Identification of human–carnivore conflict hotspots to prioritize mitigation efforts

Abstract

Human–carnivore conflict is a primary driver of carnivore declines worldwide and resolving these conflicts is a conservation priority. However, resources to mitigate conflicts are limited and should be focused on areas of highest priority. We conducted 820 semistructured interviews with community members living within Kenya's Maasai Mara ecosystem. A multiscale analysis was used to determine the influence of husbandry and environmental factors on livestock depredation inside livestock enclosures (bomas). Areas with a high proportion of closed habitat and protected areas had the highest risk of depredation. Depredation was most likely to occur at weak bomas and at households where there were fewer dogs. We used the results to identify potential conflict hotspots by mapping the probability of livestock depredation across the landscape. 21.4% of the landscape was classified as high risk, and within these areas, 53.4% of the households that were interviewed had weak bomas. Synthesis and applications. With limited resources available to mitigate human–carnivore conflicts, it is imperative that areas are identified where livestock is most at risk of depredation. Focusing mitigation measures on high‐risk areas may reduce conflict and lead to a decrease in retaliatory killings of predators.

Understanding drivers of human-leopard conflicts in the Indian Himalayan region: Spatio-temporal patterns of conflicts and perception of local communities towards conserving large carnivores

“…Since resources available to mitigate human-carnivore conflicts are limited, it is of immense importance to identify hotspots where humans are injured or killed. These hotspots should be intensively monitored by forest and wildlife officials with concentration of mitigation measures to reduce loss of human lives and retaliatory killing of predators [ 74 , 75 ].…”

Peer Review #2 of "Effectiveness of non-lethal predator deterrents to reduce livestock losses to leopard attacks within a multiple-use landscape of the Himalayan region (v0.2)"

“…Apart from these factors, human-carnivore conflicts are often a consequence of both human and carnivore behaviour. Animal husbandry practices, condition of livestock enclosures, location of grazing pastures close to protected areas or forested habitats and lack of animal shelters also impact the extent of predation on livestock (Sangay & Vernes, 2008;Tamang & Baral, 2008;Khorozyan et al, 2015;Broekhuis et al, 2017). However, there are also evidence that individuals or demographic groups such as adult and older males within carnivore populations are responsible for majority of livestock depredation.…”

“…We expect that fox lights will be effective in reducing predation on livestock by leopard within open habitats as carnivores are reported to ambush prey specifically in areas with dense vegetation cover (Ogada et al, 2003;Kolowski & Holekamp, 2006;Rostro-Garcia et al, 2017). We also hypothesize that improved animal husbandry practices such as condition of livestock enclosure, number of guard dogs and abundance of livestock within a site will have a significant effect on efficacy of fox lights in reducing predation by leopards (Ogata et al, 2003;Stone et al, 2017;Broekhuis et al, 2017). We define a fatal attack leading to death to one or more heads of livestock (cattle, goats, sheep).…”

Improving Human-Lion Conflict Research Through Interdisciplinarity

“…Thus, studying these problems in an interdisciplinary way is integral to improving scientific understanding, which is the first step in the long process of effectively mitigating conflict. Much of the recent research on human-lion conflict has intended to develop sustainable solutions (Santangeli et al, 2016;Broekhuis et al, 2017;Mkonyi et al, 2017;Trinkel et al, 2017), and most conservation programs have multiple objectives, such as protecting biodiversity and improving livelihoods (Game et al, 2014). However, the suggested solutions may not actually be applicable or valid if they do not embrace the complex nature of the problem and the system from the beginning.…”