Socio-Ecological Factors Influencing Conservation of Rothschild’s Giraffe in Ruma National Park and Mwea National Reserve in Kenya

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorCecilia Gichukien_US
dc.contributor.advisorCharles Waruien_US
dc.contributor.authorGathuku, George Njagi
dc.date.accessioned2022-08-05T09:30:38Z
dc.date.available2022-08-05T09:30:38Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.descriptionA Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Education in the School of Environmental Studies of Kenyatta University, March 2022en_US
dc.description.abstractThe Rothschild’s giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi), is among the listed vulnerable animal species globally. In this study, two wildlife protected areas were studied; Mwea National Reserve and Ruma National Park both in Kenya, where Rothschild’s giraffes inhabit. Human activities ranging from robust agricultural activities, and human settlement as well as snaring have led to loss of habitat for the giraffe and the giraffes themselves. A socio-ecological approach is given emphasis by the study to ascertain human wildlife conflict propelled towards Rothschild’s giraffe in these demarcated protected areas. The study objectives were: assess the population size, structure and distribution of Rothschild’s giraffe in the two Protected Areas; evaluate the effect of human activities on population distribution and abundance of Rothschild’s giraffes in Ruma National Park and Mwea National Reserve; assess the attitude of the local inhabitants towards their adjacent protected area and their knowledge on wildlife conservation and evaluate government policies on wildlife conservation and giraffe protection in Kenya. To calculate giraffe population abundance, purposive sampling method was used. Four roads transects in each of the site were set up using a GPS 10trex. High resolution images of the left side of the giraffes were taken using a Nikon Coolpix P900 camera and recorded for WildID. Human activities and indigenous knowledge data was collected using open ended and structured questionnaires which were administered to the sampled households within 5 kilometres radius of the two Protected Areas. Interview schedules were also administered to the community members and Kenya Wildlife Service officers. The field obtained sample was 356 respondents resulting in an 89.2% response rate. Secondary data from existing literature was reviewed and this included reports and records from relevant institutions. The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS to apply descriptive, chi-square and ANOVA techniques, while content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The results showed that Ruma National Park had a large number of giraffes (N=314) compared to Mwea National Reserve (N=56). Regarding the population structure of the giraffes, the analysis showed that age distribution of the giraffes was statistically different in both sites χ2 (2, N=370) = 8.762, p=0.013. Ruma National Park was found to have significantly more females (57.6%) than males, whereas Mwea National reserve had significantly more males (57.1%) than females χ2 (2, N=370) = 4.205, p=0.04. The level of human-wildlife interaction was found to be significantly higher in Mwea compared to Ruma with more cases on farm invasions by giraffes χ2 (1, N=343) = 124.538, p = 0.000, and giraffe hunting activities χ2 (1, N=325) = 107.684, p=0.000. Also, findings revealed that the residents around Ruma National Park had a more positive attitude towards their park compared to those around Mwea National Reserve t (354) =2.637, p=0.0045 despite more residents in Mwea (90%) claiming to have an education on wildlife conservation. The study recommends proper fencing of the protected sites, involving the community in decision making and introduction of incentive for the communities living adjacent these protected areas.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipKenyatta Universityen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/23888
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherKenyatta Universityen_US
dc.subjectSocio-Ecological Factorsen_US
dc.subjectInfluencing Conservationen_US
dc.subjectRothschild’s Giraffeen_US
dc.subjectRuma National Parken_US
dc.subjectMwea National Reserveen_US
dc.subjectKenyaen_US
dc.titleSocio-Ecological Factors Influencing Conservation of Rothschild’s Giraffe in Ruma National Park and Mwea National Reserve in Kenyaen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Socio-Ecological Factors......pdf
Size:
4.22 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Full text Thesis
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
PHD-Department of Environmental Education