Abstract
Globally, the role of trophy hunting in wildlife conservation has been a topic of much debate. While various studies have focused on the financial contribution of trophy hunting towards wildlife conservation, little is known about whether hunting activities can protect wildlife forage resources. We examined the effect of illegal livestock grazing on wildlife habitat in operational and non-operational wildlife hunting blocks in Moyowosi-Kigosi Game Reserves (MKGR), Tanzania. We assessed whether the physical presence of hunting activities lowered illegal grazing and, thus, led to higher vegetation quality. We compared 324 samples of above-ground biomass (AGB) and grass cover between control (0.0007 cattle ha−1), moderately (0.02 cattle ha−1), and intensively (0.05 to 0.1 cattle ha−1) grazed hunting blocks. Likewise, we assessed soil infiltration, soil penetration, soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (N-P-K) across grazing intensity. Illegal grazing decreased AGB by 55%, grass cover by 36%, soil penetration by 46%, and infiltration rate by 63% compared to the control blocks. Illegal grazing further lowered SOC by 28% (F2,33 = 8, p < 0.002) but increased soil N by 50% (F2,33 = 32.2, p < 0.001) and soil K by 56% (H (2) = 23.9, p < 0.001), while soil P remained stable. We further examined if Hunting Company (HC) complements anti-poaching efforts in the Game Reserves (GR). We found that HC contributes an average of 347 worker-days−1 for patrol efforts, which is 49% more than the patrol efforts conducted by the GR. However, patrol success is higher for GR than HC (F1,21 = 116, p < 0.001), due to constant surveillance by HC, illegal herders avoided invading their hunting blocks. We conclude that illegal grazing severely reduced vegetation and soil quality in MKGR. We further claim that trophy hunting contributes directly to wildlife habitat preservation by deploying constant surveillance and preventing illegal grazing. We propose maintaining trophy hunting as an essential ecological tool in wildlife conservation.
Highlights
We found that the grass above-ground biomass (AGB) and cover differed significantly across grazing categories (F2,315 = 503.0, p < 0.001 and F2,315 = 157.4, p < 0.001, respectively; Figure 2) and across sampling period
There was an interaction between grazing intensity and sampling periods for AGB (F4,315 = 12.0, p < 0.001), but not for grass cover (F4,315 = 1.2, p = 0.20)
We found that soil organic carbon (SOC) was up to 28% lower in intensive and modWeblocks foundcompared that soil organic carbonblock (SOC)(Fwas up to 28% lower in intensive and modererate to the control
Summary
Trophy hunting is a type of wildlife tourism whereby tourists pay to hunt and get trophies from wild animals such as hooves, tusks, skins, antlers, horns, teeth, claws, bones, feathers, or hair [1,2]. The phrase is used interchangeably with ‘safari hunting’,. ‘sport hunting’, ‘hunting tourism’, ‘recreational hunting’, or ‘tourist hunting’ [3,4]. Trophy hunting is practiced worldwide in North America, South America, Australia, Europe, Canada, Asia, and 50% of African countries [5]. The trophy hunting industry is in a difficult position globally, receiving criticism concerning its ethical practicality and efficacy in wildlife conservation and community development [6]. The trophy hunting industry is in a difficult position globally, receiving criticism concerning its ethical practicality and efficacy in wildlife conservation and community development [6]. 4.0/).
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