Optimizing the Migratory Environment of Wildebeests in the Maasai Mara Reserve with a New Ecological Corridor and Customized Buffer Zone Model
Conflicts between wildlife and humans are a major ecological issue. During migration, wildlife, especially wildebeest, often encounter significant environmental pressures from human activities. However, relatively few studies have been conducted to provide a concise, quantitative description of wild...
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2024-10-01
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| author | Xinrui Fan Kuok Ho Daniel Tang Shoushuo Liu Yang Liu Charles Ken Smith |
| author_facet | Xinrui Fan Kuok Ho Daniel Tang Shoushuo Liu Yang Liu Charles Ken Smith |
| author_sort | Xinrui Fan |
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| description | Conflicts between wildlife and humans are a major ecological issue. During migration, wildlife, especially wildebeest, often encounter significant environmental pressures from human activities. However, relatively few studies have been conducted to provide a concise, quantitative description of wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR). In this study, we identified changes in the location of the wildebeest population over time in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. We then used a K-means algorithm (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.926) to fit coordinates representing the changes in the location of the wildebeests to enable a quantitative representation of their migration routes. Subsequently, we developed an environmental stress model to assess the changes in environmental stresses faced by wildebeests along their migration routes. We proposed a model of “migratory ecological corridors and customized buffer zones” and determined the response coefficient T_res. We used the response coefficients T_res = 0.06, 0.09, and 0.12 as the critical values to categorize the areas along the routes into weak, medium, and strong response regions. Then, we set the width of the buffer zones on both sides of the routes as 5 km, 7 km, and 9 km, respectively, and evaluated the buffer effect. This type of model achieved a good effect of reducing the environmental pressure by 54.06%. The “Migratory Ecological Corridor and Customized Buffer Zone” model demonstrated a high degree of economic feasibility while showing good practicality in mitigating the environmental conflicts between humans and migratory wildlife. The variability in the environmental pressures across the region indicates that the Nairobi and Nakuru districts may be undergoing a particular stage of urbanization that unleashes potential threats to the migration of wildebeests. Further research is essential to assess the feasibility of larger buffer zones. |
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| spelling | doaj-art-5c20ffb0f60f4c6598fca80b3638e2f72025-08-20T02:00:45ZengMDPI AGEarth2673-48342024-10-015470772310.3390/earth5040037Optimizing the Migratory Environment of Wildebeests in the Maasai Mara Reserve with a New Ecological Corridor and Customized Buffer Zone ModelXinrui Fan0Kuok Ho Daniel Tang1Shoushuo Liu2Yang Liu3Charles Ken Smith4College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USASchool of Mathematics and Physics, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, ChinaCollege of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USAConflicts between wildlife and humans are a major ecological issue. During migration, wildlife, especially wildebeest, often encounter significant environmental pressures from human activities. However, relatively few studies have been conducted to provide a concise, quantitative description of wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR). In this study, we identified changes in the location of the wildebeest population over time in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. We then used a K-means algorithm (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.926) to fit coordinates representing the changes in the location of the wildebeests to enable a quantitative representation of their migration routes. Subsequently, we developed an environmental stress model to assess the changes in environmental stresses faced by wildebeests along their migration routes. We proposed a model of “migratory ecological corridors and customized buffer zones” and determined the response coefficient T_res. We used the response coefficients T_res = 0.06, 0.09, and 0.12 as the critical values to categorize the areas along the routes into weak, medium, and strong response regions. Then, we set the width of the buffer zones on both sides of the routes as 5 km, 7 km, and 9 km, respectively, and evaluated the buffer effect. This type of model achieved a good effect of reducing the environmental pressure by 54.06%. The “Migratory Ecological Corridor and Customized Buffer Zone” model demonstrated a high degree of economic feasibility while showing good practicality in mitigating the environmental conflicts between humans and migratory wildlife. The variability in the environmental pressures across the region indicates that the Nairobi and Nakuru districts may be undergoing a particular stage of urbanization that unleashes potential threats to the migration of wildebeests. Further research is essential to assess the feasibility of larger buffer zones.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4834/5/4/37Maasai Mara National Reserveenvironmental conflictsbuffer zoneecological corridorswildebeest |
| spellingShingle | Xinrui Fan Kuok Ho Daniel Tang Shoushuo Liu Yang Liu Charles Ken Smith Optimizing the Migratory Environment of Wildebeests in the Maasai Mara Reserve with a New Ecological Corridor and Customized Buffer Zone Model Earth Maasai Mara National Reserve environmental conflicts buffer zone ecological corridors wildebeest |
| title | Optimizing the Migratory Environment of Wildebeests in the Maasai Mara Reserve with a New Ecological Corridor and Customized Buffer Zone Model |
| title_full | Optimizing the Migratory Environment of Wildebeests in the Maasai Mara Reserve with a New Ecological Corridor and Customized Buffer Zone Model |
| title_fullStr | Optimizing the Migratory Environment of Wildebeests in the Maasai Mara Reserve with a New Ecological Corridor and Customized Buffer Zone Model |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimizing the Migratory Environment of Wildebeests in the Maasai Mara Reserve with a New Ecological Corridor and Customized Buffer Zone Model |
| title_short | Optimizing the Migratory Environment of Wildebeests in the Maasai Mara Reserve with a New Ecological Corridor and Customized Buffer Zone Model |
| title_sort | optimizing the migratory environment of wildebeests in the maasai mara reserve with a new ecological corridor and customized buffer zone model |
| topic | Maasai Mara National Reserve environmental conflicts buffer zone ecological corridors wildebeest |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4834/5/4/37 |
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