54 research outputs found
The trophy hunting of African lions: scale, current management practices and factors undermining sustainability
The trophy hunting of lions Panthera leo is contentious due to uncertainty concerning conservation impacts and because of highly polarised opinions about the practice. African lions are hunted across at least ∼558,000 km 2 , which comprises 27-32% of the lion range in countries where trophy hunting of the species is permitted. Consequently, trophy hunting has potential to impart significant positive or negative impacts on lions. Several studies have demonstrated that excessive trophy harvests have driven lion population declines. There have been several attempts by protectionist non-governmental organisations to reduce or preclude trophy hunting via restrictions on the import and export of lion trophies. We document the management of lion hunting in Africa and highlight challenges which need addressing to achieve sustainability. Problems include: unscientific bases for quota setting; excessive quotas and off-takes in some countries; fixed quotas which encourage over-harvest; and lack of restrictions on the age of lions that can be hunted. Key interventions needed to make lion hunting more sustainable, include implementation of: enforced age restrictions; improved trophy monitoring; adaptive management of quotas and a minimum length of lion hunts of at least 21 days. Some range states have made important steps towards implementing such improved management and off-takes have fallen steeply in recent years. For example age restrictions have been introduced in Tanzania and in Niassa in Mozambique, and are being considered for Benin and Zimbabwe, several states have reduced quotas, and Zimbabwe is implementing trophy monitoring. However, further reforms are needed to ensure sustainability and reduce conservation problems associated with the practice while allowing retention of associated financial incentives for conservation
Failure of research to address the rangewide conservation needs of large carnivores : leopards in South Africa as a case study
Science and conservation are often driven by different agendas, partly because many researchers are reluctant to tackle
applied topics perceived to be less competitive for publishing or too impractical to study. Consequently, research often
fails to contribute meaningfully to conservation outcomes. We use leopards Panthera pardus in South Africa to illustrate
this mismatch between research and conservation priorities. A review of the scientific literature showed that leopard
studies in South Africa focused disproportionately on basic research, particularly on leopard feeding ecology inside
protected areas. Academics were responsible for most articles but avoided applied studies, even though they were
published in higher impact journals and took less time to undertake. An assessment of active leopard projects further
demonstrated that studies were clumped in areas of low conservation concern and most failed to publish their findings.
Many projects were also funded by commercial volunteer programs with financial incentives for conducting research.
We recommend that leopard researchers in South Africa and carnivore researchers more widely engage with
practitioners to ensure the most pressing issues are addressed. Scientists must also situate their research in a broader
conservation context and evaluate the outcomes of management decisions. Finally, continued funding and
permissions for research should at a minimum be contingent on research outputs being published in the peer-reviewed
literature.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1755-263Xhb201
Possible relationships between the South African captive-bred lion hunting industry and the hunting and conservation of lions elsewhere in Africa
The trophy hunting of lions is contentious due to increasing evidence of impacts on wild
populations, and ethical concerns surrounding the hunting of captive-bred lions in South
Africa. The captive-bred lion hunting industry in South Africa has grown rapidly while the
number of wild lions hunted in other African countries has declined. In 2009 and 2010,
833 and 682 lion trophies were exported from South Africa, respectively, more than double
the combined export (2009, 471; 2010, 318) from other African countries. There has been an
associated increase in the prevalence of the export of lion bones from South Africa: at least
645 bones/sets of bones were exported in 2010, 75.0% of which went to Asia. Such trade
could be problematic if it stimulated demand for bones from wild lions or other wild felids.
Captive-bred lion hunting differs from wild lion hunting in that lions are hunted in smaller
areas (49.9 ± 8.4 km2compared to 843 to 5933 km2, depending on the country), hunts are
cheaper (US37 000–76 000 [excluding the costs of shooting
other species and government charges]), shorter (3.3 compared to 14–21 days), success
rates are higher (99.2% compared to 51.0–96.0%), and trophy quality is higher (skull length +
breadth = 638.8 compared to 614–638 cm). Most clients perceive captive-bred and wild lion
hunting to be different products but there is some overlap in markets: 48.7% of clients that
had hunted captive-bred lions showed no preference regarding the type of future hunts.
Owing to the size of the captive-bred hunting industry, even marginal overlap in demand
could affect wild lion hunting significantly. If captive-bred lion hunting were ever prohibited,
a transfer of demand to wild lion hunts could lead to elevated off-takes with negative impacts
on wild populations. However, if off-takes of wild lions were held constant or reduced
through effective regulation of quotas, increased demand could increase the price of wild
lion hunts and strengthen financial incentives for lion conservation. These possibilities
should be considered if future efforts are made to regulate captive-bred lion hunting.Pantherahttp://www.sawma.co.za/ab201
Walking with lions: why there is no role for captive-origin lions Panthera leo in species restoration
Despite formidable challenges and few successes in reintroducing large cats from captivity to the wild, the release of captives has widespread support from the general public and local governments, and continues to occur ad hoc. Commercial so-called lion Panthera leo encounter operations in Africa exemplify the issue, in which the captive breeding of the lion is linked to claims of reintroduction and broader conservation outcomes. In this article we assess the capacity of such programmes to contribute to in situ lion conservation. By highlighting the availability of wild founders, the unsuitability of captive lions for release and the evidence-based success of wild-wild lion translocations, we show that captive-origin lions have no role in species restoration. We also argue that approaches to reintroduction exemplified by the lion encounter industry do not address the reasons for the decline of lions in situ, nor do they represent a model that can be widely applied to restoration of threatened felids elsewher
Scent lure effect on camera-trap based leopard density estimates
Density estimates for large carnivores derived from camera surveys often have wide confidence intervals due to low detection rates. Such estimates are of limited value to authorities, which require precise population estimates to inform conservation strategies. Using lures can potentially increase detection, improving the precision of estimates. However, by altering the spatio-temporal patterning of individuals across the camera array, lures may violate closure, a fundamental assumption of capture-recapture. Here, we test the effect of scent lures on the precision and veracity of density estimates derived from camera-trap surveys of a protected African leopard population. We undertook two surveys (a 'control' and 'treatment' survey) on Phinda Game Reserve, South Africa. Survey design remained consistent except a scent lure was applied at camera-trap stations during the treatment survey. Lures did not affect the maximum movement distances (p = 0.96) or temporal activity of female (p = 0.12) or male leopards (p = 0.79), and the assumption of geographic closure was met for both surveys (p >0.05). The numbers of photographic captures were also similar for control and treatment surveys (p = 0.90). Accordingly, density estimates were comparable between surveys (although estimates derived using non-spatial methods (7.28-9.28 leopards/100km 2 ) were considerably higher than estimates from spatially-explicit methods (3.40-3.65 leopards/100km 2 ). The precision of estimates from the control and treatment surveys, were also comparable and this applied to both non-spatial and spatial methods of estimation. Our findings suggest that at least in the context of leopard research in productive habitats, the use of lures is not warranted
The importance of refugia, ecological traps and scale for large carnivore management
Management zones feature prominently in conservation planning, particularly at
large spatial scales, but prioritization of areas of concern is required to focus efforts and
limited resources. Human-mediated mortality constitutes a major threat to species persistence,
particularly for widespread carnivores that undergo harvest and population control,
such as the leopard (Panthera pardus). In this study, we evaluated the extent and
spatial distribution of legal anthropogenic offtake of leopards to identify de facto refugia
and ecological traps across Limpopo Province, South Africa. We defined refugia as
management units with offtake levels below an established sustainable harvest rate, and
ecological traps as management units with offtake exceeding the sustainable harvest rate.
We assessed offtake at three geographical scales using trophy hunting permit records alone,
and then in combination with problem leopard permit records to investigate the
compounding effect of additional forms of offtake and the potential for management scale
mismatching. Across Limpopo Province, high leopard offtake created fewer areas of refuge
than ecological traps. Refugia were smaller in size and within close proximity of ecological traps. Human-mediated leopard mortality occurred mostly in prime leopard habitat. Finerscaled
management units resulted in fewer ecological traps and more refugia, and enables
authorities to focus conservation attention in areas of concern. Human-mediated leopard
mortality exceeded the annual offtake rate considered sustainable. Our study highlights the
importance of assessing both the scale and distribution of the harvest, whilst also considering
alternative forms of offtake, when devising harvest management strategies.
Management scale mismatching and high human-mediated leopard mortality is of particular
concern in Limpopo Province, as such, we propose an adaptive, science-based
regulatory framework aimed at improving leopard harvest strategies.Panthera Kaplan Graduate Award and a South African National Research Foundation (NRF) bursary (#83690) and NRF post-doctoral fellowship (#88179).http://link.springer.com/journal/105312016-08-31hb201
Life after Cecil : channelling global outrage into funding for conservation in Africa
Trophy hunting is widely used in Africa to generate funding for wildlife areas.
In 2015, a global media frenzy resulted from the illegal killing of a radiocollared
lion, “Cecil,” by a trophy hunter in Zimbabwe. Trophy hunting is contentious
and much of the media discourse is emotional and polarized, focusing
on animal welfare and debating the value of hunting as a conservation tool.
We use the Cecil incident to urge a change in the focus of discussion and make
a call for global action.We highlight the dual challenge to African governments
posed by the need to fund vast wildlife estates and provide incentives for conservation
by communities in the context of growing human populations and
competing priorities. With or without trophy hunting, Africa’s wildlife areas
require much more funding to prevent serious biodiversity loss. In light of this,
we urge a shift away from perpetual debates over trophy hunting to the more
pressing question of “How do we fund Africa’s wildlife areas adequately?” We
urge the international community to greatly increase funding and technical
support for Africa’s wildlife estate. Concurrently, we encourage African
governments and hunters to take decisive steps to reform hunting industries
and address challenges associated with that revenue generating option.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1755-263Xam2017Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog
The Significance of African Lions for the Financial Viability of Trophy Hunting and the Maintenance of Wild Land
Recent studies indicate that trophy hunting is impacting negatively on some lion populations, notably in Tanzania. In 2004 there was a proposal to list lions on CITES Appendix I and in 2011 animal-welfare groups petitioned the United States government to list lions as endangered under their Endangered Species Act. Such listings would likely curtail the trophy hunting of lions by limiting the import of lion trophies. Concurrent efforts are underway to encourage the European Union to ban lion trophy imports. We assessed the significance of lions to the financial viability of trophy hunting across five countries to help determine the financial impact and advisability of the proposed trade restrictions. Lion hunts attract the highest mean prices (US71,000) of all trophy species. Lions generate 5–17% of gross trophy hunting income on national levels, the proportional significance highest in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. If lion hunting was effectively precluded, trophy hunting could potentially become financially unviable across at least 59,538 km2 that could result in a concomitant loss of habitat. However, the loss of lion hunting could have other potentially broader negative impacts including reduction of competitiveness of wildlife-based land uses relative to ecologically unfavourable alternatives. Restrictions on lion hunting may also reduce tolerance for the species among communities where local people benefit from trophy hunting, and may reduce funds available for anti-poaching. If lion off-takes were reduced to recommended maximums (0.5/1000 km2), the loss of viability and reduction in profitability would be much lower than if lion hunting was stopped altogether (7,005 km2). We recommend that interventions focus on reducing off-takes to sustainable levels, implementing age-based regulations and improving governance of trophy hunting. Such measures could ensure sustainability, while retaining incentives for the conservation of lions and their habitat from hunting
Aging traits and sustainable trophy hunting of African lions
Trophy hunting plays a significant role in wildlife conservation in some contexts in various
parts of the world. Yet excessive hunting is contributing to species declines, especially for
large carnivores. Simulation models suggest that sustainable hunting of African lions may be
achieved by restricting offtakes to males old enough to have reared a cohort of offspring. We
tested and expanded criteria for an age-based approach for sustainably regulating lion
hunting. Using photos of 228 known-age males from ten sites across Africa, we measured
change in ten phenotypic traits with age and found four age classes with distinct
characteristics: 1-2.9 years, 3-4.9 years, 5-6.9 years, and ≥7 years. We tested the aging
accuracy of professional hunters and inexperienced observers before and after training on
aging. Before training, hunters accurately aged more lion photos (63%) than inexperienced
observers (48%); after training, both groups improved (67-69%). Hunters overestimated 22%
of lions <5 years as 5-6.9 years (unsustainable) but only 4% of lions <5 years as ≥7 years
(sustainable). Due to the lower aging error for males ≥7 years, we recommend 7 years as a
practical minimum age for hunting male lions. Results indicate that age-based hunting is
feasible for sustainably managing threatened and economically significant species such as the
lion, but must be guided by rigorous training, strict monitoring of compliance and error, and
conservative quotas. Our study furthermore demonstrates methods for identifying traits to age
individuals, information that is critical for estimating demographic parameters underlying
management and conservation of age-structured species.http://www.elsevier.com/ locate/biocon2017-09-30hb2016Centre for Wildlife ManagementMammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog
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