Conflito entre humanos e elefantes em África: uma análise bibliográfica e dinâmica espaço-temporal com base no conhecimento local em Angola

Abstract

Human–elephant conflict is one of the main challenges facing wildlife conservation and the livelihoods of local communities in Africa. Despite conservation efforts, reports of conflict have intensified in recent years, including the destruction of crops and the deaths of people and elephants. As a multidisciplinary subject of study, human-elephant conflict in Africa can be analysed using different research approaches. In this context, the first chapter aimed to quantify publications on human-elephant conflict in Africa. A total of 274 studies, published between 1996 and 2026, on human-elephant conflict in Africa were reviewed. The results show that some countries, such as Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, had a higher number of published works on the subject compared to other countries that recorded a lower number or even no works at all, as is the case with Angola. This study highlighted a serious gap and the urgent need to conduct and publish studies on elephants in Angola. The second chapter focused on a study of Loxodonta cyclotis, the overall aim of which was to assess the spatial and temporal patterns of conflict between humans and forest elephants, based on records of attacks, human deaths, elephant deaths and destroyed crops. To assess the spatial and temporal patterns of the conflict, records of attacks, human fatalities, elephant fatalities and destroyed crops were collected through semi-structured interviews with 203 informants and data from a Community-Scientific Alert Network implemented in 2019. Data were collected in four provinces in Angola: Cabinda, Uíge, Cuanza-Norte and Bengo. Conflict events exhibited a strong spatial pattern and a trend of increasing over time, due to the expansion of agricultural activities and poaching that overlap with elephant habitats, movement corridors and feeding areas. We found no significant relationship between crop destruction and attacks or deaths of people and elephants. The participation of local communities in data collection and monitoring activities is important and can generate information that reflects the local reality. These results suggest that conflict in these areas tends to increase both spatially and temporally; to mitigate this conflict, efficient and realistic strategies must be applied to each study area.