31 May 2024 Liwale, Tanzania, Africa Carnivores | Conflict | Communities
Patterns of Large Carnivore Depredation on Livestock and Community Tolerance Behaviour Around Selous-Nyerere Ecosystem
It has been recognized that pastoralists with their livestock and carnivores live alongside one another in many parts of the Selous-Nyerere Ecosystem (SNE), where they exhibit a high degree of spatial overlap or co-existence (Sitters et al., 2009). Livestock and carnivores utilize foraging strategies based on high mobility to access resources such as water, pastures, and prey in an unpredictable physical environment (Homewood & Rodgers, 1991). Within the SNE, livestock husbandry is commonly practiced with mixed species herds of cattle, goats, and sheep and few farmers also keep donkeys (Holmern et al., 2006). Grazing usually occurs on a piece of land “grazing land” set aside purposely by the village government or administrative authority. Unfortunately, the lack of proper and consistent plans for optimal village land use has contributed to the rise of traditional and nomadic livestock husbandry. The scenario has led to significant biodiversity loss and accelerated resource competition between carnivores and local communities bordering protected areas (PAs) "Human Carnivore Conflicts". The local communities often pay a high price for sharing space with carnivores due to livestock loss and human injuries. Similarly, persecution and retaliation killing are the only mitigation approaches for carnivores' perceived threats to property and safety. The country’s strategies for conserving carnivores realized that most PAs might conserve part of the annual migratory cycle for the species. Still, threats outside PAs can lead to population declines or loss of migratory behavior (Bolger et al., 2008). Yet, minimizing contact between carnivores and livestock to reduce these risks remains a critical topic for land use planning, biodiversity conservation, and other management tools for enhancing livestock production and the health of socio-ecological systems (Lamarque et al., 2019).
To balance human needs with conservation, it is essential to know ways for humans to coexist with carnivores with little impact while at the same time emphasizing the conservation of biodiversity in the ecosystem. Therefore, the project aims to train and guide the local community bordered by PAs to use wired bomas to protect their livestock from carnivore attacks and introduce beekeeping activities to improve their standard of living. Understanding and monitoring the ecological behavior of carnivores in human-dominated environments is very important. This will help the wildlife authorities to take strategic action steps appropriate for carnivore conservation in SNE. As such, Camera traps will be used for a systematic ground survey for the scientific description of the species profiles.