Applied carnivore management in a data deficient world: leopard Panthera Pardus as a case study.
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Date
2016
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Abstract
Large carnivores are vital to biodiversity at a global scale, through their role as keystone
species, but also present significant challenges for conservation and management due to the
lack of basic information on carnivore abundance and distribution, particularly at regional and
sub-continental scales. Consequently, large-scale carnivore management decisions are
seldom supported by science-based evidence. In this thesis, I use leopards Panthera pardus
as a model large carnivore, in Limpopo Province, South Africa, to investigate and address
some of the fundamental components that underpin wildlife management and conservation
in a landscape dominated by people. Furthermore, I develop practical and scientifically
justified methods to facilitate accurate and efficient management of the species at a scale
that is meaningful to leopard conservation.
I begin by developing a model approach to leopard management, particularly in the
context of trophy hunting, using data that are currently available to management authorities,
and provide management recommendations to improve leopard population persistence.
Next, I focus on the game ranching industry—the primary driver responsible for lethal leopard
control—and assess the relationship between game ranchers and free-ranging wildlife. I then
explore the evolution of game ranching practices to better understand the concomitant
change in game rancher tolerance of free-ranging wildlife, and integrate this mechanistic
understanding into the challenges facing conservation policy making more generally. Given
the challenges faced by leopards across Limpopo (e.g., high levels of trophy hunting, statesanctioned
population control, and illegal killing), I then set out to investigate leopard
resource use and landscape connectivity across Limpopo to better understand leopard space
use in the region. I present an efficient method of integrating connectivity within wildlife
management, and in doing so, identify key conservation priorities. Lastly, given that so little
is known about how species respond to hunting, I present a simulation study focused on
assessing biological sustainability of leopard hunting. I demonstrate that the sustainable
hunting of leopards remains a challenging objective given the high degree of additive
anthropogenic mortality (i.e., illegal killing and state-sanctioned problem animal control) and
challenges associated with accurately aging leopards in the field. The findings presented in
this thesis provide valuable information and novel guidance that could benefit the
management and conservation of leopards across the region, and further afield.
Description
Doctoral degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.