%0 Journal Article
%A SU Haijun
%A HU Canshi
%A ZHANG Mingming
%A LIANG Sheng
%T
A study on the characteristics of crop damage caused by wild boar (Sus scrofa)and the attitudes of local residents in Chishui Alsophila National Nature Reserve, Guizhou Province, China
%D 2018
%R 10.16829/j.slxb.150163
%J ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA
%P 359-368
%V 38
%N 4
%X Crop damage caused by wild boars (Sus scrofa) can be currently regarded as a typical case of human-wildlife conflict. Analyzing the characteristics of the crop damage and understanding the attitudes of local residents on the damage and wildlife conservations, is very helpful to community-based management in Nature Reserves and wildlife conservation policy-making. An investigation was conducted in Chishui Alsophila Spinulosa National Nature Reserve (CCNNR), Guizhou province of China, and the results showed that, wild boars damaged crops during all seasons but more severely during Feb. to Apr. and Oct. to Dec., which was influenced by crops harvest time. Spatially, the factors Locations of Cultivated Fields in the Nature Reserve, the Distance to Pathes, and the Distance to Water significantly contributed to the damage caused by wild boars, the cropland closer to a path (<55m) or to water (<270) were more damaged by wild boars. Although human activities happened frequently in the Experimental Zone and the peripheral area of CCNNR, wild boar preferred to damage in these areas moreso than in other areas. The factor influencing wild boar preference was the Water Source which more significant than other factors of human disturbance and wildlife cover, such as Distance to Residence and Distance to Forest Edge. 70% of local residents thought the large size of the population of wild boar was the main reason for crop damage. 55% of local residents did not agree on the national policy of protecting wild boar, while 62% people supported hunting wild boar for controlling the population and reducing damage. The tolerance of local residents toward wild boar was significantly influenced both by the Age of Interviewee and Degree of Damage. People whose age ranged from 50 to 70 years old, the main proportion of local residents, bore relatively higher toleraance than did other age groups. In order to reduce economic damage and alleviate conflict, we suggest that the administrator of NR help the local people to apply the more effective measurements, and to build an effective rapid damage assessment and compensation system according to the characteristics of the crop damage, meanwhile, the conservation management on human dimension was also important based on the understanding of the attitudes of local residents.
%U http://www.mammal.cn/EN/10.16829/j.slxb.150163