Where people and elephants share space, the chance of human-elephant interactions (HEI) shape how people make livelihood decisions, including where and when to harvest resources. In the Eastern Panhandle of the Okavango Delta in Botswana, elephant populations have doubled in the past 10 years. Currently 16,000 men and women from different ethnic backgrounds share woodlands with 18,000 elephants. People carry out livelihoods in ways that are shaped by multiple facets of their identities, including gender, age, ability, and ethnicity. Residents depend on firewood for energy, but collecting firewood where elephants may be is risky because elephants can kill people. Using an intersectional approach, we asked how do facets of people’s identities influence perceived risk, ability to adapt, and vulnerability to HEI? We conducted one year of mixed method, ethnographic research in the village of Mokgacha in the Eastern Panhandle. We found that both men and women collected elephant-felled firewood but had different perceptions of risk to HEI and adapted in different ways. Women often harvested in groups and the middle of the day, whereas men harvested alone in the morning and evenings while tending to cattle, leaving them vulnerable to elephants. Because of physical limitations, the elderly and people with disabilities were vulnerable to HEI and relied on resource sharing from family to reduce their vulnerability to HEI. Settlement history also influenced how people of different ethnicities are vulnerable because of access to environments with low visibility and higher chance of HEI. This work provides insights on who, how, and when people adapt to minimize the potential danger of HEI when collecting firewood. To reduce unwanted HEI and ensure continued support for elephants by rural residents, conservation interests should focus efforts on building solutions that recognize social diversity, recognize local perceptions of risk, and reinforce culturally relevant adaptations.

中文翻译：

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大象漫游的地方：奥卡万戈三角洲的感知风险，脆弱性和适应性

人与大象共享空间，人与大象互动（HEI）的机会决定着人们如何做出生计决定，包括何时何地收获资源。在博茨瓦纳的奥卡万戈三角洲的东潘汉德尔，过去十年来大象的数量增加了一倍。目前，来自不同种族背景的16,000名男女共拥有18,000头大象。人们以多种身份（包括性别，年龄，能力和种族）所塑造的方式来谋生。居民依靠柴火获取能量，但是在大象可能会聚集的地方收集柴火是有风险的，因为大象会杀死人。我们使用交叉方法询问人们身份的各个方面如何影响感知的风险，适应能力和HEI脆弱性？进行了混合法一年，在Panhandle东部的Mokgacha村进行民族志研究。我们发现男人和女人都收集了大象砍伐的木柴，但对HEI的风险有不同的认识，并以不同的方式进行了适应。妇女常常成群结队地收割，而男人则在早晨和傍晚独自收割，而他们趋向于养牛，使他们容易受到大象的伤害。由于身体上的限制，老年人和残疾人很容易受到HEI的伤害，并依靠家庭共享资源来减少他们对HEI的脆弱性。定居历史还影响了不同种族的人们如何脆弱，因为他们进入了能见度低和发生HEI机会更高的环境。这项工作提供了有关谁，如何做，当人们收集柴火时要尽量减少HEI的潜在危险时。为了减少不必要的HEI并确保农村居民对大象的持续支持，保护利益组织应将精力集中在建立承认社会多样性，承认当地风险意识并加强与文化相关的适应措施的解决方案上。