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Ngene S, Broekhuis F, Elliot NB, Mukeka J, Chege M, Muteti D, Ngoru B, Lala F, Mwiu S, Amoke I, Western G, Wato Y, Dolrenry S, Gopalaswamy AM. The emergence of a robust and inclusive framework for a nationwide assessment of
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frican lions. Conservat Sci and Prac 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Femke Broekhuis
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group Wageningen University and Research Wageningen PB The Netherlands
| | | | - Joseph Mukeka
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute Naivasha Kenya
| | - Monica Chege
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute Naivasha Kenya
| | - Daniel Muteti
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute Naivasha Kenya
| | - Bernard Ngoru
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute Naivasha Kenya
| | - Fredrick Lala
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute Naivasha Kenya
| | - Stephen Mwiu
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute Naivasha Kenya
| | | | - Guy Western
- South Rift Association of Landowners Nairobi Kenya
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Western G, Elliot NB, Sompeta SL, Broekhuis F, Ngene S, Gopalaswamy AM. Lions in a coexistence landscape: Repurposing a traditional field technique to monitor an elusive carnivore. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8662. [PMID: 35261749 PMCID: PMC8888262 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Throughout Africa, lions are thought to have experienced dramatic population decline and range contraction. The greatest declines are likely occurring in human‐dominated landscapes where reliably estimating lion populations is particularly challenging. By adapting a method that has thus far only been applied to animals that are habituated to vehicles, we estimate lion density in two community areas in Kenya's South Rift, located more than 100 km from the nearest protected area (PA). More specifically, we conducted an 89‐day survey using unstructured spatial sampling coupled with playbacks, a commonly used field technique, and estimated lion density using spatial capture‐recapture (SCR) models. Our estimated density of 5.9 lions over the age of 1 year per 100 km2 compares favorably with many PAs and suggests that this is a key lion population that could be crucial for connectivity across the wider landscape. We discuss the possible mechanisms supporting this density and demonstrate how rigorous field methods combined with robust analyses can produce reliable population estimates within human‐dominated landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Western
- South Rift Association of Landowners Nairobi Kenya
| | - Nicholas B. Elliot
- Kenya Wildlife Trust Nairobi Kenya
- Department of Zoology Wildlife Conservation Research UnitRecanati‐Kaplan CentreUniversity of Oxford Oxford UK
| | | | - Femke Broekhuis
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group Wageningen University and Research Wageningen The Netherlands
| | | | - Arjun M. Gopalaswamy
- Carnassials Global Bengaluru India
- Wildlife Conservation Society Global Conservation Programs Bronx New York USA
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Tyrrell P, Amoke I, Betjes K, Broekhuis F, Buitenwerf R, Carroll S, Hahn N, Haywood D, Klaassen B, Løvschal M, Macdonald D, Maiyo K, Mbithi H, Mwangi N, Ochola C, Odire E, Ondrusek V, Ratemo J, Pope F, Russell S, Sairowua W, Sigilai K, Stabach JA, Svenning JC, Stone E, du Toit JT, Western G, Wittemyer G, Wall J. Landscape Dynamics (landDX) an open-access spatial-temporal database for the Kenya-Tanzania borderlands. Sci Data 2022; 9:8. [PMID: 35042854 PMCID: PMC8766582 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-021-01100-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The savannas of the Kenya-Tanzania borderland cover >100,000 km2 and is one of the most important regions globally for biodiversity conservation, particularly large mammals. The region also supports >1 million pastoralists and their livestock. In these systems, resources for both large mammals and pastoralists are highly variable in space and time and thus require connected landscapes. However, ongoing fragmentation of (semi-)natural vegetation by smallholder fencing and expansion of agriculture threatens this social-ecological system. Spatial data on fences and agricultural expansion are localized and dispersed among data owners and databases. Here, we synthesized data from several research groups and conservation NGOs and present the first release of the Landscape Dynamics (landDX) spatial-temporal database, covering ~30,000 km2 of southern Kenya. The data includes 31,000 livestock enclosures, nearly 40,000 kilometres of fencing, and 1,500 km2 of agricultural land. We provide caveats and interpretation of the different methodologies used. These data are useful to answer fundamental ecological questions, to quantify the rate of change of ecosystem function and wildlife populations, for conservation and livestock management, and for local and governmental spatial planning. Measurement(s) | livestock enclosures • agriculture • fence | Technology Type(s) | digital curation | Sample Characteristic - Environment | savanna | Sample Characteristic - Location | East Africa |
Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.16828204
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Tyrrell
- South Rift Association of Land Owners, Nairobi, Kenya. .,University of Oxford Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Oxford, UK. .,University of Nairobi, Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Irene Amoke
- Kenya Wildlife Trust, P.O. Box 86-00502 Karen, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Koen Betjes
- South Rift Association of Land Owners, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Femke Broekhuis
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Robert Buitenwerf
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Sarah Carroll
- Colorado State University, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Fort Collins, USA
| | - Nathan Hahn
- Colorado State University, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Fort Collins, USA.,Colorado State University, Dept. of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Fort Collins, USA
| | | | - Britt Klaassen
- Independent (Rijperweg 91, 1462 MD, Middenbeemster, The Netherlands
| | - Mette Løvschal
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies & IMC, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - David Macdonald
- University of Oxford Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jared A Stabach
- Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, Conservation Ecology Center, Washington, USA
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Johan T du Toit
- Mammal Research Institute and Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, USA
| | - Guy Western
- South Rift Association of Land Owners, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - George Wittemyer
- Colorado State University, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Fort Collins, USA.,Save the Elephants, Nairobi, Kenya.,Colorado State University, Dept. of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Fort Collins, USA
| | - Jake Wall
- Mara Elephant Project, Nairobi, Kenya
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