Large mammal population declines in Africa’s protected areas

Craigie, Ian D.; Baillie, Jonathan; Balmford, Andrew; Carbone, Chris; Collen, Ben; Green, Rhys E.; Hutton, Jon

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2010.06.007

Cited by 586 publications

(502 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…trophic downgrading | megaherbivores | rinderpest | bison overkill | Anthropocene R ecent assessments characterize the conservation status of large-bodied mammals as "precarious" because of a combination of environmental factors and intrinsic traits (1)(2)(3). Estimates suggest that 21-36% of all mammals are threatened with extinction (2), with risk especially high for larger animals (1,2).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the influence of ancient and historic megaherbivore extirpations on the global methane budget

Smith

Hammond

Balk

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Globally, large-bodied wild mammals are in peril. Because "megamammals" have a disproportionate influence on vegetation, trophic interactions, and ecosystem function, declining populations are of considerable conservation concern. However, this is not new; trophic downgrading occurred in the past, including the African rinderpest epizootic of the 1890s, the massive Great Plains bison kill-off in the 1860s, and the terminal Pleistocene extinction of megafauna. Examining the consequences of these earlier events yields insights into contemporary ecosystem function. Here, we focus on changes in methane emissions, produced as a byproduct of enteric fermentation by herbivores. Although methane is ∼200 times less abundant than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the greater efficiency of methane in trapping radiation leads to a significant role in radiative forcing of climate. Using global datasets of late Quaternary mammals, domestic livestock, and human population from the United Nations as well as literature sources, we develop a series of allometric regressions relating mammal body mass to population density and CH 4 production, which allows estimation of methane production by wild and domestic herbivores for each historic or ancient time period. We find the extirpation of megaherbivores reduced global enteric emissions between 2.2-69.6 Tg CH 4 y −1 during the various time periods, representing a decrease of 0.8-34.8% of the overall inputs to tropospheric input. Our analyses suggest that large-bodied mammals have a greater influence on methane emissions than previously appreciated and, further, that changes in the source pool from herbivores can influence global biogeochemical cycles and, potentially, climate.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the influence of ancient and historic megaherbivore extirpations on the global methane budget

Smith

Hammond

Balk

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Recent studies have indicated that while African protected areas have generally been successful in maintaining habitats, they have been less successful in mitigating the effect of human-induced declines in large mammal populations (Craigie et al 2010;Geldman et al 2013;Lindsey et al 2014). The improvement of protected areas networks, for example through the enforcement of private property rights, is crucial to ensure the sustainability of species populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A categorisation and evaluation of rhino management policies

Crookes

Blignaut

2016

Development Southern Africa

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“…The vulnerability of large carnivores has been appreciated for decades, but the focus of risk analyses has been on populations living inside protected areas (12,13). Recent range-wide planning (14) for both cheetah and African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) suggests that for these and other wide-ranging species, a protected area focus will fail to reverse decadal declines in abundance and distribution.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

When protected areas prove insufficient: Cheetah and “protection-reliant” species

Ginsberg

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Large mammal population declines in Africa’s protected areas

Cited by 586 publications

References 30 publications

Exploring the influence of ancient and historic megaherbivore extirpations on the global methane budget

Exploring the influence of ancient and historic megaherbivore extirpations on the global methane budget

A categorisation and evaluation of rhino management policies

When protected areas prove insufficient: Cheetah and “protection-reliant” species

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