The importance of refugia, ecological traps and scale for large carnivore management

Verfasser / Beitragende:
[Ross Pitman, Lourens Swanepoel, Luke Hunter, Rob Slotow, Guy Balme]
Ort, Verlag, Jahr:
2015
Enthalten in:
Biodiversity and Conservation, 24/8(2015-08-01), 1975-1987
Format:
Artikel (online)
ID: 605527776
LEADER caa a22 4500
001 605527776
003 CHVBK
005 20210128100810.0
007 cr unu---uuuuu
008 210128e20150801xx s 000 0 eng
024 7 0 |a 10.1007/s10531-015-0921-9  |2 doi 
035 |a (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10531-015-0921-9 
245 0 4 |a The importance of refugia, ecological traps and scale for large carnivore management  |h [Elektronische Daten]  |c [Ross Pitman, Lourens Swanepoel, Luke Hunter, Rob Slotow, Guy Balme] 
520 3 |a 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. Finer-scaled 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. 
540 |a Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2015 
690 7 |a Leopard  |2 nationallicence 
690 7 |a Panthera pardus  |2 nationallicence 
690 7 |a Human-carnivore conflict  |2 nationallicence 
690 7 |a Harvest rates  |2 nationallicence 
690 7 |a Trophy hunting  |2 nationallicence 
690 7 |a Problem animal  |2 nationallicence 
700 1 |a Pitman  |D Ross  |u School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, 4000, Durban, South Africa  |4 aut 
700 1 |a Swanepoel  |D Lourens  |u Department of Zoology, South African Research Chair on Biodiversity Value & Change, University of Venda, Bag X5050, 0950, Thohoyandou, South Africa  |4 aut 
700 1 |a Hunter  |D Luke  |u Panthera, 8 W 40th Street 18th Floor, 10018, New York, NY, USA  |4 aut 
700 1 |a Slotow  |D Rob  |u School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, 4000, Durban, South Africa  |4 aut 
700 1 |a Balme  |D Guy  |u Panthera, 8 W 40th Street 18th Floor, 10018, New York, NY, USA  |4 aut 
773 0 |t Biodiversity and Conservation  |d Springer Netherlands  |g 24/8(2015-08-01), 1975-1987  |x 0960-3115  |q 24:8<1975  |1 2015  |2 24  |o 10531 
856 4 0 |u https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0921-9  |q text/html  |z Onlinezugriff via DOI 
898 |a BK010053  |b XK010053  |c XK010000 
900 7 |a Metadata rights reserved  |b Springer special CC-BY-NC licence  |2 nationallicence 
908 |D 1  |a research-article  |2 jats 
949 |B NATIONALLICENCE  |F NATIONALLICENCE  |b NL-springer 
950 |B NATIONALLICENCE  |P 856  |E 40  |u https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0921-9  |q text/html  |z Onlinezugriff via DOI 
950 |B NATIONALLICENCE  |P 700  |E 1-  |a Pitman  |D Ross  |u School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, 4000, Durban, South Africa  |4 aut 
950 |B NATIONALLICENCE  |P 700  |E 1-  |a Swanepoel  |D Lourens  |u Department of Zoology, South African Research Chair on Biodiversity Value & Change, University of Venda, Bag X5050, 0950, Thohoyandou, South Africa  |4 aut 
950 |B NATIONALLICENCE  |P 700  |E 1-  |a Hunter  |D Luke  |u Panthera, 8 W 40th Street 18th Floor, 10018, New York, NY, USA  |4 aut 
950 |B NATIONALLICENCE  |P 700  |E 1-  |a Slotow  |D Rob  |u School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, 4000, Durban, South Africa  |4 aut 
950 |B NATIONALLICENCE  |P 700  |E 1-  |a Balme  |D Guy  |u Panthera, 8 W 40th Street 18th Floor, 10018, New York, NY, USA  |4 aut 
950 |B NATIONALLICENCE  |P 773  |E 0-  |t Biodiversity and Conservation  |d Springer Netherlands  |g 24/8(2015-08-01), 1975-1987  |x 0960-3115  |q 24:8<1975  |1 2015  |2 24  |o 10531