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The global challenges of biodiversity loss and persistent poverty and inequality, which interact and shape each other at the local scale, require new strategies to improve human well-being and conserve biodiversity. In South Africa, inclusive and transformative conservation approaches are gaining support, which is of particular importance given the challenging history of conservation during the colonial and apartheid eras. The Dinokeng Game Reserve was created to conserve biodiversity and combat poverty in adjacent communities. However, human–elephant conflict and community development challenges have led to unproductive conservation trade-offs. We developed a Theory of Change for Living in Harmony that can help policymakers, conservation organisations and local communities to find better solutions. To develop the Theory of Change, we assessed the visions and perspectives towards (elephant) conservation and socio-economic development among both people living inside (owners/direct beneficiaries) and outside (community/indirect beneficiaries) the reserve. The study revealed common ground among stakeholder groups in ranking elephant benefits, as well as a collective acknowledgement of the importance of moral values in conservation decision making. However, the benefits of living within or adjacent to an elephant reserve differed considerably across stakeholder groups. Accordingly, different but not mutually exclusive solutions were suggested, including investments in multi-level good governance, education and capacity building, active community engagement and development, reserve expansion, and promoting the reserve's integrated conservation model. This Theory of Change aims to support common ground between stakeholders, with critical feedback loops that reduce barriers and enable conditions for coexistence. It promotes conservation strategies that are socially relevant and widely supported, can create mutually beneficial outcomes for elephants, biodiversity, and multiple stakeholders, and can be applied to other species or ecosystems in general, with specific elements being tailored to those circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Savanna landscapes are shaped by the interactions of disturbances with land use goals. Elephant hunting in a site in Botswana, and its consequences for wildlife, people, and landscapes, are described and discussed in order to make broader generalizations about the dynamics of savanna landscapes. Change comes from alterations in tree-grass interactions, fire regimes, predator-prey relations, livestock raising, and conservation goals. Some of these implications are specific to African landscapes, but others may be apt in global contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When wide ranging, herbivorous species such as African elephants (Loxodonta africana) are confined and their population densities increase, the vegetation may be negatively affected. Any changes to vegetation structure and complexity may then result in a series of ecological cascades on other plant and animal species that rely on the vegetation for survival. We assessed the composition and structure of the woody and succulent plants within the locally endemic Albany Thicket Biome at five protected areas (reserves) with elephants in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa in 2006 and 2016. We show that when elephant populations in this region are actively managed, wholesale negative impacts on woody thicket plant physiognomy are not observed. In fact, the only statistically detectable change over time, presumably due to elephants, was the toppling of larger, single-stemmed trees. We believe that because the Albany Thicket Biome evolved in the presence of large, top-down browsers such as elephants, the generally negative effects that have been observed of elephants on vegetation in savanna systems are not evident. However, the reserves with elephants in the Eastern Cape are all relatively small (< 400 km2) and fenced which prevents elephant dispersal. Thus, continued monitoring of elephant browsing effects is crucial for the future conservation of this unique biome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-elephant conflict (HEC) in Sri Lanka has escalated over the recent years, with, on average, 300 elephant deaths annually and human casualties of around 90 per year. Employing field-based qualitative methods, this contribution identifies causes and contexts of human-elephant conflict in those parts of the Sri Lankan dry zone most severely affected. We have used field observations as well as semi-structured interviews with experts and affected villagers as primary data collection techniques. The findings show that (a) human-elephant conflicts are the result of land-use decisions, encroachment on elephant corridors, changes in agricultural production systems, and commercialization of land, and that (b) there is a deep division between the environmental knowledge and practices of rural people and the conservation governance provided by government authorities. Furthermore, both traditional and modern mitigation approaches fail to reign in HEC effectively. The insufficient implementation of HEC mitigation measures, and a severe disconnect between the needs and anxieties of rural people and conservation policies, render the management of human-wildlife interactions ineffective. This suggests a need for fundamental reform of elephant conservation policy in Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve (MER) is one of the important Elephant Reserve (ER) in southern West Bengal, India. Dense forest, natural water bodies, human habitation, agricultural land, roads and more than 100 wild elephants are present in this elephant reserve. Due to increasing human population density and changing land-use patterns incessantly the naturally dwelling place of the wild elephants has been reduced a lot. As a result of the reduced dwelling spaces, the elephants sometimes enter into the human used areas for searching their basic requirements and then the conflict is started. This conflict is a complex interaction between human and elephant and it is a burning problem not only in the MER but also in southern West Bengal. This research article is an outcome of the empirical investigation to chalk out the spatio-temporal patterns of Human—Elephant Conflict (HEC) in the MER and to yield information helpful for HEC mitigation and elephant conservation. The identified forms of HEC in the MER are elephant threat, crop raiding, property damage, injury to people, human death, elephant death, elephant injury, and livestock death. Here elephant threat is considered as indirect and the rest forms are considered as direct impact of HEC. Among them the elephant threat is counted for the highest number of incidents (60.36%), followed by crop raiding (33.58%), property damage (3.40%), human injury (0.85%), human death (0.74%), elephant death (0.43%), livestock death (0.53%) and elephant injury (0.11%). A dataset on HEC incidents (N = 941) occurred by wild elephants which were collected from the villages within this ER during the survey period (2020–2021). Here the HEC arises throughout the year, but in October (27.95%) and November (24.87%) months having the highest number of incidents. Most of the crop raiding events (51%) occur at a distance of less than 1.0 km far from the dense forest and such events were gradually decreased in respect of increasing distance from the MER. Descriptive statistics, correlation (r), One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to explain the HEC patterns of the concerned study area. Arc GIS 10.6 software was also used for the preparation of land use and land cover (LULC) map and conflict risk map through Kernel Density Estimation Model (KDEM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nyungwe National Park (NNP) is one of Rwanda's largest remaining tropical forests. Due to the increasing threats from human activities, the park's biodiversity has been severely affected. In 1999, elephants were removed from the park due to these threats. This study, therefore, intends to analyze the human-driven extinction of elephants in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda from 1965 to 1999. The results revealed that the human activities that lead to the extinction of elephants in Nyungwe include: Poaching for ivory trade at 75%, poaching for bushmeat at 20,6%, poaching for traditional medicine at 2,7% and poaching for decoration at the late 0,8%. The illegal human-driven activities that led to elephant extinction were Poaching, Gold Mining and Logging/tree harvesting. These activities were promoted by Poaching for Ivory Trading, Poaching for Bushmeat, Poverty and Human-elephants conflicts. All of these degraded elephant habitats in various locations such as Kamiranzovu, Gasare, Bigugu and eventually resulted in the extinction of elephants in NNP. Conservation efforts that exist today in Nyungwe National Park need to be reinforced mainly for threatened species so that they may not become extinct from Nyungwe as well and reintroduction of elephants in Nyungwe is needed for sustainable conservation of Nyungwe’s biodiversity and tourism product development. In addition to this, an assessment of habitat quality in areas formerly occupied by elephants in Nyungwe is also needed as a prerequisite for elephant re-introduction planning and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to predict the habitat suitability of Asian elephants in Madhesh Province, Nepal, by using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modeling based on the occurrence data and environmental variables, including bioclimatic, topographic, vegetation‐related, and anthropogenic variables. The study was conducted under current and future climate scenarios for the year 2100. Among the districts of Madhesh Province, the largest suitable habitats for elephants are located in Rautahat district (30%) followed by Bara district (21%), with Dhanusha district having the smallest suitable area (1%). Elevation, slope, annual precipitation, precipitation of the driest quarter, and temperature seasonality were identified as the most important variables affecting habitat suitability. A total of 1037.3 km2 was identified as the current highly suitable habitat for elephants, primarily in grasslands and shrublands. The results of the study depict a slight increase in highly suitable areas under the emission scenarios shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) 2–4.5 and SSP 5–8.5 but a severe decrease in suitable habitats and a drastic increase in unsuitable habitats. The research emphasizes the possible influence of human activities and land use on the living environment of elephants. The study, therefore, suggests that the authorities should prioritize future land use management to lessen the potential harm to the habitats of elephants and other endangered species in Nepal. It is also imperative to identify how elephants utilize their spatial habitat within their range to help park authorities devise efficient management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of subjectivity has long been controversially discussed in academic contexts without ever reaching consensus. As the main approach for a science of subjectivity, we applied Q methodology to investigate subjective perspectives about 'subjectivity'. The purpose of this work was therefore to contribute with clarity about what is meant with this central concept and in what way the understanding might differ among Q researchers and beyond. Forty-six participants from different disciplinary backgrounds and geographical locations sorted 39 statements related to subjectivity. Factor analysis yielded five different perspectives. Employing a team approach, the factors were carefully and holistically interpreted in an iterative manner. Preliminary factor interpretations were then discussed with prominent experts in the field of Q methodology. These interviewees were selected due to their clear representation by a specific factor and led to a further enrichment of the narratives presented. Despite some underlying consensus concerning subjectivity's dynamic and complex structure and being used as individuals' internal point of view, perspectives differ with regard to the measurability of subjectivity and the role context plays for their construction. In light of the wide range of characterisations, we suggest the presented perspectives to be used as a springboard for future Q studies and urge researchers, within and beyond the Q community, to be more specific regarding their application of the concept. Furthermore, we discuss the importance of attempting to deeply understand research participants in order to truly contribute to a science of subjectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I argue that Foucault's archives at the Bibliothèque nationale de France require that we re-evaluate the development of his tournant antique. Between 1976 and 1984, Foucault does not orchestrate a turn to ancient Greek and Roman ethics in a departure from his analysis of modern sexuality in the 1976 History of Sexuality , volume 1, as volumes 2 and 3 as published suggest. Instead, it is through his redrafting of volume 2 that he moves from early modern to late ancient Christians, to Greco-Roman philosophers, to ancient Greek philosophers. Tracing Foucault's use of the "moral of the elephant" both before and after his January 1981 Collège de France course provides a way to better understand how Foucault shifts and constructs his History of Sexuality series over his last decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study investigates meteorological drought in sub‐Saharan Africa within the context of elephant conservation. Prolonged drought significantly impacts elephants, leading to increased mortality rates and heightened human–elephant conflicts. We assess both the anticipated 21st century changes in impact‐relevant meteorological drought metrics and the efficacy of existing forecasting systems in predicting such droughts on seasonal time scales. The climate change element of our study uses the 6th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) ensemble to evaluate projected change in 3‐month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI3). We then carry out a quantitative assessment of seasonal forecast skill, utilizing 110 years of precipitation hindcasts generated by the European Centre for Medium Range Forecasting (ECMWF) system. Our findings indicate that persistent drought is projected to become more frequent over the 21st century in southern Africa, where the majority of elephants reside. Analysis of seasonal hindcasts indicates that, while the forecasts have greater skill than climatology, they remain highly uncertain. Previous work suggests that it may be possible to reduce this uncertainty by contextualizing forecasts within specific climate regimes. However, even with improved forecast skill, effective action hinges on the alignment of forecasts with the practical needs of conservation practitioners. Over the next decades, a co‐production approach will be critical for leveraging seasonal forecasts for climate change adaptation within the conservation sector.

Animals' space requirements may vary according to life-history and social considerations. We observed 516 wild adult Asian elephants from both sexes, over 9 years, to investigate how life-history traits and social behavior influence protected-area (PA) use at Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka. Male PA-use, quantified in terms of average between-sightings-interval (BSI), was significantly influenced by the interaction of age class and motivational state (i.e. reproduction vs. foraging). Musth lengthened with age, with a median of 24.5 days for ages 21-30, 32.5 days for ages 31-40, and 45 days for those > 40. A minority (11%) used it exclusively during musth, while others used it exclusively for foraging (44%) or both (45%). Males using it in both states and older musth-only males were more likely to be seen across years. There were 16 social communities containing between 2-22 adult females. Females' BSI was significantly influenced by social ties, but this relationship was weak, because members of social communities do not necessarily disperse together, resulting in high individual variation in space-use. Inter-annual variability in sightings among individuals of both sexes indicates that around ¾ of the population is likely non-residential across years, challenging the prevailing fortress-conservation paradigm of wildlife management.

Wildlife movements within a landscape are influenced by environmental factors such as food availability and, as human-modified landscapes continue to expand, the risks associated with encountering people. For Asian elephants Elephas maximus, human-dominated landscapes can be a risky but also rewarding habitat. When elephants share space with people, negative human–elephant interactions are common, sometimes resulting in injuries or deaths of both people and elephants. We monitored elephant movements in and out of a forest reserve in central Sri Lanka to test four predictions regarding elephant behaviour: (1) visits to agricultural areas occur at times of the year when crops are plentiful, (2) elephants exploit these areas by night to avoid interactions with people, (3) increased nocturnal illumination reduces use of agricultural areas, and (4) males make greater use of anthropogenic food sources than family groups. Analysis of camera-trap data confirmed that elephants visited human-dominated areas mostly at night. The frequency of such incursions was not influenced by moon phase for males, but there was a weak effect of moon phase for family groups. Males moved more frequently into human-dominated landscapes than family groups, and their movements showed a distinct seasonal pattern, peaking at times of rice and fruit harvest. Our findings suggest that elephants primarily venture into human-dominated areas to consume crops. Encouraging farmers in areas frequented by elephants to adapt land-use practices (e.g. guarding crops, fencing villages, planting orange/citrus fences) and establish early warning systems could help limit the damage caused by elephants.

In most eukaryotes, balanced chromosome segregation at meiosis requires crossovers, but female Bombyx mori lack these structures. Instead, the synaptonemal complex is repurposed to compensate for this absence of crossovers, a remarkable example of exaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disease susceptibility and resistance are important factors for the conservation of endangered species, including elephants. We analyzed pathology data from 26 zoos and report that Asian elephants have increased neoplasia and malignancy prevalence compared with African bush elephants. This is consistent with observed higher susceptibility to tuberculosis and elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) in Asian elephants. To investigate genetic mechanisms underlying disease resistance, including differential responses between species, among other elephant traits, we sequenced multiple elephant genomes. We report a draft assembly for an Asian elephant, and defined 862 and 1,017 conserved potential regulatory elements in Asian and African bush elephants, respectively. In the genomes of both elephant species, conserved elements were significantly enriched with genes differentially expressed between the species. In Asian elephants, these putative regulatory regions were involved in immunity pathways including tumor-necrosis factor, which plays an important role in EEHV response. Genomic sequences of African bush, forest, and Asian elephant genomes revealed extensive sequence conservation at TP53 retrogene loci across three species, which may be related to TP53 functionality in elephant cancer resistance. Positive selection scans revealed outlier genes related to additional elephant traits. Our study suggests that gene regulation plays an important role in the differential inflammatory response of Asian and African elephants, leading to increased infectious disease and cancer susceptibility in Asian elephants. These genomic discoveries can inform future functional and translational studies aimed at identifying effective treatment approaches for ill elephants, which may improve conservation.

The issue of bad data and the potential misinterpretation of that data is becoming part of a growing debate within the wildlife conservation field. However, research on this topic has been limited compared to other fields. Therefore, to overcome these issues, this study followed an inductive data-driven approach using mixed-effects longitudinal methods for count-based data. This study adds to this growing debate by attempting to discern the potential causes of elephant poaching in African countries utilizing potentially unreliable data. Because wildlife crime is a societal problem, this study measured the probability of a wildlife reserve reporting illegally killed elephants found on MIKE (monitoring of illegally killed elephants) sites, given country-level factors—such as the amount of gross domestic product (GDP), the rate of urbanization, the total percentage of forest area in a country, and the perception of corruption in the country—and wildlife reserve-level factors, such as the size of the MIKE sites and the population estimates for the number of elephants within these MIKE sites. This study also looked at other controlling factors, such as misreporting information, the reliability of reporting information, and the international effect on elephant poaching. As a result, this study found that several factors attributing to economic demand, urbanization, corruption in the country, and the elephant population size on a designated MIKE site contributed to the odds of elephants being reported as having been illegally killed despite issues with reporting, international pressure, and efforts to crack down on corruption in end-market countries like China.

It is imperative that we acknowledge that these issues still exist and enact change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the contradictory effects of pro-homeownership policies on inequalities through the case of Belgium. While the literature describes high homeownership rates as levellers of wealth inequalities, this paper finds, using national microdata from ECHP and EU-SILC, that different mechanisms underlying homeownership growth have had contradictory effects on economic inequalities, even in the absence of a housing crisis or increase in income inequalities. Inequalities in the weight of rental costs have risen for newly contracted rental agreements in the last decade, while wealth inequalities are rising because of an increasingly exclusive mortgage-credit market. Current measurements of wealth inequalities are based on the distribution of net wealth, thereby missing the evolution of the difference between mean wealth and no wealth and the dynamic nature of wealth accumulation. Therefore, inequalities are rising in Belgium as poorer renters are increasingly constrained by rental costs when they are increasingly excluded from accessing homeownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]