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Rawal AK, Timilsina S, Gautam S, Lamichhane S, Adhikari H. Asiatic Black Bear-Human Conflict: A Case Study from Guthichaur Rural Municipality, Jumla, Nepal. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1206. [PMID: 38672357 PMCID: PMC11047391 DOI: 10.3390/ani14081206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Our study assessed patterns of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus)-human conflicts within the Guthichaur rural municipality, Jumla, Nepal. Through semi-structured interviews with villagers, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews (KIIs), we gathered black bear-human conflict information from 2009 to 2019. We identified three primary types of black bear-human interactions: crop damage, livestock depredation, and human injuries. Of these, crop damage (77.03%) emerged as the most prevalent issue. Notably, peak occurrences were observed during autumn (September-October) typically between 9 PM and 3 AM. Livestock depredations were more frequent during nighttime in April-August, with cows/ox (70.12%) being the most depredated animal. Our data also revealed five recorded cases of black bear attacks on humans, which transpired from September to October, primarily in farmland areas in varying years. Despite a prevailing negative perception of bears, a notable level of support exists for their conservation efforts among local communities. Furthermore, these conflicts could be mitigated by reinforcing indigenous crop protection methods and implementing targeted mitigation strategies, as observed in other regions with successful black bear-human interaction management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshay Kumar Rawal
- Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara 33700, Nepal
| | - Sachin Timilsina
- Department of Food and Resource Economics, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 Frederiksberg C, 1165 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Subash Gautam
- Seneca Polytechnic, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering Technology, 1750 Finch Avenue East, Toronto, ON M2J 2X5, Canada
| | - Saurav Lamichhane
- Faculty of Forestry, Agriculture and Forestry University, Hetauda 44100, Nepal
| | - Hari Adhikari
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Forest Nepal, Amar Marg 88, C3534, Butwal 32907, Nepal
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Ullah N, Basheer I, Rehman FU, Zhang M, Khan MT, Khan S, Du H. Livestock Depredation by Large Carnivores and Human-Wildlife Conflict in Two Districts of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1104. [PMID: 38612343 PMCID: PMC11010808 DOI: 10.3390/ani14071104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Livestock herding is a vital practice in Balochistan, contributing to the economy and culture. The livestock sector is significant in Balochistan, providing 20% of the national stock. Large predators and their prey species, including livestock, have coexisted in these mountainous landscapes for centuries. The aim of the present research is to investigate the impacts of livestock depredation by large predators on livelihoods and predator conservation in two districts of Balochistan, Pakistan. A human-carnivore conflict survey was conducted from July to September 2019, collecting data from 311 residents in a selected study area. Large predators in the study area preyed on a total of 876 livestock during a one-year period, including 560 goats, 292 sheep, 19 cows, and 5 donkeys. The gray wolf is the leading predator, responsible for 66.3% of livestock depredation, followed by the caracal (24.3%), Asiatic jackal (8.9%), and striped hyena (0.6%). The total economic loss was USD 78,694. Overall, 80% of respondents had a negative perception of wolves compared to 24.4% for caracals. Only 20.6% of respondents knew about the importance of conserving carnivores. Livestock depredation by carnivores in the study area created a negative perception of these animals among people. There is a lack of awareness about the importance of conserving carnivore species and their role in the ecosystem. This lack of understanding has ultimately led to detrimental effects on predator populations. It is imperative to raise awareness among people about the ecological significance of carnivores through community meetings, seminars in educational institutions, and providing basic education to herders about effective livestock guarding practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najeeb Ullah
- College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, No 26, Hexing Road, Harbin 150040, China; (N.U.); (H.D.)
| | - Irum Basheer
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China;
| | - Faiz ur Rehman
- Department of Zoology, Government Superior Science College Peshawar, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan;
| | - Minghai Zhang
- College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, No 26, Hexing Road, Harbin 150040, China; (N.U.); (H.D.)
| | - Muhammad Tayyab Khan
- Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy;
| | - Sanaullah Khan
- Department of Zoology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan;
| | - Hairong Du
- College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, No 26, Hexing Road, Harbin 150040, China; (N.U.); (H.D.)
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Papageorgiou M, Karonias A, Eftychiou A, Hadjioannou L. Understanding the Interactions between Small-Scale Fisheries and the Mediterranean Monk Seal Using Fishermen's Ecological Knowledge. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2164. [PMID: 37443960 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Interactions between fisheries and marine mammals have been well documented in almost all existing fishing gears around the world, often associated with detrimental consequences. Interactions of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) with small-scale fisheries have been previously documented in the Mediterranean; this is a problem that seems to be growing in recent years. The present study aims to understand for the first time the nature and extent of interactions between the Mediterranean monk seal and small-scale fisheries in the Republic of Cyprus. The data were collected by conducting in-person semi-structured interviews, between November and December 2020, with 90 fishermen operating from nine different ports, extending throughout the entire coastline of the Republic of Cyprus. The results revealed minimal interactions between the Mediterranean monk seals and small-scale fisheries. The findings indicate that interactions are more likely to occur at depths of less than 10 m, closer to the coast, with the use of trammel nets and gillnets, and during the spring and summer months. The encounter, depredation and incidental capture rates were calculated at 0.01 (0.95%), 0.005 (0.51%) and 0.0004 (0.04%) per fisher, respectively. Spatiotemporal closed areas are proposed as a potential solution to mitigate these interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marios Papageorgiou
- Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre, Acropoleos 2, Aglantzia, Nicosia 2101, Cyprus
| | - Anastasis Karonias
- Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre, Acropoleos 2, Aglantzia, Nicosia 2101, Cyprus
| | - Athena Eftychiou
- Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre, Acropoleos 2, Aglantzia, Nicosia 2101, Cyprus
| | - Louis Hadjioannou
- Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre, Acropoleos 2, Aglantzia, Nicosia 2101, Cyprus
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Cordonnier M, Perrot A, Ferry N, Bonnaud E, Baudry E. Pet cat personality linked to owner-reported predation frequency. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9651. [PMID: 36713484 PMCID: PMC9873523 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The domestic cat, Felis catus, is one of the most popular and widespread domestic animals. Because domestic cats can reach high population densities and retain at least some tendency to hunt, their overall impact on wildlife can be severe. Domestic cats have highly variable predation rates depending on the availability of prey in their environment, their owners' practices, and individual cat characteristics. Among these characteristics, cat personality has recently been hypothesized to be an important factor contributing to variations in the hunting activity of cats. In this study, we surveyed 2508 cat owners living in France about their cats' personalities, using the Feline Five personality framework, and the frequency with which cats bring home prey. Personality traits were analyzed using factor analysis and related to predation frequency using cumulative logit models. For both birds and small mammals, cats with high levels of extraversion or low levels of neuroticism had significantly higher frequencies of prey return. Owners whose cats had low levels of agreeableness or high levels of dominance reported a significantly lower frequency of bird return. Personality differences therefore seem to contribute to the high variability in predation rates among domestic cats. We also found that the owner-reported prey return frequencies were significantly higher for cats spending more time outdoors, for non-pedigree cats, and for owners living in rural or suburban areas as opposed to urban areas. By contrast, we did not detect an effect of cat sex or age on their reported prey return rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Cordonnier
- CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance,Lehrstuhl für Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie, University of RegensburgRegensburgGermany
| | - Amira Perrot
- CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
| | | | - Elsa Bonnaud
- CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
| | - Emmanuelle Baudry
- CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
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Smith A, Songcuan A, Mitchell J, Haste M, Schmidt Z, Sands G, Lincoln Smith M. Quantifying Catch Rates, Shark Abundance and Depredation Rate at a Spearfishing Competition on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Biology (Basel) 2022; 11:biology11101524. [PMID: 36290426 PMCID: PMC9598298 DOI: 10.3390/biology11101524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
We developed and applied a method to quantify spearfisher effort and catch, shark interactions and shark depredation in a boat-based recreational spearfishing competition in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Queensland. Survey questions were designed to collect targeted quantitative data whilst minimising the survey burden of spearfishers. We provide the first known scientific study of shark depredation during a recreational spearfishing competition and the first scientific study of shark depredation in the Great Barrier Reef region. During the two-day spearfishing competition, nine vessels with a total of 33 spearfishers reported a catch of 144 fish for 115 h of effort (1.25 fish per hour). A subset of the catch comprised nine eligible species under competition rules, of which 47 pelagic fish were weighed. The largest fish captured was a 34.4 kg Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). The most common species captured and weighed was Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson). The total weight of eligible fish was 332 kg and the average weight of each fish was 7.1 kg. During the two-day event, spearfishers functioned as citizen scientists and counted 358 sharks (115 h effort), averaging 3.11 sharks per hour. Grey Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) comprised 64% of sightings. Nine speared fish were fully depredated by sharks as spearfishers attempted to retrieve their catch, which equates to a depredation rate of 5.9%. The depredated fish included four pelagic fish and five reef fish. The shark species responsible were Grey Reef Shark (C. amblyrhynchos) (66%), Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas) (11%), Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus) (11%) and Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) (11%). There were spatial differences in fish catch, shark sightings and rates of depredation. We developed a report card that compared average catch of fish, sightings of sharks per hour and depredation rate by survey area, which assists recreational fishers and marine park managers to assess spatio-temporal changes. The participating spearfishers can be regarded as experienced (average 18 days a year for average 13.4 years). Sixty percent of interviewees perceived that shark numbers have increased in the past 10 years, 33% indicated no change and 7% indicated shark numbers had decreased. Total fuel use of all vessels was 2819 L and was equivalent to 6.48 tons of greenhouse gas emissions for the competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Smith
- Reef Ecologic, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-418726584
| | - Al Songcuan
- Reef Ecologic, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Jonathan Mitchell
- Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Government, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Max Haste
- Townsville Skindiving Club, South Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Zachary Schmidt
- Townsville Skindiving Club, South Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Glenn Sands
- Townsville Skindiving Club, South Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Marcus Lincoln Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW 2019, Australia
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Amelot M, Plard F, Guinet C, Arnould JPY, Gasco N, Tixier P. Increasing numbers of killer whale individuals use fisheries as feeding opportunities within subantarctic populations. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210328. [PMID: 35104426 PMCID: PMC8807058 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Fisheries can generate feeding opportunities for large marine predators in the form of discards or accessible catch. How the use of this anthropogenic food may spread as a new behaviour, across individuals within populations over time, is poorly understood. This study used a 16-year (2003-2018) monitoring of two killer whale Orcinus orca subantarctic populations (regular and Type-D at Crozet), and Bayesian multistate capture-mark-recapture models, to assess temporal changes in the number of individuals feeding on fish caught on hooks ('depredation' behaviour) of a fishery started in 1996. For both populations, the number of depredating individuals increased during the study period (34 to 94 for regular; 17 to 43 for Type-D). Increasing abundance is unlikely to account for this and, rather, the results suggest depredation was acquired by increasing numbers of existing individuals. For regular killer whales, a plateau reached from 2014 suggests that it took 18 years for the behaviour to spread across the whole population. A more recent plateau was apparent for Type-Ds but additional years are needed to confirm this. These findings show how changes in prey availability caused by human activities lead to rapid, yet progressive, innovations in killer whales, likely altering the ecological role of this top-predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Amelot
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and the Built Environment, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia,Wageningen Marine Research, Haringkade 1, CP 1976 IJmuiden, The Netherlands,Unite Halieutique de Manche Mer du Nord, Ifremer, avenue du General de Gaulle, 14520 Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, France
| | - Floriane Plard
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University, Háeyri 1, Sauðárkrókur 550, Iceland
| | - Christophe Guinet
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 La Rochelle Université – CNRS, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
| | - John P. Y. Arnould
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and the Built Environment, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
| | - Nicolas Gasco
- Laboratoire de Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), MNHN, CNRS, IRD, SU, UCN, UA, Paris 75005, France
| | - Paul Tixier
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and the Built Environment, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia,Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 La Rochelle Université – CNRS, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France,MARBEC Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IFREMER-IRD, avenue Jean Monnet CS 30171, Sète 34203, France
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Iliopoulos Y, Antoniadi E, Kret E, Zakkak S, Skartsi T. Wolf-Hunting Dog Interactions in a Biodiversity Hot Spot Area in Northern Greece: Preliminary Assessment and Implications for Conservation in the Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park and Adjacent Areas. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:3235. [PMID: 34827967 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Wolf attacks on hunting dogs are on the rise in many European countries, triggering retaliatory killing and poisoning of wolves. Poisoning may have detrimental effects on endangered vulture species. In critical areas for vulture conservation such as the Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park, the conflict should be urgently evaluated. We assessed levels, trends, and defined related factors, by interviewing hunters and undertaking a diet analysis of wolf scats. Attacks affected mostly hare hunters, certain dog breeds and age classes, averaged one dog per hunter and decade, and happened under certain circumstances. Affected areas had specific landscape characteristics, fewer livestock, more hunting, and presence of wolf reproduction. Trends of wolf attacks on hunting dogs were positive and those on livestock negative. Wolves fed mainly on roe deer in summer and wild boar in winter, while the presence of dogs in scats was 5.1% in winter. Reduced dependence of wolves on livestock, as well as changes in wolf diet and hunting practices, may have predisposed wolves to kill more dogs recently. Wild boar also injured or killed hunting dogs, very often perplexing assessment of the conflict. The study concludes on practical measures for verifying and reducing hunting dog losses from wolf attacks. Abstract Hunting dog depredation by wolves triggers retaliatory killing, with negative impacts on wildlife conservation. In the wider area of the Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park, reports on such incidents have increased lately. To investigate this conflict, we interviewed 56 affected hunters, conducted wolf trophic analysis, analyzed trends for 2010–2020, applied MAXENT models for risk-map creation, and GLMs to explore factors related to depredation levels. Losses averaged approximately one dog per decade and hunter showing a positive trend, while livestock depredations showed a negative trend. Wolves preyed mainly on wild prey, with dogs consisting of 5.1% of the winter diet. Low altitude areas, with low to medium livestock availability favoring wolf prey and game species, were the riskiest. Dogs were more vulnerable during hare hunting and attacks more frequent during wolf post-weaning season or in wolf territories with reproduction. Hunter experience and group hunting reduced losses. Wolves avoided larger breeds or older dogs. Making noise or closely keeping dogs reduced attack severity. Protective dog vests, risk maps, and enhancing wolf natural prey availability are further measures to be considered, along with a proper verification system to confirm and effectively separate wolf attacks from wild boar attacks, which were also common.
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van Liere D, Siard N, Martens P, Jordan D. Conflicts with Wolves Can Originate from Their Parent Packs. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11061801. [PMID: 34208687 PMCID: PMC8233883 DOI: 10.3390/ani11061801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmission of experience about prey and habitat supports the survival of next generation of wolves. Thus, the parent pack (PP) can affect whether young migrating wolves (loners) kill farm animals or choose to be in human environments, which generates human-wolf conflicts. Therefore, we researched whether the behavior of loners resembles PP behavior. After being extinct, 22 loners had entered the Netherlands between 2015 and 2019. Among them, 14 could be DNA-identified and linked with their PPs in Germany. Some loners were siblings. We assessed the behavior of each individual and PP through a structured Google search. PP behavior was determined for the loner's rearing period. Similarity between loner and PP behavior was significant (p = 0.022) and applied to 10 of 14 cases: like their PPs, three loners killed sheep and were near humans, five killed sheep and did not approach humans, while two loners were unproblematic, they did not kill sheep, nor were they near humans. Siblings behaved similarly. Thus, sheep killing and proximity to humans may develop during early-life experiences in the PP. However, by negative reinforcement that can be prevented. New methods are suggested to achieve that. As a result, new generations may not be problematic when leaving PPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diederik van Liere
- Institute for Coexistence with Wildlife, Heuvelweg 7, 7218 BD Almen, The Netherlands
- Correspondence:
| | - Nataša Siard
- Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Groblje 3, 1230 Domžale, Slovenia; (N.S.); (D.J.)
| | - Pim Martens
- Maastricht Sustainability Institute, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands;
| | - Dušanka Jordan
- Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Groblje 3, 1230 Domžale, Slovenia; (N.S.); (D.J.)
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Srivathsa A, Puri M, Karanth KK, Patel I, Kumar NS. Examining human-carnivore interactions using a socio-ecological framework: sympatric wild canids in India as a case study. R Soc Open Sci 2019; 6:182008. [PMID: 31218031 PMCID: PMC6549949 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.182008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Many carnivores inhabit human-dominated landscapes outside protected reserves. Spatially explicit assessments of carnivore distributions and livestock depredation patterns in human-use landscapes are crucial for minimizing negative interactions and fostering coexistence between people and predators. India harbours 23% of the world's carnivore species that share space with 1.3 billion people in approximately 2.3% of the global land area. We examined carnivore distributions and human-carnivore interactions in a multi-use forest landscape in central India. We focused on five sympatric carnivore species: Indian grey wolf Canis lupus pallipes, dhole Cuon alpinus, Indian jackal Canis aureus indicus, Indian fox Vulpes bengalensis and striped hyena Hyaena hyaena. Carnivore occupancy ranged from 12% for dholes to 86% for jackals, mostly influenced by forests, open scrublands and terrain ruggedness. Livestock/poultry depredation probability in the landscape ranged from 21% for dholes to greater than 95% for jackals, influenced by land cover and livestock- or poultry-holding. The five species also showed high spatial overlap with free-ranging dogs, suggesting potential competitive interactions and disease risks, with consequences for human health and safety. Our study provides insights on factors that facilitate and impede co-occurrence between people and predators. Spatial prioritization of carnivore-rich areas and conflict-prone locations could facilitate human-carnivore coexistence in shared habitats. Our framework is ideally suited for making socio-ecological assessments of human-carnivore interactions in other multi-use landscapes and regions, worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjun Srivathsa
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Wildlife Conservation Society–India, Bengaluru, India
- Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru, India
| | - Mahi Puri
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Wildlife Conservation Society–India, Bengaluru, India
- Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru, India
| | - Krithi K. Karanth
- Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru, India
- Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, USA
- Environmental Science and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Imran Patel
- Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru, India
| | - N. Samba Kumar
- Wildlife Conservation Society–India, Bengaluru, India
- Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru, India
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Tveraa T, Stien A, Brøseth H, Yoccoz NG. The role of predation and food limitation on claims for compensation, reindeer demography and population dynamics. J Appl Ecol 2014; 51:1264-1272. [PMID: 25558085 PMCID: PMC4279950 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/31/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
A major challenge in biodiversity conservation is to facilitate viable populations of large apex predators in ecosystems where they were recently driven to ecological extinction due to resource conflict with humans.Monetary compensation for losses of livestock due to predation is currently a key instrument to encourage human-carnivore coexistence. However, a lack of quantitative estimates of livestock losses due to predation leads to disagreement over the practice of compensation payments. This disagreement sustains the human-carnivore conflict.The level of depredation on year-round, free-ranging, semi-domestic reindeer by large carnivores in Fennoscandia has been widely debated over several decades. In Norway, the reindeer herders claim that lynx and wolverine cause losses of tens of thousands of animals annually and cause negative population growth in herds. Conversely, previous research has suggested that monetary predator compensation can result in positive population growth in the husbandry, with cascading negative effects of high grazer densities on the biodiversity in tundra ecosystems.We utilized a long-term, large-scale data set to estimate the relative importance of lynx and wolverine predation and density-dependent and climatic food limitation on claims for losses, recruitment and population growth rates in Norwegian reindeer husbandry.Claims of losses increased with increasing predator densities, but with no detectable effect on population growth rates. Density-dependent and climatic effects on claims of losses, recruitment and population growth rates were much stronger than the effects of variation in lynx and wolverine densities.Synthesis and applications. Our analysis provides a quantitative basis for predator compensation and estimation of the costs of reintroducing lynx and wolverine in areas with free-ranging semi-domestic reindeer. We outline a potential path for conflict management which involves adaptive monitoring programmes, open access to data, herder involvement and development of management strategy evaluation (MSE) models to disentangle complex responses including multiple stakeholders and individual harvester decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torkild Tveraa
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM - High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment NO-9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Audun Stien
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM - High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment NO-9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Nigel G Yoccoz
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø NO-9037, Tromsø, Norway ; Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM - High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment NO-9296, Tromsø, Norway
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