Date of Award
Spring 2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Forestry and Environmental Studies
First Advisor
Schmitz, Oswald
Abstract
2024My dissertation delves into the complex interplay between human activities and wildlife dynamics, focusing on understanding and mitigating human-wildlife interactions (HWI) for sustainable coexistence. Overseeing and managing HWI requires acknowledging that the behavior and actions toward humans and wildlife are made up of local variations across both ecological and social processes. This intertwinement of ecological and social processes is complex; hence, conservation projects aiming to overcome human-wildlife conflict may, in fact, risk exacerbating it whenever either process is only superficially addressed. Ecologists, social scientists, and policy makers are challenged with a lack of knowledge surrounding subject-specific theory and language to explicitly communicate and understand the needs and drivers of human-wildlife conflict. There is a growing need for nuanced approaches in conservation and ecology that will intentionally and authentically consider the social sciences. Thus, my dissertation aims to bridge this divide by promoting a balanced approach that incorporates both social and ecological perspectives in understanding HWI. The four chapters in my dissertation aim to improve our understanding of human-wildlife interactions and focus on carnivore-livestock conflict in north-central Botswana. In Chapter 1, I provide a conceptual foundation by advocating for an integrative social-ecological framework in conservation science. Drawing from sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s practice theory and conservation biology’s ecological principles, the chapter introduces the concept of "social-ecological practice theory" as a framework to theorize human-nature relationships. Within this framework, practices (actions) are shaped by habitus, a combination of external structures and individual agency. Individuals continuously strive to enhance their social standing by acquiring and leveraging different forms of capital, adapting their practices based on their habitus. Understanding an individual's habitus is akin to uncovering their underlying motivations. In the subsequent three chapters, I apply this theory to different facets of human-wildlife conflict in Botswana. I try and understand the drivers of habitus and capital of human and wildlife practices. In Chapter 2, I explore the role of livestock husbandry in shaping human-carnivore-livestock interactions. Utilizing a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including GPS tracking of cattle and interviews with local communities, the study examines how different cattle-rearing logics influence perspectives on and outcomes of human-wildlife conflict. In Chapter 3, I shift the focus to wildlife behavior across the different land management types in the region. Using camera trap surveys and ecological modeling techniques, the chapter investigates how anthropogenic and environmental factors influence temporal and spatial activity patterns of conflict-causing species. By comparing activity levels in communal public grazing lands, private ranches, and protected areas, the study elucidates the complex interplay between land management practices, human presence, and wildlife behavior. In Chapter 4, I examine the perceived carnivore conflict by integrating social-ecological models with participatory mapping. The chapter investigates how habitus influences the perception of predator risk. The study demonstrates the importance of incorporating both environmental and habitus variables in conflict modeling and highlights the need for nuanced approaches to address human-wildlife conflicts effectively. I conclude with the similarities and differences across these three empirical studies and how these points of alignment and disagreement provide us with entry points in which to improve conflict mitigation strategies and promote human-wildlife coexistence. Collectively, these four chapters contribute to a comprehensive understanding of human-wildlife interactions in the Makgadikgadi region. I offer new theoretical insights, empirical evidence, and practical recommendations for promoting sustainable coexistence between humans, livestock, and wildlife. My research offers a proposed guide for the investigation and understanding of human-wildlife interactions that can be applied beyond a single study system or region.
Recommended Citation
Orrick, Katherine, "Social-Ecological Practice Theory and Human-Wildlife Interactions: People, Cattle, and Predators in Makgadikgadi, Botswana" (2024). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations. 1281.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/gsas_dissertations/1281
