28 research outputs found
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
Responses of Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi population density to anthropogenic disturbance: refining estimates of its conservation status in Sabah
Extensive areas of tropical forests have been, and continue to be, disturbed as a result of selective timber extraction. Although such anthropogenic disturbance typically results in the loss of biodiversity, many species persist, and their conservation in production landscapes could be enhanced by a greater understanding of how biodiversity responds to forest management practices. We conducted intensive camera-trap surveys of eight protected forest areas in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and developed estimates of Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi population density from spatially explicit capture–recapture analyses of detection data to investigate how the species’ abundance varies across the landscape and in response to anthropogenic disturbance. Estimates of population density from six forest areas were 1.39–3.10 individuals per 100 km2. Our study provides the first evidence that the population density of the Sunda clouded leopard is negatively affected by hunting pressure and forest fragmentation, and that among selectively logged forests, time since logging is positively associated with abundance. We argue that these negative anthropogenic impacts could be mitigated with improved logging practices, such as reducing the access of poachers by effective gating and destruction of road access points, and by the deployment of anti-poaching patrols. By calculating a weighted mean population density estimate from estimates developed here and from the literature, and by extrapolating this value to an estimate of current available habitat, we estimate there are 754 (95% posterior interval 325–1,337) Sunda clouded leopards in Sabah
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
No science, no success and still no need for captive-origin lion reintroduction: a reply to Abell & Youldon
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
Creating larger and better connected protected areas enhances the persistence of big game species in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot
Peer reviewe
The behavioural ecology of reintroduced lions and cheetahs in the Phinda resource reserve, Kwazulu-natal, South Africa
Please read the abstract in the section oofront of this documentThesis (PhD (Zoology))--University of Pretoria, 2007.Zoology and EntomologyPhDunrestricte