The use of ecosystem parameters in predicting the risk of aicraft-wildlife collisions at Namibian airports
| dc.contributor.advisor | Avenant, N. L. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hauptfleisch, Morgan Lindo | |
| dc.contributor.other | Toerien, D. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2015-08-19T14:21:55Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2015-08-19T14:21:55Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014-01 | |
| dc.description.abstract | English: Human-wildlife conflict is affecting a number of aspects of society as a result of increased competition for resources such as food and space. To address the complexity, management of human wildlife conflict needs to be innovative to achieve a difficult but possible win-win solution for both humans and wildlife. As an important form of human-wildlife conflict, aircraft-wildlife collisions (AWCs), more commonly known as bird strikes, require even greater imagination and innovation to solve. AWCs have the potential to cause loss of life to humans, and annual losses in damages as a result of such collisions runs in excess of US$ 3 billion per year to the aviation industry. Due to lack of accurate reporting of AWCs in Namibia (and Africa as a whole) losses have been impossible to quantify locally. In addition to direct damage, airlines, airports and individuals have been litigated in Europe and the USA for indirect damages resulting from AWCs. A number of studies have identified an increasing trend in AWCs globally as a result of higher flight volumes and increases in risk bird populations. Flight safety in Africa is of concern internationally, and AWCs are an important safety aspect which need to be understood better. Very little empirical research on the extent or causes of AWCs in Africa have been published. At Namibia’s two major airports, Hosea Kutako International and Eros (domestic), 128 AWC incidents were recorded between 2006 and 2010. Although none led to human injury or death, two major incidents lead to costs in excess of N$ 20 million and N$ 1million respectively. Publications on AWC minimisation strategies and techniques on the continent are limited to South Africa and Uganda. This is problematic, as mitigation measures for AWCs in Africa are therefore mostly based on research in foreign ecosystems; while we know that local knowledge of AWC factors, such as bird and mammal population dynamics and climatic seasonality are critical to the success of AWC management. This study is the first scientific investigation into any aspect of AWCs in Namibia. It aims to understand the relationship between ecosystem components and their effect on the risk of aircraft-wildlife collisions occurring at Hosea Kutako and Eros airports. Monitoring of ecosystem components such as insects and small mammals are useful to airport wildlife management as they are relatively quick and inexpensive tools for determining ecosystem health and functioning and can indicate varying environmental contexts and responses. These ecosystem components and others such as vegetation and avian communities were explored. The study found that modelling the abovementioned ecosystem factors to predict the risk of AWCs would be marginally accurate, but still useful in understanding the system, as well as the effects of various management actions on that system. Systems modelling was found to have the potential to map the complexity of influences on AWCs and make them understandable to airport management in order to allow more informed decision making and resourcing regarding the management of AWC risk. The international obligation placed on airport staff to control wildlife hazards in the vicinity of airports is often difficult to fulfil, especially at smaller airports or in countries with inadequate resources and capacity. In addition to this, research into wildlife habitat, species and their habits at airports has predominantly originated in Europe and North America, and hence mitigation measures are most effective in these conditions, and less effective elsewhere. Based on the context of its literature and empirical research, this study proposes a toolkit which was designed to guide airports in Southern Africa to minimise risk of aircraftwildlife collisions. It is based on the understanding of ecosystems in the vicinity of the two airports on which this study was based, but also on the broader understanding of capacity and resources available to many Southern African countries. It also considers the recommended practices of ICAO, global best practice and promotes a multi-stakeholder management approach. Key words: Aircraft-wildlife collision, airport habitat, avifauna, bird strike, ecosystem, human-wildlife conflict, multi-stakeholder management, systems modelling, toolkit, wildlife hazard management. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Afrikaans: Mens-wildlewe konflik is huidiglik ‘n probleem wat alle aspekte van die samelewing beinvloed as gevolg van verergende kompetisie vir hulpbronne soos voedsel en ruimte. Om hierdie komplekse probleem aan te spreek, moet die bestuur van mens-wildlewe konflik innoverend wees om ‘n moeilike maar wel moontlike wen-wen oplossing vir mens en dier te vind. Vliegtuig-wildlewe botsings (VWBs) is ‘n belangrike vorm van mens-wildlewe konflik en verg nog meer verbeelding en innovering om op te los. VWBs het die potensiaal om tot menslike lewensverlies te lei, en geldelike verliese weens sulke botsings beloop meer as US$ 3 miljard per jaar vir die globale lugvaartbedryf. Weens ‘n tekort aan akkurate verslagdiening van VWBs in Namibië (en Afrika as geheel) is dit onmoontlik om verliese lokaal te skat. Ongeag direkte verliese, word lugrederye, lughawens en individue voor die hof gedaag om indirekte kostes as gevolg van VWBs te eis. Menigde studies het ‘n globale toename in die volume VWBs gevind as gevolg van meer vlugte en toenames in risiko voël bevolkings. Vlugveiligheid in Afrika is ‘n internasionale bekommernis, en VWBs is een aspek wat nog swak verstaan word. Weinige empiriese navorsing oor die getalle of oorsake van VWBs in Afrika is al gepubliseer. Op Namibië se twee belangrikste en besigste lughawens, naamlik Hosea Kutako Internasionaal en Eros (plaaslik), is 128 VWB insidente tussen 2006 en 2010 aangemeld. Howel geen tot menslike beserings of lewensverlies gelei het nie, het twee groot insidente tot kostes van meer as N$ 20 miljoen en N$ 1 miljoen gelei. Publikasies oor VWB verminderings strategieë en tegnieke in Afrika is tans beperk tot Suid Afrika en Uganda. Dit veroorsaak probleme, omdat die meerderheid strategieë dus in Europa en Amerika ontwikkel is, vir ekosisteme wat anders as lokale ekosisteme funksioneer. Dit neem nie plaaslike kennis oor voël en soogdier bevolkingsdinamika, en seisoenaliteit in ag nie, faktore wat krities is tot suksesvolle VWB bestuur. Hierdie studie is die eerste wetenskaplike ontleding van enige aspek van VWBs in Namibië. Dit beoog om die verhouding tussen ekosisteemkomponente en hulle effek op die risiko van VWBs by Hosea Kutako en Eros lughawens te bepaal. Monitering van ekosisteemkomponente soos insekte en klein soogdiere is nuttig vir lughawe wildlewe bestuur omdat hulle relatief goedkoop en vinnige tegnieke behels om ekosisteem gesondheid en funksionering te bepaal, asook omgewingstoestande en reaksies. Hierdie ekosisteemkomponente en ander soos plantegroei en voëlgemeenskappe is as deel van hierdie studie ondersoek. Die studie het bepaal dat modelering van sekere aspekte van die bogenoemde eksosisteemfaktore tot ‘n laë mate gebruik kan word om die risiko van VWBs te voorspel. Sulke modelering is wel nuttig om die sisteem te kan verstaan, asook die effek van bestuursmetodes op VWB risiko. Daar is gevind dat sisteemmodelering die potensiaal toon om die kompleksiteit van VWB invloede te illustreer, en sodoende hulle verstaanbaar vir lughawebesuur kan maak, wat dan tot meer akkurate besluitneming oor VWB risiko bestuur kan lei. Die internasionale verpligting wat op lughawe personeel geplaas word om VWBs te verminder is dikwels moeilik om na te kom, veral by kleiner lughawens of in lande waar daar ‘n tekort aan hulpbronne en kapasiteit voorkom. Daarby is navorsing oor VWBs en hulle oorsake meestal in Europa en Amerika uitgevoer, en dus is bestuurstegnieke slegs onder bogenoemde toestande beproef, en heel moontlik minder effektief elders. Hierdie studie stel ‘n hulpmiddel (toolkit) voor om lughawns in Suider Afrika te assisteer in die bestuur van VWBs. Dit word gebasseer op die begrip van ekosisteme in en om die twee studie lughawens, maar ook ‘n wyer begrip van kapasiteit en hulpbronbeskikbaarheid in Suider Afrika as geheel. Dit neem ook die voorgestelde praktyke van ICAO en wêreldwye goeie praktyke in ag, en bevorder ‘n multibelanghebbende bestuurs aanslag. Sleutelwoorde: Avifauna, ekosisteem, hulpmiddel, lughawe habitat, mens wildlewe konflik, multibelanghebbende bestuur, sisteemmodelering, vliegtuig-wildlewe konflik, wildlewe risiko bestuur. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Namibia Airports Company (NAC) | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11660/976 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Thesis (Ph.D. (Centre for Environmental Management))--University of the Free State, 2014 | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Aircraft accidents | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Namibia | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Aircraft bird strikes | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Wildlife management | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Aircraft-wildlife collision | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Airport wildlife control | en_ZA |
| dc.title | The use of ecosystem parameters in predicting the risk of aicraft-wildlife collisions at Namibian airports | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |