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opencc-zeroMay 2022View details →

Balancing carnivore conservation and sustainable hunting of a key prey species: a case study on the Florida panther and white-tailed deer

1. Large carnivore restoration programs are often promoted as capable of providing ecosystem services. However, these programs rarely measure effects of successful restoration on other economically and ecologically important species. In South Florida, while the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) population has increased in recent years due to conservation efforts, the population of its main prey, the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), has declined in some regions. The extent to which panther predation has affected deer populations has been difficult to assess because several other factors have changed during this period, including hydrology and hunting regulations. 2. We collected known-fate survival data on 241 GPS-collared adult deer (156 females and 85 males) from 2015 to 2018 in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and the Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, USA, to assess effects of panther predation on the deer population, while also evaluating the impacts of hunting and hydrology. 3. Predation was the primary cause of death (110 of 134 mortalities), and 87% of predation events were attributed to panthers, a much greater rate than reported by studies conducted before the panther genetic restoration effort initiated in 1995. One deer was legally harvested, and two were likely killed by poachers. Increasing water depth decreased female survival but had little impact on male survival, and drowning was never a cause of mortality. 4. Females had greater survival probability than males, except during fawning season. From 2015 to 2018, annual survival rates increased from 0.61 (0.52-0.70) to 0.86 (0.79-0.91) for females, and from 0.45 (95% CI: 0.33-0.58) to 0.79 (0.69-0.86) for males. 5. Synthesis and applications – High predation rates, coupled with previous evidence of low recruitment of deer in South Florida, suggest that it will be challenging to meet society's competing demands for large predator restoration and sustainable deer harvest. Deer hunting in the area must remain tightly controlled, for now, if it is to be sustainable, and managers should seek to mitigate effects of high waters and improve deer habitat quality to increase deer population viability. Future work should closely monitor the deer population to assess if management actions can increase vital rates and abundance in the context of high predation rates.

opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →

Predicting potential distributions of large carnivores in Kenya: An occupancy study to guide conservation

Aim: Species distribution maps are frequently the foundation upon which species-specific conservation strategies are developed, however, mapping species distribution is challenging, especially across large spatial extents. Our aim was to use a novel empirical approach to predict the national distribution for all six large carnivore species found in Kenya to guide conservation and management decisions by identifying knowledge and conservation gaps. Location: Kenya Methods: Data on carnivore presence and absence were collected through questionnaires and sightings-based surveys. These data were combined and analysed using single-season false-positive occupancy models, which account for imperfect detections and false positives. To inform conservation strategies, we used the occupancy outputs to make predictions for unsampled areas and create occupancy-based distribution maps, where ψ>0.50, to (1) quantify differences with IUCN Red List range maps, (2) quantify overlap with wildlife areas and (3) identify areas of high carnivore richness. Results: Large carnivore occupancy was associated with land conversion, habitat, and prey availability. Our results suggest that all six species are widely distributed across Kenya and reveal substantial differences in distribution maps compiled by the IUCN Red List. More specifically, our occupancy-based distribution maps predict a much larger distribution for African wild dog (5.09X), lion (4.77X), and leopard (1.46X), similar distribution for cheetah, and smaller distribution for spotted hyaena (0.84X) and striped hyaena (0.65X). For all large carnivores, the vast majority (~80%) of their predicted distribution falls outside wildlife areas and northern Kenya is predicted to have the highest large carnivore richness. Main conclusions: Our results are encouraging as large carnivores may be widely distributed across Kenya, in some cases potentially more so than previously acknowledged. However, much of this range lies outside wildlife areas and represents areas of concern both for conservation and human livelihoods illustrating the challenges of conserving large carnivores across their range.

Figure 9 in Human-wildlife conflict as a barrier to large carnivore management and conservation in Turkey

Figure 9. Responses by occupation for the question "Does the wild animal you see harm you?" as part of a human opinion survey conducted in 2010 and 2014 in villages surrounding the Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains National Park in eastern Turkey. Results are pooled across years.

Figure 12 in Human-wildlife conflict as a barrier to large carnivore management and conservation in Turkey

Figure 12. Previous knowledge of wildlife ecotourism and desire to participate in future opportunities of survey respondents to a human opinion survey conducted in 2010 and 2014 in villages surrounding the Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains National Park in eastern Turkey. Results are pooled across the two survey years.

Figure 6 in Human-wildlife conflict as a barrier to large carnivore management and conservation in Turkey

Figure 6. Responses by survey year for the question "Does the wild animal you see harm you?" as part of a human opinion survey conducted in 2006, 2010, and 2014 in villages surrounding the Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains National Park in eastern Turkey.

Figure 7 in Human-wildlife conflict as a barrier to large carnivore management and conservation in Turkey

Figure 7. Property damage from wildlife experienced by survey respondents to a human opinion survey conducted in 2006, 2010, and 2014 in villages surrounding the Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains National Park in eastern Turkey. Results are pooled across years.

Fig. 4 in Conservation importance of Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area, Laos, for small carnivores based on camera trap data

Fig. 4. Distribution of camera-trap records for Mustelidea and Herpestidea in Nakai-Nam Theun NPA from 2006–2011.

Fig. 3 in Conservation importance of Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area, Laos, for small carnivores based on camera trap data

Fig. 3. Distribution of camera-trap records for Viverridae and linsang in Nakai-Nam Theun NPA from 2006–2011.

Fig. 2 in Conservation importance of Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area, Laos, for small carnivores based on camera trap data

Fig. 2. Total survey effort (in camera trap days) per month over the 2006–2011 survey period (bars) and relative species encounter rate (i.e., total independent photos of small carnivore spp./total camera trap day for the month). Relative encounter rates were highest during the warmest and well-surveyed months—peaks are observed in March (start of the warm season) and October (still within the warm season). Despite high survey effort in January and December (cold season), encounter rates were low.

Fig. 1 in Conservation importance of Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area, Laos, for small carnivores based on camera trap data

Fig. 1. Camera-trap sampling effort within Nakai–Nam Theun NPA in 2006–2011 (c.f. Table 1; Johnson et al., 2007) at 10 survey blocks; in chronological order of survey: (1) Khamkeut – Nam San; (2) Nam On – Boualapha; (3) Nam On – Gnomalath; (4) Khamkeut – Thong Pae; (5) Nam Chae – Makfuang; (6) Nam Chae – Navang; (7) Phou Vang – Houay Nam Heuy; (8) Thong Xet; (9) Nam Mon – Thongkacheng; (10) Nam Theun – reservoir.

publicMay 2022View details →

Balancing carnivore conservation and sustainable hunting of a key prey species: a case study on the Florida panther and white-tailed deer

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publicJul 2022View details →

Predicting potential distributions of large carnivores in Kenya: An occupancy study to guide conservation

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dryad36/100

Trust in researchers and researchers' statements in large carnivore conservation

Human-wildlife interactions occur when humans and wildlife overlap in the same landscapes. Due to the growing human population, the number of interactions will continue to increase, and in some cases, develop further into social conflicts. Conflicts may occur between people disagreeing about wildlife conservation or arguing over which wildlife management measures should be taken. Social conflicts between humans are based on different attitudes, values and land-use aspirations. The success of solving these social conflicts strongly depends on building trust between the public, stakeholders, authorities, and researchers, as trust is fundamental to all communication and dialogue. Here we have examined how trust in large carnivore research differs within a geographically stratified sample of the Norwegian population. The comprehensive survey, including 2110 respondents, allows us to explore how people perceive factual statements about large carnivores depending on the source of these statements. Specifically, the respondents were given multiple statements and asked to judge them in terms of meaning and authenticity depending on whether the statements were made by a politician, the Norwegian farmers' association, the Norwegian Fish and Game association or a large carnivore researcher. Based on the variations in perceptions, we inferred that trust in large carnivore researchers and their research results varied with people's attitudes, values and direct experience of large carnivores. In general, respondents perceived 60% of the statements to be genuine when given no information of who had made them. Although this increased to 75 % when informed that the statements were made by a large carnivore researcher, there was still a 25 % probability that the statement was perceived as manipulative or political. Age, environmental values, and negative experiences of carnivores increased the probability of perceiving research statements as manipulative or political. People living in areas with high proportions of hunters showed particularly polarized views, either more strongly perceiving the statements as political, or in contrast as research. This study provides a novel perspective in understanding the role trust plays in social conflicts related to human-wildlife interactions.

opencc-zeroNov 2021View details →

dryad36/100

Trust in researchers and researchers’ statements in large carnivore conservation

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publicNov 2021View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Promoting human-carnivore coexistence through outreach in Namibia’s eastern communal conservancies

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publicDec 2024View details →

opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →

Collaboration for conservation: assessing country-wide carnivore occupancy dynamics from sparse data

Aim: Assessing the distribution and persistence of species across their range is a crucial component of wildlife conservation. It demands data at adequate spatial scales and over extended periods of time, which may only be obtained through collaborative efforts, and the development of methods that integrate heterogeneous datasets. We aimed to combine existing data on large carnivores to evaluate population dynamics and improve knowledge on their distribution nationwide. Location: Botswana Methods: Between 2010 – 2016, we collated data on African wild dog, cheetah, leopard, brown and spotted hyaena, and lion gathered with different survey methods by independent researchers across Botswana. We used a multi-species, multi-method dynamic occupancy model to analyse factors influencing occupancy, persistence, and colonisation, while accounting for imperfect detection. Lastly, we used the gained knowledge to predict the probability of occurrence of each species countrywide. Results: Wildlife areas and communal rangelands had similar occupancy probabilities for most species. Large carnivore occupancy was low in commercial farming areas and where livestock density was high, except for brown hyaena. Lion occupancy was negatively associated with human density; lion and spotted hyena occupancy was high where rainfall was high, while the opposite applied to brown hyaena. Lion and leopard occupancy remained constant countrywide over the study period. African wild dog and cheetah occupancy declined over time in the south and north, respectively, whereas both hyaena species expanded their ranges. Countrywide predictions identified the highest occupancy for leopards and lowest for the two hyaena species. Main Conclusions: We highlight the necessity of data sharing and propose a generalisable analytical method that addresses the challenges of heterogeneous data common in ecology. Our approach, which enables a comprehensive multi-species assessment at large spatial and temporal scales, supports the development of data-driven conservation guidelines and the implementation of evidence-based management strategies nationally and internationally.

opencc-zeroOct 2021View details →

Dog in the matrix: Envisioning countrywide connectivity conservation for an endangered carnivore

<ol> <li>Elevated rates of anthropogenic impacts on land-use regimes have pushed terrestrial megafauna to the brink of extinction. Consequently, it is critical to adopt conservation approaches that safeguard individual populations, while retaining connectivity among these populations. Conserving spatially structured populations of imperiled species at large scales is often complex; the past decades have therefore seen a rise in spatial conservation prioritization exercises aimed at shaping landscape-scale conservation programmes.</li> <li>We present a framework for informing nationwide connectivity conservation, linking ecological and administrative scales, to maximise relevance for management. We assessed connectivity of the endangered dhole Cuon alpinus among 155 potential source populations across India using a data-driven approach combined with graph and circuit theory. We used clustering algorithms to identify ecologically meaningful conservation landscapes; within each landscape, we identified priority source populations based on their connectedness, and quantified pixel-specific habitat accessibility. We superimposed administrative boundaries on our findings to provide conservation recommendations at this management-relevant scale.</li> <li>We first mapped potential dhole movement across India. Dhole populations fell within three primary clusters—Western and Eastern Ghats (WEG), Central Indian Landscape (CIL), and North-East India (NEI)—of which NEI had the highest forest cover, most diffuse connectivity, and lowest human density, while WEG had the highest protected area coverage, and overall connectedness. Within each conservation landscape we evaluated the relative importance of Protected Areas and accessibility to high-quality patches. Parts of the Eastern Ghats had low habitat accessibility, yet high potential for dhole landscape connectivity. In 114 identified administrative units of priority for habitat restoration, we highlight those with low accessibility, i.e., areas where restoration needs to be spatially targeted for maximum benefits.</li> <li> Synthesis and applications. We make recommendations for spatially-informed habitat restoration to enhance dhole connectivity in India, highlighting the importance of improving matrix permeability where dhole movement is currently restricted. More broadly, the framework we present is useful across species and management contexts, as it combines spatial and administrative scales to make ecologically-informed assessments of high relevance to management. Synergistically integrating species ecology, threats, and administrative considerations in connectivity conservation plans can enhance success of species conservation programmes.</li> </ol>

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

Large carnivore conservation and traditional pastoralism: An economic analysis on the efficacy of bear-reindeer predation mitigation measures: Dataset for 2014–2016 corralling versus forest treatment analysis

While wildlife and cultural preservation goals can be either complimentary or counteractive, the goals of large carnivore conservation and traditional pastoralist lifestyles are often at odds. Livestock depredation can negatively impact the economies of livestock herders, while subsequent lethal removals contribute to local carnivore population declines. Here, we collaborated with two Sámi reindeer herding communities (2010–2016) situated in Sweden's boreal forest to evaluate the efficacy and economic feasibility of three brown bear predation mitigation measures: corralling pregnant reindeer during parturition, lethal bear management removals, and public bear-license hunting. Calving corrals increased survival for reindeer calves born to average-sized females by 7% to 15% and by 14% to 30% for calves born to small females. However, the realized cost of implementing calving corrals outweighed the financial gain for both our study areas (net losses ranged between €1,111 and €6,210 per calf saved from bear predation per year when using the updated 2021 calf value), as well as for almost every theoretical scenario we explored (net losses €234 and €13,995 per calf saved from bear predation). The exception was the theoretical scenario where small herding communities overlapped large bear populations, which crossed the breakeven efficacy bear/reindeer ratio of 13.5 bears/100 reindeer and had a potential net gain of €36 per saved calf. Similarly, the cost of lethal management removals of bears also outweighed the potential financial gain from saved calves, with net losses between €75 and €239 per calf. License hunting, where the hunters voluntarily incur the monetary costs of removing bears, is in most cases the only economically viable mitigation measure where the cost of mitigation did not outweigh the financial gain from increased reindeer survival. While the annual public license hunt was the most cost-effective mitigation measure, it may be less biologically effective, i.e., bear hunting occurs in the fall and reindeer parturition the following spring which leaves time for the empty niche of harvested bears to be filled by survivors. Economically and biologically effective predation mitigation measures are key for promoting coexistence, and we suggest that potential mitigation measures should be studied in collaboration with local people.

publicMay 2023View details →

Large carnivore conservation and traditional pastoralism: An economic analysis on the efficacy of bear-reindeer predation mitigation measures: Dataset for 2014–2016 corralling versus forest treatment analysis

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