| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation describes and evaluates interactions
between elephants and people in the 40,000 km2, semi-arid lower
Tana River region of eastern Kenya.
Traditional forms of land
use pastoralism and flood plain agriculture predominated
at the time of the study (1974-1976).
The region also supported
a significant elephant population which had been and currently
was being heavily hunted.
An understanding of traditional
elephant/people interactions was sought, to provide fundamental
knowledge for managing elephants and for guiding imminent major
development projects.
The author takes a holistic approach and examines direct
and indirect impacts 'on each other of elephants and people,
including their use of and effects on food and water resources,
and elephant interactions with agriculture, hunting, pastoral
ism, and tourism.
The dissertation concludes with recommenda-
tions for further research and for application of the methods
and information presented, and with brief interpretation of the
significance of the iriformation for resource conservation and
management issues in the region.
A series of four region-wide aerial surveys provided data
on elephant numbers and range, seasonal distribution patterns,
and the relation of distributions to water availability.
Research activities in an intensive study area in the elephants'
dry-season concentration zone near the Tana River included
monitoring of elephant abundance, elephant raiding of farms,
elephant use of and impact on forests, environmental water
balance, and rate of decomposition of elephant carcasses. The
techniques used were developed by the author. Information also
was gathered by a ground census of dead elephants, discussions
with residents, personal observation, and use of aerial photo-
graphs for vegetation mapping. Information from historical
sources helped determine trends and stable patterns of human
land use, farm raiding by elephants, hunting of elephants, the
trade in ivory, elephant distribution and habitat use, and
distribution of vegetation types.
Principal conclusions of the study are: (1) Water availa-
bility was the major influence on Tana elephants' seasonal
distributions and thereby strongly influenced their interactions
with people.
(2) Elephant raiding of farms in dry periods was
the major negative impact of Tana elephants on people; however,
its effects were variable and it was not usually the principal
limitation on crop production.
(3) Ilegal killing of Tana
elephants for ivory was a major negative impact of people and
probably was causing a marked decline in elephant numbers.
(4) Tana River flood plain forests were important to elephants
and were rapidly decreasing in area; destruction by people was
thought to be the principal cause; preliminary work detected
no serious impact by elephants. | en |
