Fences of beehives housing live honeybees during peak season can help reduce human-elephant conflict, a new study has revealed.
It says elephants avoid the fences up to 86 per cent of the time during peak crop seasons.
The nine-year study, published in the Journal Conservation Science and Practice, provides insights into using nature-based solutions to protect livelihoods and wildlife.
The study was conducted by the research charity Save the Elephants in collaboration with the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Kenya Wildlife Service and the University of Oxford.
However, researchers caution that ongoing habitat degradation and persistent droughts could threaten the long-term effectiveness of this natural deterrent.
Kenya is facing rapid human population growth, with a 59.4 per cent increase between the year 2000 and 2020, which has led to the shrinking of elephant habitats as human settlements and infrastructure expand.
Finding sustainable ways for people and elephants to coexist is becoming an urgent challenge for KWS, which is responsible for protecting the country’s natural resources amid growing economic development needs.
Keeping elephants safely away from subsistence farms is a major focus of Save the Elephants’ Coexistence Programme.
Beehive fences, introduced in 2007 by STE and KWS, in partnership with the University of Oxford, provide an innovative approach.
These fences consist of a series of live beehives strung together between posts, creating a physical, auditory and olfactory deterrent to elephants.
The elephants’ natural fear of being stung keeps them away, while the fences also benefit farmers by providing pollination services and generating income through honey and wax production.
The study monitored 26 farms
protected by beehive fences in two
villages near Tsavo East National Park
and analysed nearly 4,000 incidents
of elephant movements.
