Call for papers - Fencing as a Tool for Conflict Management
Submitted by editor on 21 October 2022.Photo by Göran Borglin.
Human-modification of the environment has resulted in a steady increase in human-wildlife spatial overlap and interactions. When these interactions threaten or result in damage to human property or safety, they are deemed to be “conflicts”. As a result, a variety of techniques and strategies have been developed in order to manage human-wildlife conflicts, and to maintain wildlife under human control. One of the oldest and most widespread tools is to keep wildlife out of or inside particular areas through different types of fences – from physical to electric to virtual – to the point that fences are one of the most common human infrastructures in the landscape. Fences have been raised to safeguard protected areas, reduce the risk of road collisions, protect livestock from wildlife damage, reduce the spread of diseases and/or control the movement of animals and people across borders, among others.
Photo by Mattias Olsson.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to explore the various ways in which fencing is used in the management of conflicts, particularly between humans and wildlife, and assess their effectiveness and direct and indirect effects on wildlife and ecosystems. Potential themes may include:
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Human-wildlife conflicts on productive lands or waters, e.g. agricultural areas, production forests or fish ponds
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Wildlife-vehicle collisions
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Disease spread, e.g. African swine fever
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Livestock management
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Fence removal effects
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Non-physical barriers, e.g. acoustic signals
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Social aspects of fencing, e.g., fencing for human or country security
We particularly welcome reviews, interdisciplinary studies, and studies that following a before-after-control-impact approach.
We believe this Special Issue will contribute to fill an important gap in wildlife and ecosystem management and we are looking forward to working together with researchers interested in this timely topic.
Photo by Göran Borglin.
Please contact our guest editors Nuria Selva (nuria [at] iop [dot] krakow [dot] pl) and Manisha Bhardwaj (manisha [dot] bhardwaj [at] wildlife [dot] uni-freiburg [dot] de) or our Editor-in-Chief Ilse Storch (ilse [dot] storch [at] wildlife [dot] uni-freiburg [dot] de) for any questions and submit your proposals by 31 January 2023.
The proposal should contain a title, tentative list of authors along with their affiliations and email address, article type (i.e., original article, short communication, essay/opinion, review, synthesis) and a summary of ~ 500 words, discussing on the originality/novelty of the work, and including aim, methods, and expected outcomes. Full article submission is expected by 30 April 2023.
Please note that all submissions will go through a regular peer review process. Please also note that many of our authors get a discount or full waiver of the article processing charge. Learn more here.