Title
The impact of tourist hunting on large mammals in Tanzania: An initial assessment
Author(s)
Caro T.M., Pelkey N., Borner M., Severre E.L.M., Campbell K.L.I., Huish S.A., Ole Kuwai J., Farm B.P., Woodworth B.L.
Published
1998
Publisher
African Journal of Ecology
Abstract
In Tanzania, where tourist hunting is employed as a conservation tool for habitat protection, information on population sizes and hunting offtake was used to assess the impact of tourist hunting on mammal densities. In general, tourist hunting pressure was unrelated to local population sizes, but for most species, animals were removed at a level of less than 10% of the local population size, suggesting that over-exploitation was unlikely. Eland, however, and perhaps small antelope, bushbuck, kudu and reedbuck were hunted at levels which may be unsustainable in the long term. Analyses also identified areas of Tanzania with high levels of tourist hunting pressure, showed that, in certain areas, species with small population sizes such as eland could be declining as a result of tourist hunting, and suggested that current levels of lion and leopard offtake are too high. These findings, although preliminary, allow recommendations to be put forward for changing hunting quotas for certain species in particular areas of Tanzania.
Keywords
conservation; hunting; population density; tourism; ungulate; wildlife management; Tanzania
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PUB12839