Title
Examining human-carnivore interactions using a socio-ecological framework: Sympatric wild canids in India as a case study
Author(s)
Srivathsa, Arjun;Puri, Mahi;Karanth, Krithi K.;Patel, Imran;Kumar, N. Samba
Published
2019
Publisher
Royal Society Open Science
Abstract
Many carnivores inhabit human-dominated landscapes outside protected reserves. Spatially explicit assessments of carnivore distributions and livestock depredation patterns in human-use landscapes are crucial for minimizing negative interactions and fostering coexistence between people and predators. India harbours 23% of the world's carnivore species that share space with 1.3 billion people in approximately 2.3% of the global land area. We examined carnivore distributions and human–carnivore interactions in a multi-use forest landscape in central India. We focused on five sympatric carnivore species: Indian grey wolf Canis lupus pallipes, dhole Cuon alpinus, Indian jackal Canis aureus indicus, Indian fox Vulpes bengalensis and striped hyena Hyaena hyaena. Carnivore occupancy ranged from 12% for dholes to 86% for jackals, mostly influenced by forests, open scrublands and terrain ruggedness. Livestock/poultry depredation probability in the landscape ranged from 21% for dholes to greater than 95% for jackals, influenced by land cover and livestock- or poultry-holding. The five species also showed high spatial overlap with free-ranging dogs, suggesting potential competitive interactions and disease risks, with consequences for human health and safety. Our study provides insights on factors that facilitate and impede co-occurrence between people and predators. Spatial prioritization of carnivore-rich areas and conflict-prone locations could facilitate human–carnivore coexistence in shared habitats. Our framework is ideally suited for making socio-ecological assessments of human–carnivore interactions in other multi-use landscapes and regions, worldwide.
Keywords
occupancy modelling;carnivores;interviews;depredation;sign surveys;coexistence
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