Effectiveness of community-based livestock protection strategies: a case study of human-lion conflict mitigation

Conservation scientists are increasingly emphasising the need to evaluate the effectiveness of coexistence interventions across different contexts. In this study, we assessed the long-term efficacy of a community-based programme: the Long Shields Community Guardians. The programme protects livestock...

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Main Authors: Sibanda, L, Johnson, PJ, Van Der Meer, E, Hughes, C, Dlodlo, B, Mathe, LJ, Hunt, JE, Parry, RH, Macdonald, D, Loveridge, AJ
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2021
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author Sibanda, L
Johnson, PJ
Van Der Meer, E
Hughes, C
Dlodlo, B
Mathe, LJ
Hunt, JE
Parry, RH
Macdonald, D
Loveridge, AJ
author_facet Sibanda, L
Johnson, PJ
Van Der Meer, E
Hughes, C
Dlodlo, B
Mathe, LJ
Hunt, JE
Parry, RH
Macdonald, D
Loveridge, AJ
author_sort Sibanda, L
collection OXFORD
description Conservation scientists are increasingly emphasising the need to evaluate the effectiveness of coexistence interventions across different contexts. In this study, we assessed the long-term efficacy of a community-based programme: the Long Shields Community Guardians. The programme protects livestock and mitigates depredation by lions through non-lethal means with the ultimate aim of promoting human-lion coexistence. Using an experimental approach, we measured temporal trends in livestock depredation by lions as well as the prevalence of retaliatory lion killing by farmers and wildlife managers. Farmers that were part of the Long Shields programme experienced a significant reduction in livestock loss to lions and the number of lions killed annually due to retaliatory killing by farmers dropped by 41% since the start of this programme in 2013, compared to the period 2008-2012 before the programme was initiated. Our results demonstrate the Long Shields programme can be a potential model for limiting livestock depredation by lions elsewhere. More broadly, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of community-based conflict interventions in engaging community responses to livestock protection and ameliorating levels of retaliatory killing, thereby reducing human-lion conflict.
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spelling oxford-uuid:78abe1b7-9323-4a8f-bcaa-ec2b0fba73d32022-12-12T09:10:25ZEffectiveness of community-based livestock protection strategies: a case study of human-lion conflict mitigationJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:78abe1b7-9323-4a8f-bcaa-ec2b0fba73d3EnglishSymplectic ElementsCambridge University Press2021Sibanda, LJohnson, PJVan Der Meer, EHughes, CDlodlo, BMathe, LJHunt, JEParry, RHMacdonald, DLoveridge, AJConservation scientists are increasingly emphasising the need to evaluate the effectiveness of coexistence interventions across different contexts. In this study, we assessed the long-term efficacy of a community-based programme: the Long Shields Community Guardians. The programme protects livestock and mitigates depredation by lions through non-lethal means with the ultimate aim of promoting human-lion coexistence. Using an experimental approach, we measured temporal trends in livestock depredation by lions as well as the prevalence of retaliatory lion killing by farmers and wildlife managers. Farmers that were part of the Long Shields programme experienced a significant reduction in livestock loss to lions and the number of lions killed annually due to retaliatory killing by farmers dropped by 41% since the start of this programme in 2013, compared to the period 2008-2012 before the programme was initiated. Our results demonstrate the Long Shields programme can be a potential model for limiting livestock depredation by lions elsewhere. More broadly, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of community-based conflict interventions in engaging community responses to livestock protection and ameliorating levels of retaliatory killing, thereby reducing human-lion conflict.
spellingShingle Sibanda, L
Johnson, PJ
Van Der Meer, E
Hughes, C
Dlodlo, B
Mathe, LJ
Hunt, JE
Parry, RH
Macdonald, D
Loveridge, AJ
Effectiveness of community-based livestock protection strategies: a case study of human-lion conflict mitigation
title Effectiveness of community-based livestock protection strategies: a case study of human-lion conflict mitigation
title_full Effectiveness of community-based livestock protection strategies: a case study of human-lion conflict mitigation
title_fullStr Effectiveness of community-based livestock protection strategies: a case study of human-lion conflict mitigation
title_full_unstemmed Effectiveness of community-based livestock protection strategies: a case study of human-lion conflict mitigation
title_short Effectiveness of community-based livestock protection strategies: a case study of human-lion conflict mitigation
title_sort effectiveness of community based livestock protection strategies a case study of human lion conflict mitigation
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