Vegetation Type Influences Livestock Predation by Leopards: Implications for Conservation in Agro-Ecosystems

Abstract

Carnivore—livestock conflict has been a driver of human—carnivore conflict since the domestication of ungulates and needs to be addressed to secure the conservation of carnivores. Leopard—livestock conflict is a contentious issue in the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve (BMR), South Africa. Little is known about the spatial distribution of livestock losses and the associated management responses by farmers. We investigated the vegetation-specific livestock predation by leopards in the BMR, as well as the consequences for livestock management and biodiversity preservation. Leopard killed livestock in 14 of the 22 vegetation types, of which Groot Valley Thicket, Cockscomb Mountain Fynbos and Baviaanskloof Mountain Fynbos were ‘used’ more than expected. Leopard predation was focused on the properties that bordered the reserve, but constituted a relatively small proportion of livestock losses on these properties. Farmers respond to this actual predation and perceived predation by removing livestock from areas bordering the reserve. Given the high levels of herbivory exerted on the vegetation by livestock, the removal of livestock may create plant refugia from herbivory. Thus, we propose that leopard predation may induce human-mediated behavioural effects on livestock which resembles the behavioural responses of herbivores to ‘landscapes of fear’. Therefore, retaining top predators may assist in the conservation of biodiversity within multi-use landscapes by maintaining predator—prey dynamics and associated top-down processes.