Impact of the socio-ecological system on animal reintroduction success

• Applicant: Dr. Zina Skandrani
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 281759701

Animal reintroductions are a central aspect of world conservation efforts. Yet, they are still a complex endeavor and often fail, calling for more efficient post-release monitoring. Crucial are here animal social behavior and mating system as they influence population vital rates, while their destabilization after reintroduction result in reduced population fitness. Few studies have yet included measures of animal behavior with fitness consequences to evaluate the responses of species to natural and anthropogenic stressors. Specifically in the case of reintroduced species, conservation efforts need urgently to uncover the identity and impacts of threats to population viability and determine exploitation practices of local people, in order to evaluate the future prospects of these species under various management strategies. Using animal social structure as behavioral indicator, the project aims to identify which socio-ecological factors are important for reintroduction success and to what extent these are mediated by governance strategies. The purpose is to assess key interaction patterns of social behavior with ecological features and anthropogenic pressures in a reintroduced species of high conservation concern, the Scimitar oryx that has gone extinct in the 20thC and been reintroduced to North Africa. Data collection will be performed in 2 National Tunisian parks with different management strategies regarding the access of people and between which oryx populations have been anecdotally reported to display differing social behavior. Using an interdisciplinary research strategy, the comparison between both parks will allow relating social behavior to features of the biophysical environment as well as to anthropogenic influences and thus assessing the contribution of landscape characteristics and human interactions to the success of reintroductions. On this base, it will further be possible to trace back the role of policy to crucial animal behavioral re-adaptations to release sites and to reintroduction success. The project would be seminal at 2 levels. First, it would be the first documentation of social behavior in wild-born scimitar oryx since the extinction of the species. This is of crucial importance as the North-African reintroduction experiences are used to plan current intensive Scimitar oryx restoration efforts in their former range. Second, the project would be the first to relate animal readaptation to natural areas not only to biophysical but also to anthropogenic factors. A thorough comprehension of human-environment interactions and how these are mediated by governance holds a strong policy-relevance. It will provide a conceptual framework highlighting how governance might integrate socio-ecological dynamics, and thus provide valuable insights to elucidating human-wildlife conflicts and inform current sustainable development issues.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: France
• Host: Professor Dr. Wolfgang Cramer