Social-Ecological Practice Theory & Human-Wildlife Interactions: People, Cattle, and Predators in Makgadikgadi, Botswana
The intertwinement of ecological and social processes is complex; conservation projects aiming to overcome human-wildlife conflict may in fact risk exacerbating it and causing injustices whenever either process is only superficially addressed. Using a case study in north-central Botswana, we provide a nuanced approach in conservation and ecology which intentionally considers the social sciences, using a framework we call ‘Social-Ecological Practice Theory’. First, we demonstrate differences of wildlife activity in space and time across communal, private, and protected areas using a 180-camera trap survey. We then provide the context to why this occurs through the study of cattle rearing logics, based on our findings of 80 semi-structured interviews of local community members across the region and GPS collars on select cattle herds. We then use our social and ecological understanding of the landscape to help us predict perceived predator presence in the area. Using theories and methodologies based in anthropology, social sciences, and ecology we hope to demonstrate that this integrative framework helps us to better understand human-carnivore interactions and progress how we approach applied management and conservation.