deterrents, is recommended to minimize the damage caused by capuchins in forest plantations [Current Zoology 60 （5）： 581-590, 2014].