Lion trophy hunting in West Africa: A response to Bouché et al.

Bauer, Hans; Henschel, Philipp; Packer, Craig; Sillero‐Zubiri, Claudio; Chardonnet, Bertrand; Sogbohossou, Etotépé A.; Iongh, Hans H. de; Macdonald, David W.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0173691

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The second method calculated the CV as the ratio of the standard deviation ( s ) of tracks per transect to the mean of tracks per transect ( N ). We refer to this as the traditional CV approach (also used by Bauer et al ()), because it mimics the standard statistical formula

C V = \sqrt{\frac{s^{2}}{N}} = \frac{s}{\sqrt{N}}

. We emphasize, however, that the denominator of the traditional CV approach inadvertently substitutes N where √N is required, thus overstating the precision of population estimates.…”

Section: Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, habituation can invalidate such calibrations, if animals reduce their response through time. To avoid this problem, track or spoor surveys are widely used to estimate population densities of many of the African large carnivores: lions, hyaenas, leopards, cheetahs, and African wild dogs (Bauer et al, , , ; Hanssen, Funston, Alfred, & Alfred, ; Funston et al, , ; Groom & Watermeyer, ; Houser, Somers, & Boast, ; Midlane, Justin O'Riain, Balme, & Hunter, ; Stander, ; Winterbach, Ferreira, Funston, & Somers, ). Stander () found a positive correlation between track frequency and independent estimates of population density for African wild dogs, leopards, and lions in northern Namibia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Assessing the performance of index calibration survey methods to monitor populations of wide‐ranging low‐density carnivores

Dröge

Creel

Becker

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Apex carnivores are wide‐ranging, low‐density, hard to detect, and declining throughout most of their range, making population monitoring both critical and challenging. Rapid and inexpensive index calibration survey (ICS) methods have been developed to monitor large African carnivores. ICS methods assume constant detection probability and a predictable relationship between the index and the actual population of interest. The precision and utility of the resulting estimates from ICS methods have been questioned. We assessed the performance of one ICS method for large carnivores—track counts—with data from two long‐term studies of African lion populations. We conducted Monte Carlo simulation of intersections between transects (road segments) and lion movement paths (from GPS collar data) at varying survey intensities. Then, using the track count method we estimated population size and its confidence limits. We found that estimates either overstate precision or are too imprecise to be meaningful. Overstated precision stemmed from discarding the variance from population estimates when developing the method and from treating the conversion from tracks counts to population density as a back‐transformation, rather than applying the equation for the variance of a linear function. To effectively assess the status of species, the IUCN has set guidelines, and these should be integrated in survey designs. We propose reporting the half relative confidence interval width (HRCIW) as an easily calculable and interpretable measure of precision. We show that track counts do not adhere to IUCN criteria, and we argue that ICS methods for wide‐ranging low‐density species are unlikely to meet those criteria. Established, intensive methods lead to precise estimates, but some new approaches, like short, intensive, (spatial) capture–mark–recapture (CMR/SECR) studies, aided by camera trapping and/or genetic identification of individuals, hold promise. A handbook of best practices in monitoring populations of apex carnivores is strongly recommended.

show abstract

C V = \sqrt{\frac{s^{2}}{N}} = \frac{s}{\sqrt{N}}

. We emphasize, however, that the denominator of the traditional CV approach inadvertently substitutes N where √N is required, thus overstating the precision of population estimates.…”

Section: Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the performance of index calibration survey methods to monitor populations of wide‐ranging low‐density carnivores

Dröge

Creel

Becker

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As a result, the uncertainties that have increasingly been raised in recent years (e.g. Winterbach et al 2016;Bauer et al 2017;Elliot and Gopalaswamy 2017;Belant et al 2019) with respect to the reliability of using spoor counts for density estimates were eliminated. This makes our method a low-cost, easy to implement, multi-scale and effective tool for the carnivore population monitoring.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Monitoring of large carnivores is often challenging, due to their low densities, rarity and cryptic behaviour, and long-term repeated surveys to monitor trends are generally not considered feasible (Bauer et al 2015a). Spoor surveys have been widely used as a method that can be applied over large areas (Winterbach et al 2016), but data are typically insufficient to determine spatial variation at the level of individual management units (Bauer et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergent trends of large carnivore populations within the Bénoué Complex, North Cameroon, shown by long-term fine-scale monitoring

Bakker¹,

Kirsten²,

Bauer

et al. 2020

Eur J Wildl Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Large carnivore populations have suffered declines worldwide. For the African continent, these have been particularly strong in West and Central Africa. The Bénoué Complex in North Cameroon, located in Central Africa, is a key landscape for their conservation. We determined spatiotemporal trends in lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus) and spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) abundance, using repeated spoor counts on transects from 2007 to 2015. Results of the temporal analysis indicate that lion and spotted hyaena abundance reduced over time across the complex, whereas leopards only declined in the last 2 years and primarily in the Faro Block. From the spatial analysis, it became clear spoor abundances differ between areas within the Bénoué Complex and between management types: Spoor densities were especially higher in Bouba Ndjida National Park and the hunting zones around Faro. This effect is most probably related to a more effective management strategy in these areas. Our fine-scale long-term monitoring technique provides a low-cost, easy to implement, multi-scale and effective tool for the identification of both regional and range-wide carnivore conservation hotspots.

show abstract

“…Trophy hunting can secure lion habitat and provide community benefits (Lindsey, 2008;Macdonald et al, 2017), but regulations are often inadequate or poorly enforced (Lindsey et al, 2013;Packer et al, 2011). Despite some detailed studies (Bauer et al, 2017;Loveridge et al, 2016;Packer et al, 2009), there are knowledge gaps regarding the consequences of trophy hunting for lion conservation, and irreconcilable differences of opinion on ethical aspects (Macdonald, Johnson, Loveridge, Burnham, & Dickman, 2016b;Macdonald et al, 2017). Ethical arguments are not part of CITES criteria, but they are part of the wider discussions on sustainable use from both perspectives (duty to protect animal life vs. duty to provide human livelihoods).…”

Section: Threats To the Lionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lions in the modern arena of CITES

Bauer

Nowell²,

Sillero‐Zubiri

et al. 2018

CONSERVATION LETTERS

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Lions have often been discussed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild flora and fauna (CITES). While CITES decisions on species trade regimes are ostensibly based on science, species data are often inconclusive and political considerations inevitably determine outcomes. We present the context of lion conservation and the technical and political processes of CITES to illuminate how a failed uplisting proposal nonetheless resulted in an unprecedented trade restriction as well as conservation initiatives beyond the CITES trade function.We conclude on the limitations of science to guide future directions of CITES debates, leaving politics and ethics to shape decision making. K E Y W O R D SAfrica, conference of parties, convention, international, lion bone, trade Conservation Letters. 2018;11:e12444.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/conl

show abstract

Lion trophy hunting in West Africa: A response to Bouché et al.

Cited by 14 publications

References 19 publications

Assessing the performance of index calibration survey methods to monitor populations of wide‐ranging low‐density carnivores

Assessing the performance of index calibration survey methods to monitor populations of wide‐ranging low‐density carnivores

Divergent trends of large carnivore populations within the Bénoué Complex, North Cameroon, shown by long-term fine-scale monitoring

Lions in the modern arena of CITES

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About