Edge effects and large mammal distributions in a national park

Abstract

While protected areas are a centrepiece of conservation, populations of animals in protected areas can still be subject to considerable human influence. Conservation theory suggests that many species should live at lower densities at the periphery of protected areas compared with the core area. Similarly, but more specifically, species subject to exploitation are expected to have lower densities in areas close to human settlements compared with more remote areas. Drawing upon distributional data of eight large African herbivore species (buffalo Syncerus caffer, elephant Loxodonta africana, giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis, impala Aepyceros melampus, topi Damaliscus lunatus, warthog Phacochoerus africanus, waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus and zebra Equus quagga) sampled using ground surveys in 1995 and 1996, and seven large herbivore species (the same species without impala) sampled using aerial surveys from 1987 to 2009, we fitted logistic regression models and used an information theoretic model selection approach to test these two hypotheses in an East African savannah national park subject to illegal hunting from outside. In the vast majority of herbivore species, occupancy was not substantially affected by being close to the edge of the park or in close proximity to human villages. Furthermore, population declines witnessed in this protected area were not reflected in reduced occupancy near park boundaries. We conclude that assumed distributional differences between peripheral and core parts of reserves are not necessarily supported by empirical evidence, and that population declines within reserves do not inevitably proceed from boundaries inwards.Edge effects and large mammals C. Kiffner et al.

Using camera trapping and hierarchical occupancy modelling to evaluate the spatial ecology of an African mammal community

“…When the fences were erected, they cut‐off migratory routes of wildebeests Connochaetes taurinus and zebras Equus burchelli and disturbed the movement patterns of additional ungulate species (Hayward & Kerley ). If the fence, as a physical boundary, was the underlying cause of increased species richness in wildlife areas, then we would expect species richness to be nearly constant between the core and edge of wildlife areas (Kiffner, Stoner & Caro ). Our results showing species richness increasing with distance from the fence, however, (Fig.…”

“…) or ungulates (Stoner et al . ; Western, Russell & Cuthill ; Kiffner, Stoner & Caro ). Our study is among the first to evaluate the distributions of all terrestrial mammals >0·5 kg, excluding rodents.…”

“…To combat the loss of wildlands and associated biodiversity, 12Á7% of the Earth's land area has been designated as protected (Bertzky et al 2012). The success of conserving biodiversity in these protected areas, however, is mixed (Western, Russell & Cuthill 2009;Craigie et al 2010;Kiffner, Stoner & Caro 2013). In Kenya, for example, wildlife has declined at similar rates inside and outside of protected areas (Western, Russell & Cuthill 2009), whereas in Tanzania, species within protected areas fare better (Stoner et al 2007).…”

Factors Affecting Bushmeat Consumption in the Katavi-Rukwa Ecosystem of Tanzania

“…Finally, ethnicity is strongly associated with bushmeat consumption in parts of Rio Muni [23]. To refine our understanding of household correlates of bushmeat consumption in western Tanzania where bushmeat activities are prevalent [7,10] we chose the Katavi-Rukwa ecosystem where declines in mammal populations are in evidence [24][25][26][27]. We focused on Mpimbwe Division in particular, a rapidly growing area occupied by several ethnic groups and for which there is solid ethnographic background [28][29][30].…”

From avengers to hunters: Leveraging collective action for the conservation of endangered lions

“…Kiffner et al (2009) estimated the adult lion population in KNP at between 166 and 205 individuals in 2005, 40% lower than expected from prey densities (see also Caro, 1999). Lion presence was far lower outside and within the periphery of the national park than in the park centre (Kiffner et al, 2009), despite no parallel edge effect in herbivore abundances (Kiffner et al, 2012). Yet even in the central part of KNP there has been a probable decline over the last 15 years (Caro, 2008(Caro, , 2011, likely driven by overly high tourist hunting quotas, Sukuma lion killing, and perhaps a lowered prey base resulting from bushmeat exploitation and water diversion (Caro, 2008;Caro et al, 2013;Packer et al, 2011;Martin and Caro, 2013).…”