Terrestrial Mammal Conservation

"Terrestrial Mammal Conservation provides a thorough summary of the available scientific evidence of what is known, or not known, about the effectiveness of all of the conservation actions for wild terrestrial mammals across the world (excluding bats and primates, which are covered in separate synopses). Actions are organized into categories based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifications of direct threats and conservation actions. Over the course of fifteen chapters, the authors consider interventions as wide ranging as creating uncultivated margins around fields, prescribed burning, setting hunting quotas and removing non-native mammals. This book is written in an accessible style and is designed to be an invaluable resource for anyone concerned with the practical conservation of terrestrial mammals. The authors consulted an international group of terrestrial mammal experts and conservationists to produce this synopsis. Funding was provided by the MAVA Foundation, Arcadia and National Geographic Big Cats Initiative. Terrestrial Mammal Conservation is the seventeenth publication in the Conservation Evidence Series, linked to the online resource www.ConservationEvidence.com. Conservation Evidence Synopses are designed to promote a more evidence-based approach to biodiversity conservation. Others in the series include Bat Conservation, Primate Conservation, Bird Conservation and Forest Conservation and more are in preparation. Expert assessment of the evidence summarised within synopses is provided online and within the annual publication What Works in Conservation.

Evaluating the Genetic & Demographic Integrity of South Africa's Cheetah Metapopulation

In 2011, the Endangered Wildlife Trust launched the Cheetah Metapopulation Project to provide coordinated relocation management to a group of 300+ cheetahs that were removed from commercial farmland in Namibia & South Africa. These cheetah were subsequently introduced onto smaller, fenced, privately held reserves in South Africa. This paper addresses 2 challenges associated with the cheetah metapopulation’s long-term viability: the ecological capacity of the fenced reserves and the genetic diversity of the reserve cheetahs. Density prediction models based on prey biomass were used to project carrying capacity estimates for 21 reserves. Three equations were used in order to capture differences in prey characteristics. When compared with actual densities, the model projections did not provide adequate estimates of carrying capacity. The finding implies that prey biomass alone cannot explain cheetah density. Heterozygosity, or gene diversity, was used to evaluate the population’s genetics so that future analyses can capture a loss or gain in diversity. As a reference population, 33 cheetah individuals from South Africa’s free roaming population were genotyped using 16 microsatellite loci. Forty three of the reserve cheetahs were genotyped at the same loci. This data were used to calculate and compare heterozygosity for the two populations, enabling a comparison of genetic diversity between the free roaming cheetahs and the metapopulation cheetahs which are actively managed in fenced reserves. Overall, the reserve population has higher levels of heterozygosity than the free roaming population, suggesting that genetic diversity has been maintained on the reserves. This is possibly due to a temporary outbreeding effect from ‘artificial migration’ (translocation between reserves). This suggests that the reserve cheetahs would not benefit from crossbreeding with the free-roamers, however the free roamers would benefit. As the reserve population approaches its overall capacity, mating suppression will be required to avoid selling these wild cheetah into captivity. Genetic information should continue to be utilized for management, in order to further increase the population’s biological fitness over the long term

Terrestrial Mammal Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions for Terrestrial Mammals Excluding Bats and Primates (PDF)

Terrestrial Mammal Conservation provides a thorough summary of the available scientific evidence of what is known, or not known, about the effectiveness of all of the conservation actions for wild terrestrial mammals across the world (excluding bats and primates, which are covered in separate synopses). Actions are organized into categories based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifications of direct threats and conservation actions. Over the course of fifteen chapters, the authors consider interventions as wide ranging as creating uncultivated margins around fields, prescribed burning, setting hunting quotas and removing non-native mammals. This book is written in an accessible style and is designed to be an invaluable resource for anyone concerned with the practical conservation of terrestrial mammals. The authors consulted an international group of terrestrial mammal experts and conservationists to produce this synopsis. Funding was provided by the MAVA Foundation, Arcadia and National Geographic Big Cats Initiative. Terrestrial Mammal Conservation is the seventeenth publication in the Conservation Evidence Series, linked to the online resource www.ConservationEvidence.com. Conservation Evidence Synopses are designed to promote a more evidence-based approach to biodiversity conservation. Others in the series include Bat Conservation, Primate Conservation, Bird Conservation and Forest Conservation and more are in preparation. Expert assessment of the evidence summarised within synopses is provided online and within the annual publication What Works in Conservation

Terrestrial Mammal Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions for Terrestrial Mammals Excluding Bats and Primates (XML)

Terrestrial Mammal Conservation provides a thorough summary of the available scientific evidence of what is known, or not known, about the effectiveness of all of the conservation actions for wild terrestrial mammals across the world (excluding bats and primates, which are covered in separate synopses). Actions are organized into categories based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifications of direct threats and conservation actions. Over the course of fifteen chapters, the authors consider interventions as wide ranging as creating uncultivated margins around fields, prescribed burning, setting hunting quotas and removing non-native mammals. This book is written in an accessible style and is designed to be an invaluable resource for anyone concerned with the practical conservation of terrestrial mammals. The authors consulted an international group of terrestrial mammal experts and conservationists to produce this synopsis. Funding was provided by the MAVA Foundation, Arcadia and National Geographic Big Cats Initiative. Terrestrial Mammal Conservation is the seventeenth publication in the Conservation Evidence Series, linked to the online resource www.ConservationEvidence.com. Conservation Evidence Synopses are designed to promote a more evidence-based approach to biodiversity conservation. Others in the series include Bat Conservation, Primate Conservation, Bird Conservation and Forest Conservation and more are in preparation. Expert assessment of the evidence summarised within synopses is provided online and within the annual publication What Works in Conservation

9. Threat: Invasive alien and other problematic species

9.1. Use fencing to exclude grazers or other problematic species https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/2495 • Three studies evaluated the effects on mammals of using fencing to exclude grazers or other problematic species. One study was in each of the USA1, Australia2 and Spain3. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (1 STUDY) • Richness/diversity (1 study): A controlled, before-and-after study in Australia2 found that after fencing to exclude introduced herbivores, native mammal species richness increas..

3. Threat: Agriculture and aquaculture

All farming systems 3.1. Establish wild flower areas on farmland https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/2359 • Four studies evaluated the effects of establishing wild flower areas on farmland on small mammals. Two studies were in Switzerland2,3, one in the UK1 and one in Germany4. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES) POPULATION RESPONSE (4 STUDIES) • Abundance (4 studies): Three of four site comparison studies (including three replicated studies), in Switzerland2,3, the UK1 and Germany4, foun..

12. Habitat protection

12.1. Legally protect habitat for mammals https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/2559 • Seven studies evaluated the effects of legally protecting habitat for mammals. One study each was in Zambia1, the USA2, Tanzania3, Brazil4, Nepal6 and India7 and one was a systematic review of sites with a wide geographic spread5. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES) POPULATION RESPONSE (7 STUDIES) • Abundance (7 studies): A systematic review of protected areas across the globe5 found that 24 of 31 studies..

11. Threat: Climate change and severe weather

11.1. Retain/provide migration corridors https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/2551 • We found no studies that evaluated the effects on mammals of retaining or providing migration corridors. ‘We found no studies’ means that we have not yet found any studies that have directly evaluated this intervention during our systematic journal and report searches. Therefore, we have no evidence to indicate whether or not the intervention has any desirable or harmful effects. BackgroundSome mammal..

13. Habitat restoration and creation

13.1. Remove topsoil that has had fertilizer added to mimic low nutrient soil https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/2544 • We found no studies that evaluated the effects on mammals of removing topsoil that has had fertilizer added to mimic low nutrient soil. ’We found no studies’ means that we have not yet found any studies that have directly evaluated this intervention during our systematic journal and report searches. Therefore, we have no evidence to indicate whether or not the inte..

5. Threat: Transportation and service corridors

Rytwinski, T. & Fahrig, L. (2015) The impacts of roads and traffic on terrestrial animal populations. Pages 237–246, in: R. van der Ree, D. J. Smith & C. Grilo (eds) Handbook of Road Ecology. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, UK, https://doi.orgdoi.org/10.1002/9781118568170.ch28 Roads & Railroads 5.1. Install tunnels/culverts/underpass under roads https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/2514 • Twenty-five studies evaluated the effects on mammals of installing tunnels, culverts or underpass under r..