1We've been looking at different types of conflicts that may arise between wildlife and humans at the boundaries of protected areas,
2such as national parks and animal sanctuaries.
3I'd like to illustrate this by telling you about some research that I've been involved in recently
4in the Central African country of Zambia,
5in the area around the Chembe Bird Sanctuary,
6which contains over 300 of the listed birds of Zambia.
7These include a number of birds of prey such as eagles, hawks and owls
8that live by hunting and killing other birds and animals.
9Now most of the people living in the local communities near to the bird sanctuary are small-scale farmers
10and these birds of prey provide important social and ecological benefits to them.
11For example, a lot of damage can be caused to farmers' crops by rodents, such as rats,
12which would consume the crops as they grow in the fields,
13as well as after harvesting if they weren't hunted and killed by the birds.
14And the predatory habits of these birds also protect farmers in other ways.
15For example, a major danger to rural workers is snakes,
16whose bite may be dangerous or even fatal,
17and birds of prey have a major role in keeping their populations under control.
18Local people have always been aware of these benefits
19and for years, even before the sanctuary was opened in 1973,
20the birds played a key role in the culture of the region.
21However, more recently, the sanctuary and its birds have also become increasingly important to the community in economic terms,
22because at present, after a relatively slow start,
23tourism has become an important source of revenue for them.
24However, although these birds of prey are protected by the government,
25their numbers are falling.
26Some of these deaths are accidental.
27Fatalities occur when birds alight on roads to catch and eat their prey, and are hit by fast moving traffic.
28Drivers in Zambia have to take special care at night,
29as birds may regard the quieter roads as safe places to sleep.
30Accidental deaths may also occur if these birds fly close to high-voltage power lines as they may be electrocuted.
31This is a particular danger in the heavy rain
32which can occur in the region in the months from December to April.
33And local farmers also pose a threat to these birds.
34As well as growing crops, small-scale farmers in the area also rear chickens.
35These provide food for the farmers' families, as well as being an important source of income.
36But they're also an easy target for birds of prey,
37and so farmers may shoot these birds, which is illegal but understandable,
38or they may poison the birds,
39which again is illegal and can have negative effects on the ecosystem.
40So how else can farmers protect their chickens from birds of prey?
41Some people believe that to prevent the predators from settling near the area where the chickens are kept,
42it's best to keep this area free from vegetation.
43But in fact, this is counterproductive,
44as it means the chickens have no cover to hide in and they'll be easier for the birds to see.
45Another possibility would be to prevent the chickens from going outside at all
46and to keep them safe from predators inside a building,
47but this would cost far too much to be a practical solution.
48Nearly all the farmers reported that they spent a lot of time and effort trying to frighten off the birds of prey
49without actually harming them.
50Most of the farmers had at least one dog
51and said this was a big help at scaring away the predators.
52Some of the farmers also reported that during the breeding season,
53when the chickens were particularly vulnerable,
54they encouraged their children to watch over the chickens
55and to hit pans with a metal spoon
56so that the resulting noise would succeed in driving away birds that were trying to seize the young chicks.
57None of these methods was 100% effective
58so as a result the village people told us that rather than just using one method,
59they were forced to use a combination for them to have any effect.
60And even so, these birds of prey remain a major threat to the chickens' survival
61and cause considerable economic loss to farmers.
62So we looked at the possibility of a longer-term solution...