Spatiotemporal dynamics of wild herbivore species richness and occupancy across a savannah rangeland: Implications for conservation

Crego, Ramiro D.; Ogutu, Joseph O.; Wells, Harry B. M.; Ojwang, Gordon O.; Martins, Dino J.; Leimgruber, Peter; Stabach, Jared A.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108436

Cited by 23 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The ongoing human population growth in East Africa limits options to expand the extent of fully protected areas (Caro & Davenport, 2016), which urges conservationists to develop, test, and implement human–wildlife coexistence models to counteract the biodiversity crisis (Crego et al., 2020; Tyrrell, du Toit, & Macdonald, 2020; Western et al., 2020). Our case study shows that wildlife populations in a managed pastoral area remained constant over a 17‐year span.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term persistence of wildlife populations in a pastoral area

Kiffner¹,

Kioko²,

Baylis

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Facilitating coexistence between people and wildlife is a major conservation challenge in East Africa. Some conservation models aim to balance the needs of people and wildlife, but the effectiveness of these models is rarely assessed. Using a case‐study approach, we assessed the ecological performance of a pastoral area in northern Tanzania (Manyara Ranch) and established a long‐term wildlife population monitoring program (carried out intermittently from 2003 to 2008 and regularly from 2011 to 2019) embedded in a distance sampling framework. By comparing density estimates of the road transect‐based long‐term monitoring to estimates derived from systematically distributed transects, we found that the bias associated with nonrandom placement of transects was nonsignificant. Overall, cattle and sheep and goat reached the greatest densities and several wildlife species occurred at densities similar (zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck, Kirk's dik‐dik) or possibly even greater (giraffe, eland, lesser kudu, Grant's gazelle, Thomson's gazelle) than in adjacent national parks in the same ecosystem. Generalized linear mixed models suggested that most wildlife species (8 out of 14) reached greatest densities during the dry season, that wildlife population densities either remained constant or increased over the 17‐year period, and that herbivorous livestock species remained constant, while domestic dog population decreased over time. Cross‐species correlations did not provide evidence for interference competition between grazing or mixed livestock species and wildlife species but indicate possible negative relationships between domestic dog and warthog populations. Overall, wildlife and livestock populations in Manyara Ranch appear to coexist over the 17‐year span. Most likely, this is facilitated by existing connectivity to adjacent protected areas, effective anti‐poaching efforts, spatio‐temporal grazing restrictions, favorable environmental conditions of the ranch, and spatial heterogeneity of surface water and habitats. This long‐term case study illustrates the potential of rangelands to simultaneously support wildlife conservation and human livelihood goals if livestock grazing is restricted in space, time, and numbers.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term persistence of wildlife populations in a pastoral area

Kiffner¹,

Kioko²,

Baylis

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Large mammal biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate across the globe, and the repercussions of these losses for ecosystem function and human well‐being have garnered increasing attention (Cardinale et al., 2012; Díaz et al., 2006; Johnson et al., 2017; Johnson & Thieltges, 2010). We investigated the effects of the loss of large herbivorous mammals on mosquito ecology and evaluated the implications for vector‐borne zoonotic disease transmission in an ecosystem where humans and wildlife coexist, but where large herbivore populations are threatened by the intensification of livestock production and other anthropogenic activities (Crego et al., 2020; Ogutu et al., 2016). We found that the exclusion of large wild mammals changed key aspects of mosquito ecology and behaviour.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large herbivore loss has complex effects on mosquito ecology and vector‐borne disease risk

Tchouassi

Torto

Sang

et al. 2020

Transbound Emerg Dis

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Loss of biodiversity can affect transmission of infectious diseases in at least two ways: by altering host and vector abundance or by influencing host and vector behaviour. We used a large herbivore exclusion experiment to investigate the effects of wildlife loss on the abundance and feeding behaviour of mosquito vectors and to explore consequences for vector-borne disease transmission. Large herbivore loss affected both mosquito abundance and blood-feeding behaviour. For Aedes mcintoshi, the dominant mosquito species in our study and a primary vector of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), abundance decreased with large herbivore loss, while blood feeding on humans increased. Despite an elevated human biting rate in the absence of large herbivores, we estimated that the potential for RVFV transmission to humans doubles in the presence of large herbivores. These results demonstrate that multiple effects of biodiversity loss on vectors can lead to counterintuitive outcomes for human disease risk.

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“…Likewise, the responses of eland may reflect those of species with comparable feeding strategies, such as Grant's gazelle Nanger granti and impala Aepyceros melampus (Kartzinel et al, 2019;Kartzinel and Pringle, 2020). Cattle grazing may also facilitate smaller-bodied short grass specialists, such as Thomson's gazelle Eudorcas thomsoni and warthog Phacochoerus africanus (Bhola et al, 2012;Ogutu et al, 2014;Crego et al, 2020;Wells et al, 2021a).…”

Section: Wild Mesoherbivore Habitat Use Responses To Cattle Stocking ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Less Is More: Lowering Cattle Stocking Rates Enhances Wild Herbivore Habitat Use and Cattle Foraging Efficiency

et al. 2022

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Over a quarter of the world’s land surface is grazed by cattle and other livestock, which are replacing wild herbivores and widely regarded as drivers of global biodiversity declines. The effects of livestock presence versus absence on wild herbivores are well documented. However, the environmental context-specific effects of cattle stocking rate on biodiversity and livestock production are poorly understood, precluding nuanced rangeland management recommendations. To address this, we used a long term exclosure experiment in a semi-arid savanna ecosystem in central Kenya that selectively excludes cattle (at different stocking rates), wild mesoherbivores, and megaherbivores. We investigated the individual and interactive effects of cattle stocking rate (zero/moderate/high) and megaherbivore (>1,000 kg) accessibility on habitat use (measured as dung density) by two dominant wild mesoherbivores (50–1,000 kg; zebra Equus quagga and eland Taurotragus oryx) across the “wet” and “dry” seasons. To explore potential tradeoffs or co-benefits between cattle production and wildlife conservation, we tested for individual and interactive effects of cattle stocking rate and accessibility by wild mesoherbivores and megaherbivores (collectively, large wild herbivores) on the foraging efficiency of cattle across both seasons. Eland habitat use was reduced by cattle at moderate and high stocking rates across both dry and wet seasons and regardless of megaherbivore accessibility. We observed a positive effect of megaherbivores on zebra habitat use at moderate, but not high, stocking rates. Cattle foraging efficiency (g dry matter step–1 min–1) was lower in the high compared to moderate stocking rate treatments during the dry season, and was non-additively reduced by wild mesoherbivores and high cattle stocking rates during the wet season. These results show that high stocking rates are detrimental to wild mesoherbivore habitat use and cattle foraging efficiency, while reducing to moderate stocking rates can benefit zebra habitat use and cattle foraging efficiency. Our findings demonstrate that ecosystem management and restoration efforts across African rangelands that involve reducing cattle stocking rates may represent a win-win for wild herbivore conservation and individual performance of livestock.

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Spatiotemporal dynamics of wild herbivore species richness and occupancy across a savannah rangeland: Implications for conservation

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Cited by 23 publications

References 57 publications

Long‐term persistence of wildlife populations in a pastoral area

Long‐term persistence of wildlife populations in a pastoral area

Large herbivore loss has complex effects on mosquito ecology and vector‐borne disease risk

Less Is More: Lowering Cattle Stocking Rates Enhances Wild Herbivore Habitat Use and Cattle Foraging Efficiency

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