The Marin County Livestock Protection Program: 15 Years in Review

Larson, Stephanie; McGranahan, Devan Allen; Timm, Robert M.

doi:10.5070/v427110695

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 5 publications

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“…This region has a history of sheep production, with a decline in recent decades. Many producers attribute the decline to an increase in coyote predation (Larson et al, 2016), while other sources attribute it to broader economic change (Berger, 2006).…”

Section: Interviewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Effectiveness and Human-Wildlife Conflict: Linking the Ecological Effectiveness and Social Acceptability of Livestock Protection Tools

Volski

McInturff

Gaynor

et al. 2021

Front. Conserv. Sci.

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Human-wildlife interactions are embedded within socio-ecological systems (SES), in which animal behavior and human decision-making reciprocally interact. While a growing body of research addresses specific social and ecological elements of human-wildlife interactions, including conflicts, integrating these approaches is essential for identifying practical and effective solutions. Carnivore predation on livestock can threaten human livelihoods, weaken relationships among stakeholders, and precipitate carnivore declines. As carnivores have received greater protection in recent decades, researchers and managers have sought non-lethal tools to reduce predation and promote coexistence between livestock producers and carnivores. For these tools to be successful, they must effectively deter carnivores, and they must also be adopted by producers. Relatively few studies examine the practical and context-specific effectiveness of non-lethal tools, and even fewer simultaneously consider their social acceptability among producers. To address this gap, we suggest that a tool's ecological effectiveness and social acceptability be analyzed concurrently to determine its social effectiveness. We thus paired an experimental study of a carnivore predation deterrent called Foxlights® with qualitative interviews of livestock producers in Northern California. We placed camera traps in sheep pastures to measure the response of coyotes (Canis latrans) to experimentally deployed Foxlights and interviewed livestock producers before and after the experiment. Our experiment revealed weak evidence for reducing coyote activity with Foxlights, but interviews revealed that the potential adoption of tools had as much to do with their social acceptability and implementation feasibility as with evidence-based measurements of tool effectiveness. Interviewees viewed Foxlights as potentially effective components of husbandry systems, despite the data suggesting otherwise, demonstrating that scientific reductionism may lag behind producer practices of systems-thinking and that isolated demonstrations of a tool's ecological effectiveness do not drive tool adoption. Future empirical tests of non-lethal tools should better consider producers' perspectives and acknowledge that data-based tests of ecological effectiveness alone have a limited place in producer decision-making. Iteratively working with producers can build trust in scientific outputs through the research process itself.

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Section: Interviewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Effectiveness and Human-Wildlife Conflict: Linking the Ecological Effectiveness and Social Acceptability of Livestock Protection Tools

Volski

McInturff

Gaynor

et al. 2021

Front. Conserv. Sci.

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Cost Effectiveness of Livestock Guardian Dogs for Predator Control

Saitone

Bruno

2020

Wildl. Soc. Bull.

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Predation threatens the economic viability of sheep operations in the United States. Many producers recognize the need to complement lethal control methods with nonlethal strategies such as the use of livestock guardian dogs (LGDs), but little information exists on benefits and costs. We report on a comprehensive benefit–cost analysis of the decision to incorporate LGDs onto a sheep operation in Mendocino County, California, USA, based on data collected during 2013–2017, where livestock predation by coyotes (Canis latrans) has been a persistent problem. We estimated that for a representative sheep operation with a breeding flock of 500 adult females (ewes), the use of 5 LGDs reduced lambs and ewes lost to coyote predation by 43% and 25%, respectively, for a total savings of US$16,200 over 7 years. However, we found that costs, which included acquisition and maintenance expenses, exceed benefits of this investment over the 7‐year useful life of LGDs by US$13,413. Our results inform the adoption of LGDs, demonstrating that LGDs are only cost‐effective for certain types of operations, namely those where LGDs are able to achieve high rates of predator protection efficacy. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

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Mesocarnivores of Western Rangelands

Young,

Butler,

Holbrook

et al. 2023

Rangeland Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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There are 22 species of mesocarnivores (carnivores weighing < 15 kg) belonging to five families that live in rangelands of the western United States. Mesocarnivores are understudied relative to large carnivores but can have significant impacts on ecosystems and human dimensions. In this chapter, we review the current state of knowledge about the biology, ecology, and human interactions of the mesocarnivores that occupy the rangelands of the central and western United States. In these two regions, mesocarnivores may serve as the apex predator in areas where large carnivores no longer occur, and can have profound impacts on endemic prey, disease ecology, and livestock production. Some mesocarnivore species are valued because they are harvested for food and fur, while others are considered nuisance species because they can have negative impacts on ranching. Many mesocarnivores have flexible life history strategies that make them well-suited for future population growth or range expansion as western landscapes change due to rapid human population growth, landscape development, and alterations to ecosystems from climate change; however other mesocarnivores continue to decline. More research on this important guild is needed to understand their role in western working landscapes.

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The Marin County Livestock Protection Program: 15 Years in Review

Cited by 5 publications

References 5 publications

Social Effectiveness and Human-Wildlife Conflict: Linking the Ecological Effectiveness and Social Acceptability of Livestock Protection Tools

Social Effectiveness and Human-Wildlife Conflict: Linking the Ecological Effectiveness and Social Acceptability of Livestock Protection Tools

Cost Effectiveness of Livestock Guardian Dogs for Predator Control

Mesocarnivores of Western Rangelands

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