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Inspire Session

Hybrid Session

Session: : Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in Fence Ecology and Management

INS 1-5 - The effect of border fences on elephant connectivity in the world's largest transfrontier conservation area

Monday, August 7, 2023

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM PDT

Location: 251

Presenting Author(s)

AS

Anna Songhurst

Director
Ecoexist Trust
Maun, North-West, Botswana

Co-author(s)

AB

Angela Brennan

WWF US
WK

Werner Kilian

Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
AS

Amanda Stronza

Texas A & M University
PB

Piet Beytell

Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
CT

Chief Tsholofelo

Botswana Wildlife Training Institute
RN

Robin Naidoo

WWF US
RT

Russell Taylor

WWF Namibia
GM

Graham McCulloch

Ecoexist Trust

Transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) aim to enhance wildlife flows across national borders. This is true of the world’s largest terrestrial TFCA, the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA), home to half of Africa’s savannah elephants that move across five countries in a mixed-use landscape. We used GPS tracking data from >100 collared elephants to evaluate how fences between Namibia and Botswana impact transboundary connectivity in KAZA. For female elephants these fences formed an impenetrable boundary, while they remained a partial boundary for male elephants. Our results suggest a review of fence alignment and de-commissioning of some fencing separating Namibia and Botswana.