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J E T M, P A S, C L, N GK, F GK, R A H. Leopard density and determinants of space use in a farming landscape in South Africa. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10562. [PMID: 38719842 PMCID: PMC11079070 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61013-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Protected areas are traditionally the foundation of conservation strategy, but land not formally protected is of particular importance for the conservation of large carnivores because of their typically wide-ranging nature. In South Africa, leopard (Panthera pardus) population decreases are thought to be occurring in areas of human development and intense negative interactions, but research is biased towards protected areas, with quantitative information on population sizes and trends in non-protected areas severely lacking. Using Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture and occupancy techniques including 10 environmental and anthropogenic covariates, we analysed camera trap data from commercial farmland in South Africa where negative human-wildlife interactions are reported to be high. Our findings demonstrate that leopards persist at a moderate density (2.21 /100 km2) and exhibit signs of avoidance from areas where lethal control measures are implemented. This suggests leopards have the potential to navigate mixed mosaic landscapes effectively, enhancing their chances of long-term survival and coexistence with humans. Mixed mosaics of agriculture that include crops, game and livestock farming should be encouraged and, providing lethal control is not ubiquitous in the landscape, chains of safer spaces should permit vital landscape connectivity. However, continuing to promote non-lethal mitigation techniques remains vital.
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Affiliation(s)
- McKaughan J E T
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
- Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
- Primate and Predator Project, Alldays Wildlife and Communities Research Centre, Campfornis Game Farm, Alldays, South Africa.
| | - Stephens P A
- Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Lucas C
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Southwell, UK
| | - Guichard-Kruger N
- Primate and Predator Project, Alldays Wildlife and Communities Research Centre, Campfornis Game Farm, Alldays, South Africa
| | - Guichard-Kruger F
- Primate and Predator Project, Alldays Wildlife and Communities Research Centre, Campfornis Game Farm, Alldays, South Africa
| | - Hill R A
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
- Primate and Predator Project, Alldays Wildlife and Communities Research Centre, Campfornis Game Farm, Alldays, South Africa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou, 0950, South Africa
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Hinde K, Wilkinson A, Tokota S, Amin R, O’Riain MJ, Williams KS. Leopard density and the ecological and anthropogenic factors influencing density in a mixed-use landscape in the Western Cape, South Africa. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293445. [PMID: 37889916 PMCID: PMC10610481 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Large carnivores face numerous threats, including habitat loss and fragmentation, direct killing, and prey depletion, leading to significant global range and population declines. Despite such threats, leopards (Panthera pardus) persist outside protected areas throughout most of their range, occupying diverse habitat types and land uses, including peri-urban and rural areas. Understanding of leopard population dynamics in mixed-use landscapes is limited, especially in South Africa, where the majority of leopard research has focused on protected areas. We use spatially explicit capture-recapture models to estimate leopard density across a mixed-use landscape of protected areas, farmland, and urban areas in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa. Data from 86 paired camera stations provided 221 independent captures of 25 leopards at 50 camera trap stations with a population density estimate of 0.64 leopards per 100 km2 (95% CI: 0.55-0.73). Elevation, terrain ruggedness, and vegetation productivity were important drivers of leopard density in the landscape, being highest on elevated remnants of natural land outside of protected areas. These results are similar to previous research findings in other parts of the Western Cape, where high-lying natural vegetation was shown to serve as both a refuge and a corridor for leopard movement in otherwise transformed landscapes. Given the low leopard density and the prevalence of transformed land intermixed with patches of more suitable leopard habitat, prioritising and preserving connectivity for leopards is vital in this shared landscape. Ecological corridors should be developed in partnership with private landowners through an inclusive and multifaceted conservation strategy which also incorporates monitoring of and rapid mitigation of emerging threats to leopards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Hinde
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | | | - Rajan Amin
- The Cape Leopard Trust, Cape Town, South Africa
- Conservation Programmes, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - M. Justin O’Riain
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Kathryn S. Williams
- The Cape Leopard Trust, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
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Greyling E, Comley J, Cherry MI, Leslie AJ, Müller L. Facilitation of a free-roaming apex predator in working lands: evaluating factors that influence leopard spatial dynamics and prey availability in a South African biodiversity hotspot. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14575. [PMID: 36718440 PMCID: PMC9884037 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Apex predators ideally require vast intact spaces that support sufficient prey abundances to sustain them. In a developing world, however, it is becoming extremely difficult to maintain large enough areas to facilitate apex predators outside of protected regions. Free-roaming leopards (Panthera pardus) are the last remaining apex predator in the Greater Cape Floristic Region, South Africa, and face a multitude of threats attributable to competition for space and resources with humans. Using camera-trap data, we investigated the influence of anthropogenic land modification on leopards and the availability of their natural prey species in two contrasting communities-primarily protected (Cederberg) and agriculturally transformed (Piketberg). Potential prey species composition and diversity were determined, to indicate prey availability in each region. Factors influencing spatial utilisation by leopards and their main prey species were also assessed. Estimated potential prey species richness (Cederberg = 27, Piketberg = 26) and diversity indices (Cederberg-H' = 2.64, Ds = 0.90; Piketberg-H' = 2.46, Ds = 0.89), supported by both the Jaccard's Index (J = 0.73) and Sørensen's Coefficient (CC = 0.85), suggested high levels of similarity across the two regions. Main leopard prey species were present in both regions, but their relative abundances differed. Grey rhebok, klipspringer, and rock hyrax were more abundant in the Cederberg, while Cape grysbok, Cape porcupine, chacma baboon, and common duiker were more abundant in Piketberg. Leopards persisted across the agriculturally transformed landscape despite these differences. Occupancy modelling revealed that the spatial dynamics of leopards differed between the two regions, except for both populations preferring areas further away from human habitation. Overall, anthropogenic factors played a greater role in affecting spatial utilisation by leopards and their main prey species in the transformed region, whereas environmental factors had a stronger influence in the protected region. We argue that greater utilisation of alternative main prey species to those preferred in the protected region, including livestock, likely facilitates the persistence of leopards in the transformed region, and believe that this has further implications for human-wildlife conflict. Our study provides a baseline understanding of the potential direct and indirect impacts of agricultural landscape transformation on the behaviour of leopards and shows that heavily modified lands have the potential to facilitate mammalian diversity, including apex predators. We iterate that conservation measures for apex predators should be prioritised where they are present on working lands, and encourage the collaborative development of customised, cost-effective, multi-species conflict management approaches that facilitate coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene Greyling
- Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa,The Cape Leopard Trust, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
| | - Jessica Comley
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, University of Mpumalanga, Mbombela, Mpumalanga, South Africa,Current Affiliation: Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Michael I. Cherry
- Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa
| | - Alison J. Leslie
- Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa
| | - Lana Müller
- The Cape Leopard Trust, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
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Panda D, Mohanty S, Suryan T, Pandey P, Lee H, Singh R. High striped hyena density suggests coexistence with humans in an agricultural landscape, Rajasthan. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266832. [PMID: 35507591 PMCID: PMC9067646 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanism of coexistence, where carnivores adapt to humans and vice versa in the shared landscape, is a key determinant of long-term carnivore conservation but is yet to be comprehensively examined. We explored the coexistence mechanism of striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) and humans in the shared landscape of Sawai Mansingh Wildlife Sanctuary (SMS WLS), Rajasthan, from November 2019 to March 2021. We used data derived from motion sensors-based surveys, satellite remote sensing images, and household questionnaires to understand socio-ecological, environmental and anthropogenic factors facilitating hyena persistence in the shared landscape. The high density (12 individuals/100 km2) striped hyena in the landscape revealed the coexistence with humans. Being scavengers, they get subsidised food sources and are perceived as low-risk species by humans. Striped hyena minimised temporal activity during the daytime when human activity peaked. However, the highest activity overlap was observed in the agricultural area (Δ1 = 0.39), and likely depicts the high activity due to agricultural practices. While the human settlement was positively associated with the detection of hyenas, the probability of striped hyena captures increased with decreasing distance from human settlement, possibly influenced by high carcass availability, providing the easiest food resources to striped hyena, and allowing them to coexist with humans. This study demonstrates the coexistence of hyenas and humans in the shared landscape supported by mutual benefits, where hyenas benefit from anthropogenic food from scavenging, while humans benefit from waste removal and the non-lethal nature hyenas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debashish Panda
- Amity Institute of Forestry and Wildlife, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Subham Mohanty
- Department of Zoology, North Campus, Delhi University, New Delhi, India
| | - Tanuj Suryan
- Amity Institute of Forestry and Wildlife, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Puneet Pandey
- Amity Institute of Forestry and Wildlife, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Conservation Genome Resource Bank for Korean Wildlife (CGRB), Research Institute for Veterinary Science and College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail: (PP); (HL); , (RS)
| | - Hang Lee
- Conservation Genome Resource Bank for Korean Wildlife (CGRB), Research Institute for Veterinary Science and College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail: (PP); (HL); , (RS)
| | - Randeep Singh
- Amity Institute of Forestry and Wildlife, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
- * E-mail: (PP); (HL); , (RS)
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