Understanding the spatial distribution of elephant (Loxodonta africana) poaching incidences in the mid-Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe using Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing

Abstract

The objective of this study was to understand the factors that explain the spatial distribution of elephant poaching activities in the areas of the mid-Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe using geographic information system (GIS) and remotely sensed data integrated with spatial logistic regression. The results showed that significant (α = 0.05) elephant poaching hot spots are located closer to wildlife protected areas. Results further demonstrated that resource availability (water and forage) are the main factors explaining elephant poaching activities in the mid-Zambezi Valley. For example, the majority of poaching activities were found to occur in areas with high vegetation fractional cover (high forage) and close to waterholes. The results also showed that poaching incidences were more prevalent during the dry season. The findings of this study highlight the significance of integrating GIS, remotely sensed data and spatial logistic regression tools for understanding and monitoring elephant poaching activities. This information is critical if poaching activities are to be minimized and it is also important for planning, monitoring and mitigation of poaching activities in similar protected areas across the sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords:

• Directional trend shift
• elephant poaching
• fractional vegetation cover
• resource distribution
• spatial logistic regression

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for availing the satellite images. We also want to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive criticism.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.