Browsing by Author "Rija, Alfan"
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Item The Coverage of Biodiversity Conservation Issues in Local Newspapers and Its Role in Enhancing Conservation Awareness in Tanzania: An Analysis of Two News Outlets(Herald International, 2020-04-06) Rija, Alfan; Kideghesho, JafariReview on the coverage of biodiversity issues in local newspapers was conducted between 2004 and 2013 to understand the importance given to the conservation news by two local newspapers. Twelve biodiversity issues were covered at varying scales, both from rural and urban areas. Reports on biodiversity issues showed a fluctuating but with increasing trend. The reporting of biodiversity issues was overall higher than the coverage of socio-political issues during the studied period. However, both newspapers reported very few research- based news (<5% of all reports) and some news were incorrectly presented, suggesting inadequate knowledge on conservation issues among the journalists and a limited interaction between the media and scientists. Conservation education to journalists and improved interaction and information sharing between scientists and journalists are critical factors in improving the quality of biodiversity conservation news flowing to the general public and policy makers.Item Global extent and drivers of mammal population declines in protected areas under illegal hunting pressure(Plos.org, 2020-08-21) Rija, Alfan; Rob, Critchlow; Thomas, Chris; Beale, ColinIllegal hunting is a persistent problem in many protected areas, but an overview of the extent of this problem and its impact on wildlife is lacking. We reviewed 40 years (1980–2020) of global research to examine the spatial distribution of research and socio-ecological factors influencing population decline within protected areas under illegal hunting pressure. From 81 papers reporting 988 species/site combinations, 294 mammal species were reported to have been illegally hunted from 155 protected areas across 48 countries. Research in illegal hunting has increased substantially during the review period and showed biases towards strictly protected areas and the African continent. Population declines were most frequent in countries with a low human development index, particularly in strict protected areas and for species with a body mass over 100 kg. Our results provide evidence that illegal hunting is most likely to cause declines of large-bodied species in protected areas of resource-poor countries regardless of protected area conservation status. Given the growing pressures of illegal hunting, increased investments in people’s development and additional conservation efforts such as improving anti-poaching strategies and conservation resources in terms of improving funding and personnel directed at this problem are a growing priority.