Patrick Aust - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Patrick Aust
Biological Conservation, 2017
Commercial production systems for wildlife increasingly involve closed-cycle captive breeding, in... more Commercial production systems for wildlife increasingly involve closed-cycle captive breeding, in which effective regulation requires methods for verifying the provenance of stock. We compared the isotopic and elemental compositions of skin from wild and captive-bred pythons raised under different diet regimes in Indonesia and Viet Nam to examine the efficacy of using these techniques as a means of determining the source and origin of skins entering international trade. We found significant differences in both isotopic and elemental markers between wild and captive-bred snakes, as well as those from different geographic origins. Combinations of both techniques were able to discriminate between diet treatments and geographic origins with up to 100% accuracy. Moreover, our experimental manipulation of python diets confirmed that the application of specific diet regimes (or the addition of known elemental markers) for captive-bred snakes can create signatures specific to those animals, vastly improving the efficacy of these methods. Our study strongly suggests that the analysis of isotope ratios and elemental markers offers a powerful tool for verifying the provenance of reptile skins entering tradebut these methodologies will be most applicable (and cost-effective) for species with small populations of genuine conservation concern, rather than for large volume trade in species for which there is little conservation risk.
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2012
Summary 1. India's Chambal River hosts the largest population of the critically endangered gh... more Summary 1. India's Chambal River hosts the largest population of the critically endangered gharial. Boat-based daylight surveys to date only provide indices of relative abundance, without measures of survey bias or error. No attempt to quantify detection probabilities in ...
Journal of development and agricultural economics, 2021
Python meat is a traditional but small source of protein throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, b... more Python meat is a traditional but small source of protein throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, but supply is exclusively from wild harvest. We build on recent evidence that supports snake farming as a viable and sustainable small-scale livestock system in Asia. We explore python farming as a strategy for enhanced food security in Zimbabwe. Our survey results highlight challenges, including drought and human-wildlife conflicts that face both traditional free-range livestock systems and food security, and reveal production prerequisites for complementary python farming. Preliminary findings suggest small-scale python farming could present a viable and sustainable complement to increasingly vulnerable traditional livestock systems. Key words: Adaptation, sustainable agriculture, python farming.
Nile crocodiles were extensively persecuted throughout much of the 20th century. The extinction o... more Nile crocodiles were extensively persecuted throughout much of the 20th century. The extinction of the species was only averted by the timely intervention of conservationists and by the beginning of the 21st century most populations had recovered. Many of the conservation measures designed to curb the original extinction threats remain unchanged and are now perceived by some to be outdated. The recovery of Nile crocodile populations has been accompanied by rapid human population growth and demands for freshwater resources. This phenomenon has resulted in a converging conflict crisis between Nile crocodiles and humans. The aim of this thesis is to (a) quantify the extent of human crocodile conflict (HCC) and (b) establish the implications for conservation and development. (a)The extent of HCC was assessed by (i) analysing losses incurred by local communities (ii) analysing the demographics of crocodiles in relation to human activities (iii) analysing the relationship between humans a...
Oryx, 2016
Snake farming in Asia has increased over the past decade, and conservationists have expressed con... more Snake farming in Asia has increased over the past decade, and conservationists have expressed concerns that farms may foster overexploitation of wild populations and create legal conduits for illegally harvested wild individuals. We conducted face-to-face interviews with snake farmers in Viet Nam and China, with the aim of describing the basic models under which snakes are farmed for meat. We synthesized this information to assess the feasibility of farming snakes for human consumption, drawing conclusions about the impact of this industry on the conservation of wild snake populations. The most commonly farmed snakes include the monocled cobra Naja kaouthia, the Chinese cobra Naja atra, the oriental rat snake Ptyas mucosus and the king cobra Ophiophagus hannah. These species have life histories that are compatible with the demands of intensive livestock production, including early maturity, rapid growth rates, high reproductive output, efficient food assimilation rates and undemandi...
South African Journal of Botany, 2008
Commercial production systems for wildlife increasingly involve closed-cycle captive breeding, in... more Commercial production systems for wildlife increasingly involve closed-cycle captive breeding, in which effective regulation requires methods for verifying the provenance of stock. We compared the isotopic and elementalcompositions of skin from wild and captive-bred pythons raised under different diet regimes in Indonesia and Viet Nam to examine the efficacy of using these techniques as a means of determining the source and origin ofskins entering international trade. We found significant differences in both isotopic and elemental markers between wild and captive-bred snakes, as well as those from different geographic origins. Combinations of both techniques were able to discriminate between diet treatments and geographic origins with up to 100 persen accuracy. Moreover, our experimental manipulation of python diets confirmed that the application of specific diet regimes (or the addition of known elemental markers) for captive-bred snakes can create signatures specific to those anim...
... For assistance with fieldwork I would like to thank Brenna Boyle, Fiona Llewellyn, Robin Beat... more ... For assistance with fieldwork I would like to thank Brenna Boyle, Fiona Llewellyn, Robin Beatty, Ben van der Waal, Dave Ward, Alfred Sibongo, Dick Sharp, Mark Paxton, Ralph Meyer, Duncan Cummings, Calvin Maiba, James Maiba, Mike Chase, Kelly Landen and Thandazani ...
Biodiversity and Conservation
... Mcgregor, J. 2005. Crocodile crimes: people versus wildlife and the politics of postcolonial ... more ... Mcgregor, J. 2005. Crocodile crimes: people versus wildlife and the politics of postcolonial conservation on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. Geoforum 36(3): 353369. ... Musambachime, MC 1987. The fate of the nile crocodile in African waterways. Afr. Affairs 86: 197207. ...
Biological Conservation, 2017
Commercial production systems for wildlife increasingly involve closed-cycle captive breeding, in... more Commercial production systems for wildlife increasingly involve closed-cycle captive breeding, in which effective regulation requires methods for verifying the provenance of stock. We compared the isotopic and elemental compositions of skin from wild and captive-bred pythons raised under different diet regimes in Indonesia and Viet Nam to examine the efficacy of using these techniques as a means of determining the source and origin of skins entering international trade. We found significant differences in both isotopic and elemental markers between wild and captive-bred snakes, as well as those from different geographic origins. Combinations of both techniques were able to discriminate between diet treatments and geographic origins with up to 100% accuracy. Moreover, our experimental manipulation of python diets confirmed that the application of specific diet regimes (or the addition of known elemental markers) for captive-bred snakes can create signatures specific to those animals, vastly improving the efficacy of these methods. Our study strongly suggests that the analysis of isotope ratios and elemental markers offers a powerful tool for verifying the provenance of reptile skins entering tradebut these methodologies will be most applicable (and cost-effective) for species with small populations of genuine conservation concern, rather than for large volume trade in species for which there is little conservation risk.
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2012
Summary 1. India's Chambal River hosts the largest population of the critically endangered gh... more Summary 1. India's Chambal River hosts the largest population of the critically endangered gharial. Boat-based daylight surveys to date only provide indices of relative abundance, without measures of survey bias or error. No attempt to quantify detection probabilities in ...
Journal of development and agricultural economics, 2021
Python meat is a traditional but small source of protein throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, b... more Python meat is a traditional but small source of protein throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, but supply is exclusively from wild harvest. We build on recent evidence that supports snake farming as a viable and sustainable small-scale livestock system in Asia. We explore python farming as a strategy for enhanced food security in Zimbabwe. Our survey results highlight challenges, including drought and human-wildlife conflicts that face both traditional free-range livestock systems and food security, and reveal production prerequisites for complementary python farming. Preliminary findings suggest small-scale python farming could present a viable and sustainable complement to increasingly vulnerable traditional livestock systems. Key words: Adaptation, sustainable agriculture, python farming.
Nile crocodiles were extensively persecuted throughout much of the 20th century. The extinction o... more Nile crocodiles were extensively persecuted throughout much of the 20th century. The extinction of the species was only averted by the timely intervention of conservationists and by the beginning of the 21st century most populations had recovered. Many of the conservation measures designed to curb the original extinction threats remain unchanged and are now perceived by some to be outdated. The recovery of Nile crocodile populations has been accompanied by rapid human population growth and demands for freshwater resources. This phenomenon has resulted in a converging conflict crisis between Nile crocodiles and humans. The aim of this thesis is to (a) quantify the extent of human crocodile conflict (HCC) and (b) establish the implications for conservation and development. (a)The extent of HCC was assessed by (i) analysing losses incurred by local communities (ii) analysing the demographics of crocodiles in relation to human activities (iii) analysing the relationship between humans a...
Oryx, 2016
Snake farming in Asia has increased over the past decade, and conservationists have expressed con... more Snake farming in Asia has increased over the past decade, and conservationists have expressed concerns that farms may foster overexploitation of wild populations and create legal conduits for illegally harvested wild individuals. We conducted face-to-face interviews with snake farmers in Viet Nam and China, with the aim of describing the basic models under which snakes are farmed for meat. We synthesized this information to assess the feasibility of farming snakes for human consumption, drawing conclusions about the impact of this industry on the conservation of wild snake populations. The most commonly farmed snakes include the monocled cobra Naja kaouthia, the Chinese cobra Naja atra, the oriental rat snake Ptyas mucosus and the king cobra Ophiophagus hannah. These species have life histories that are compatible with the demands of intensive livestock production, including early maturity, rapid growth rates, high reproductive output, efficient food assimilation rates and undemandi...
South African Journal of Botany, 2008
Commercial production systems for wildlife increasingly involve closed-cycle captive breeding, in... more Commercial production systems for wildlife increasingly involve closed-cycle captive breeding, in which effective regulation requires methods for verifying the provenance of stock. We compared the isotopic and elementalcompositions of skin from wild and captive-bred pythons raised under different diet regimes in Indonesia and Viet Nam to examine the efficacy of using these techniques as a means of determining the source and origin ofskins entering international trade. We found significant differences in both isotopic and elemental markers between wild and captive-bred snakes, as well as those from different geographic origins. Combinations of both techniques were able to discriminate between diet treatments and geographic origins with up to 100 persen accuracy. Moreover, our experimental manipulation of python diets confirmed that the application of specific diet regimes (or the addition of known elemental markers) for captive-bred snakes can create signatures specific to those anim...
... For assistance with fieldwork I would like to thank Brenna Boyle, Fiona Llewellyn, Robin Beat... more ... For assistance with fieldwork I would like to thank Brenna Boyle, Fiona Llewellyn, Robin Beatty, Ben van der Waal, Dave Ward, Alfred Sibongo, Dick Sharp, Mark Paxton, Ralph Meyer, Duncan Cummings, Calvin Maiba, James Maiba, Mike Chase, Kelly Landen and Thandazani ...
Biodiversity and Conservation
... Mcgregor, J. 2005. Crocodile crimes: people versus wildlife and the politics of postcolonial ... more ... Mcgregor, J. 2005. Crocodile crimes: people versus wildlife and the politics of postcolonial conservation on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. Geoforum 36(3): 353369. ... Musambachime, MC 1987. The fate of the nile crocodile in African waterways. Afr. Affairs 86: 197207. ...