Photo credit: www.sciencedaily.com
A predator must find food, but this pursuit can lead to conflicts with humans who share the same environment, often resulting in harm to the carnivores involved.
To mitigate these conflicts in Tanzania, fortified corrals have been implemented to safeguard both livestock and endangered carnivore species. However, a pertinent question arises: where do lions, leopards, and hyenas procure their meals? Do they turn to adjacent herds for sustenance?
Recent research spearheaded by Colorado State University reveals that robust fences indeed cultivate better relationships between communities, as these fortified enclosures provide unexpected benefits to nearby livestock herders. The study indicates that when chain-link fencing is employed—superior to traditional thorn-bush bomas—predators are likely to avoid densely populated areas altogether, turning instead to safer hunting grounds.
The findings are groundbreaking, marking the first instance where a beneficial spillover effect from an intervention aimed at reducing human-wildlife conflict has been documented. The role of apex predators is essential to maintaining ecological balance, and their decline can precipitate significant disruptions within ecosystems.
Kevin Crooks, co-author of the study and director of the CSU Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence, emphasized the global importance of achieving harmony between humans and carnivores. He noted, “Conflict arising from carnivores preying on livestock is a significant challenge for coexistence worldwide, affecting areas like the Rocky Mountain West and Colorado. Our research underscores the potential of proactive, non-lethal measures to protect livestock, yielding benefits not just for individual families but potentially for entire communities.”
Jonathan Salerno, lead author and associate professor at CSU, acknowledged the specific applicability of the studied method in certain contexts within the U.S. West, but he highlighted the universal importance of understanding predator-human interactions to inform conflict resolution strategies worldwide. Salerno stated, “Comprehending these dynamics can optimize conservation efforts and lead to better outcomes for people, livestock, and endangered species.”
Chain-link Leads to Enhanced Safety and Financial Savings
In related findings published earlier this year, Salerno and team discovered that chain-link corrals significantly decreased predation on cattle, goats, and sheep around Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania. This region is a pivotal area for the conservation of large carnivores. Within this agropastoralist framework, livestock are secured in fenced enclosures overnight—when predatory activity peaks—before being taken to communal grazing areas during daylight.
The park is home to about 10% of the world’s remaining African lions and other large carnivores. However, households adjacent to the park contend with a 30% annual likelihood of losing livestock to predators, posing a severe economic challenge for small-scale farmers.
To alleviate this burden, the conservation group Lion Landscapes subsidized 75% of the costs for farmers opting to install fortified enclosures, requiring them to bear the remaining 25%. A cost-benefit analysis highlighted in the published research illustrated that over five years, the advantages of preventing livestock losses outweighed the expenses by three to seven times.
“The break-even point varies from three months to two years, given that the loss of a single cow represents considerable financial loss,” Salerno remarked. “Thus, the fortified enclosures provide sufficient risk reduction to effectively finance themselves in a relatively short timeframe.”
The initial study, which examined data from 758 livestock-keeping households from 2010 to 2016, found the chain-link enclosures to be 94% effective in lowering predation risk in the short term and 60% effective in the long term.
Documented Spillover Benefits
The new study, published on March 6 in Conservation Letters, analyzed 25,000 monthly reports from livestock herders and uncovered that households near those with chain-link corrals also experienced fewer livestock attacks. This marks the first documentation of a beneficial spillover effect occurring from such interventions. The research utilized data gathered by Lion Landscapes, funded by CSU’s School of Global Environmental Sustainability.
Joseph Francis Kaduma, co-author and research manager at Lion Landscapes, remarked, “This research serves as scientific validation of antipredation interventions that not only mitigate wildlife losses but also foster coexistence between humans and carnivores. By showcasing the advantages of non-lethal methods, the study presents practical conservation strategies that can be adapted in other regions experiencing similar conflicts globally.”
Reasons Behind Predators’ Absences
Although the study does not definitively answer why predators are avoiding enhanced enclosure areas, Salerno speculated that the neighborhoods might present increased challenges for these animals. “Communities with multiple enclosures create greater risk and effort for the carnivores, as they realize they cannot easily access livestock secured within fortified boundaries, although some leopards may still attempt to raid smaller animals,” he explained. “This makes nighttime livestock simpler to guard against predation, resulting in fewer sealed buffet options for carnivores.”
Considerations for Park Fencing
Like many expansive national parks, enclosing Ruaha National Park with a chain-link fence is impractical. Furthermore, fencing could have detrimental ecological effects by isolating wildlife populations and exacerbating tensions between local communities and conservation efforts, Salerno noted.
A Critical Case Study for Broader Issues
Lion Landscapes has established strong relationships with local herders and systematically collected data to underpin these studies. Salerno indicated that acquiring similar data from various regions could aid conservationists and wildlife managers in addressing analogous conflicts effectively. “By compiling this information, we can discern factors that contribute to predation events on specific ranches, and by considering the complexity of the broader system, we can begin directing efforts toward the most effective solutions,” he concluded.
Source
www.sciencedaily.com