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