Browsing by Author "Hassan, Shombe N."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Human-induced disturbances influence on bird communities of coastal forests in eastern Tanzania
(2013) Hassan, Shombe N.; Salum, Amina R.; Rija, Alfan A.; Modest, Robert; Kideghesho, Jafari R.; Malata, Pius F.
Aims: To assess the influence of human-induced disturbances on bird communities. Study Design: Longitudinal study. Place and Duration of Study: Four forests; - Kion/Zaraninge, Kwamsisi/Kwahatibu, Msumbugwe and Gendagenda in Pangani–Saadani ecosystem, from October 2010 to January 2011. Methodology: Eight permanent transects, each 500 m long stratified into forest core and forest edge habitats were used in each forest to identify types and quantify levels of human-induced disturbances, determine bird species composition, diversity and richness, and abundance. Therefore three circular plots, each 20 m radius were allocated at beginning, middle and end of each transect. The level of disturbance was assessed using four disturbance indicators; tree lopping, human trails, Pit-sawing and animal snaring while bird species were identified by sight and call. One-way Analysis of Variance was used to test for differences in bird abundance between forests. Moreover, Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H’) was calculated for each forest to assess species diversity and evenness, and Bray-Curtis Cluster analysis was used to determine similarity in bird species composition between the forests. Results: A total of 564 individuals composed of 88 bird species distributed in ten Orders were recorded. The level of Pit-sawing and lopping differed significantly between forests (P<.05) with Msumbugwe being more disturbed than the rest. Bird abundance differed significantly between the forests (P<.05) with the highest abundance occurring in Msumbugwe. As expected, species richness and diversity were greater in least disturbed forests-Kiono/Zaraninge and Kwamsisi/Kwahatibu than in the highly disturbed forest, but forest dependent species were not significantly different between the study forests. Apparently, only Pit-sawing was found to correlate with bird abundance (P<.01) whereas similarities in species composition were evident with Kion/Zaraninge and Gendagenda exhibiting much overlap. Conclusion: Increasing forest disturbances seems to negatively impact on distribution of birds thus challenging conservationists to devising sustainable forest management strategies in order to sustain bird diversity and abundances in these unique forests.
The Knowledge about the Potential Health Risks of Illegal Bushmeat Activities among Local Communities Adjacent to Western Nyerere National Park, Tanzania
(Scientific Research Publishing, 2023-01-19) Foya, Yohani R.; Mgeni, Charles P.; Kadigi, Reuben M. J.; Kimaro, Michael H.; Hassan, Shombe N.
Establishing knowledge of local communities regarding the potential health risks of illegal bushmeat hunting and its related practices is among the essen- tial means to developing effective conservation and public health programs. To reveal the understanding of the local people regarding the potential health risks of bushmeat consumption and handling of wildlife products, we used a semi-structured questionnaire to survey 261 households in eight villages lo- cated adjacent to the western part of Nyerere National Park. Also, we inter- viewed eight key informants, including conservation personnel and veteri- nary officers, in the study area. The proportion of local people who were un- aware that handling of wildlife products and bushmeat consumption were risky behaviours towards acquiring zoonotic diseases was slightly higher (57%) than the proportion of respondents who were aware of the likely risks of zoonotic diseases from the practices. After all, the majority (83%) of local people admitted having come into contact with wildlife products, while over 70% reported having consumed bushmeat. We found that local communities living closer to the park boundaries (<15 km) have a higher likelihood of contacting wildlife products, and that community members who have lived in the area for more than ten years have experienced more contact with wildlife products than immigrants. Moreover, the age of inhabitants and length of stay were found to be the most significant factors in determining the likelih- ood of bushmeat consumption. Most people seemed to prefer bushmeat to domestic meat, arguing that bushmeat is far more flavorful, tender, not tainted with chemicals, and has less fat, making it safer. Our study demon- strated that local communities participate in risky practices without contem- plating the health consequences that could emerge should a zoonotic disease outbreak occur. Among other strategies, we recommended conservation and public health institutions to increase awareness campaigns on the possible health risks of zoonotic diseases associated with wildlife.