Applied carnivore management in a data deficient world: leopard Panthera Pardus as a case study.

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.