Abstract
Compared to emblematic large carnivores, most species of the order Carnivora receive little conservation attention despite increasing anthropogenic pressure and poor understanding of their status across much of their range. We employed systematic camera trapping and spatially explicit capture-recapture modelling to estimate variation in population density of serval, striped hyaena and aardwolf across the mixed-use Ruaha-Rungwa landscape in southern Tanzania. We selected three sites representative of different habitat types, management strategies, and levels of anthropogenic pressure: Ruaha National Park's core tourist area, dominated by Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets; the Park's miombo woodland; and the neighbouring community-run MBOMIPA Wildlife Management Area, also covered in Acacia-Commiphora. The Park's miombo woodlands supported a higher serval density (5.56 [Standard Error = ±2.45] individuals per 100 km2) than either the core tourist area (3.45 [±1.04] individuals per 100 km2) or the Wildlife Management Area (2.08 [±0.74] individuals per 100 km2). Taken together, precipitation, the abundance of apex predators, and the level of anthropogenic pressure likely drive such variation. Striped hyaena were detected only in the Wildlife Management Area and at low density (1.36 [±0.50] individuals per 100 km2), potentially due to the location of the surveyed sites at the edge of the species' global range, high densities of sympatric competitors, and anthropogenic edge effects. Finally, aardwolf were captured in both the Park's core tourist area and the Wildlife Management Area, with a higher density in the Wildlife Management Area (13.25 [±2.48] versus 9.19 [±1.66] individuals per 100 km2), possibly as a result of lower intraguild predation and late fire outbreaks in the area surveyed. By shedding light on three understudied African carnivore species, this study highlights the importance of miombo woodland conservation and community-managed conservation, as well as the value of by-catch camera trap data to improve ecological knowledge of lesser-studied carnivores.
Highlights
Emblematic large carnivores often benefit from significant conservation investment and are prioritised in terms of resource allocation over more threatened species [1]
Striped hyaena were captured in Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) Acacia-Commiphora only, with 42 independent capture events and 12 identified individuals
Aardwolf were only captured at camera stations in Core Ruaha National Park (RNP) Acacia-Commiphora and WMA Acacia-Commiphora, with 36 and 37 individuals identified, accounting for a total of 240 and 185 independent capture events, respectively
Summary
Emblematic large carnivores often benefit from significant conservation investment and are prioritised in terms of resource allocation over more threatened species [1]. The African conservation landscape conspicuously illustrates these disparities, with iconic apex predators such as lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus) and cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) drawing substantial research attention [6] Overshadowed by these flagship species, many lesser-studied carnivores face declining trends in number and range [7], with anthropogenic threats including habitat loss/fragmentation [8], and persecution [9] jeopardising their survival alongside a growing human population [10]. This lack of research hinders conservation status assessments for a number of African carnivores, precluding effective conservation planning [11], notwithstanding the ecological importance and vulnerability to extinction of many of these species. The insectivorous diet of the aardwolf exposes the species to insecticide poisoning, an ever-increasing threat with the intensification of agriculture [15, 18]
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