AbstractWe explored farmers' perceptions of the causes and consequences of human‐carnivore conflict in Maze National Park, Ethiopia. We selected 225 household heads randomly from five villages for interview using survey questionnaires. We identified the five villages randomly from the 16 that border the park. The majority (75.1%) of the respondents had a negative perception towards the park and the carnivores due to livestock depredation. Overall, 1142 livestock depredation were reported over 3 years (2017–2019). Cattle, sheep and goats were reportedly the most depredated animals. The numbers of livestock depredated significantly varied among villages and predators. Farmers perceived lions as the major livestock depredator followed by leopards and spotted hyaenas and they perceived that proximity, poor livestock husbandry and low natural prey density were the main causes of livestock depredation. The distance of the household holdings to the park was correlated negatively with the depredation level. Farmers use guarding, cut‐and‐carry systems and dogs to reduce carnivores' predation. Allocating enough spatial differences between the park and the villages and altering the timing and frequency with which livestock grazing overlaps with the diurnal activities of carnivores may lead to a win–win outcome promoting coexistence.

AbstractA relative lack of standardised long‐term monitoring data often limits the ability of African conservancies to quantify their efficacy to protect wildlife. In this study, we combined eight 2‐km long transects surveyed monthly between October 2017 and March 2020 (total 240 transects sampled) with a hierarchical multi‐species and multi‐season distance sampling modelling framework to: (1) estimate monthly density of an ensemble of 10 different large herbivores and (2) understand how species respond to changes in vegetation productivity and time across the Naboisho Conservancy in the Greater Mara Ecosystem, Kenya. We documented a total of 55,298 individuals from 6830 animal groups. The median coefficient of variation for all density estimates was 27.67%. On average, number of groups was higher at intermediate levels of vegetation productivity. We found that in general, populations of large herbivores remained stable in the conservancy during the study period, except for wildebeest which decreased in density. We showed that multi‐species monitoring frameworks can be used to understand how species abundance changes across space and time, providing indications as to how they are responding to environmental dynamics or management prescriptions—both of which are valuable tools for under‐resourced wildlife conservancies.

AbstractThe giraffe population is thought to vary seasonally in the Tsavo landscape of Kenya, but little data exists to establish if there indeed exists any variability. This study examined the impact of seasonal variation on the giraffe population in the Tsavo landscape. We conducted road transect counts and found 2683 and 3295 giraffes during the wet and dry seasons, with mean KAI and density of 0.19 ± 0.01 and 1.20 ± 0.435/km2, respectively. The giraffe population did not vary significantly between seasons, age and sex. The parks had more giraffes during the wet season compared to the dry season, while the reverse was true for Rombo and Taita ranches. No giraffes were sighted in South Kitui National Reserve.

AbstractA rise in human disturbance in Comoé National Park (CNP) has led to lion (Panthera leo) extirpation. After the crisis, there have been numerous efforts to restore this ecosystem and CNP's management authority is considering reintroducing lions. This ideally requires an understanding of the earlier process of lion extirpation. We assessed the causes of lion extirpation through semi‐structured questionnaires to 307 volunteer participants in surrounding 23 villages. Respondents reported that lions were extirpated two decades ago (19.75 years ± 8.15). Bouna was the sector that lions seem to have disappeared first (mean = 23.61 years ± 9.14) and recently on Nassian and Téhini sectors (mean = 18.43 years ± 8.17 and 18.74 years ± 6.74 respectively). People identified civil war from 2002 as the main facilitator of lion extirpation (85%; n = 261), which led to the abandonment of CNP, and opened the way for all forms of anthropogenic pressures including illegal hunting and prey depletion (70%; n = 216), illegal gold mining (74%; n = 227), direct lion killing due to transhumance and human‐wildlife conflict (15%; n = 45), and wildfires (23%; n = 72). Historically, prey density curves show a progressive decrease with a drastic drop during the civil war period before a post‐crisis recovery from 2016 to 2022. We recommend intensifying CNP monitoring and local measures to limit anthropogenic disturbances and improve indigenous communities' involvement to ensure the success of potential lion reintroduction.

AbstractUrbanisation and its associated habitat loss and fragmentation are considered a major threat to wildlife. In this study, we assessed the predictors of bird species abundance, richness and composition within 70 cells of 500 m by 500 m spread across the five urban areas constituting Ibadan metropolis. A total of 4167 individuals of 55 species belonging to 30 families were recorded. We report that Laughing dove Streptopelia senegalensis, Speckled pigeon Columba guinea and Yellow‐billed kite Milvus aegyptius contributed to a greater proportion of bird abundance across sites and Columbidae was the most abundant bird family. Bird species richness increased significantly with tree abundance but decreased significantly with the number of pedestrians. Similarly, foraging guild richness declined significantly with the number of pedestrians. Granivores and scavengers constituted the most abundant foraging guilds. Areas with high pedestrians' traffic were associated with fewer trees and were dominated by fewer numbers of species belonging to a few foraging guilds. This is likely because such areas offer limited foraging opportunities or cover from potential predators. We conclude that improving urban landscape characteristics through revegetation, establishment of green spaces and buffering from human disturbance will improve the composition and richness of avian species in the Ibadan metropolis.

AbstractMistletoes have much higher transpiration rates than their hosts. This is the basis for the ecological “compatibility hypothesis” for host choice. The inability of mistletoes to penetrate a host and connect to its vascular system is the competing “immunity hypothesis”. Epi‐parasites would have to transpire faster than their host mistletoe, which must transpire faster than its host. Therefore, epi‐parasites should be able to parasitise their host's host. I surveyed epi‐parasite host choice at a site and found this did not happen. Globally about a quarter of all epi‐parasites are obligate. This supports the immunity hypothesis.

AbstractInforming climate‐change adaptation measures for nature‐based tourism destinations is contingent on understanding how individual attractions respond to the impact of climate change. There is, however, no evidence of the existence of specific approaches for linking individual attractions to climate change. The eco‐parcel approach is therefore devised to address the gap. The approach follows three simple steps: (1) identifying and defining individual tourist attractions (2) describing and creating a link between individual attractions and their supporting ecosystems using land cover as a proxy; (3) assessing the importance of discrete landscape patches (eco‐parcels) for tourism. The three steps employ literature reviews, tourists' preference surveys and GIS data collection techniques. The operationalisation of the approach in Tanzanian Serengeti and Kilimanjaro National parks case studies shows that the approach is capable of establishing a list of attractions that a destination has and creating spatial–temporal links between attractions and their supporting ecosystems. In conclusion, the eco‐parcel approach allows accurate assessment of the likely losses or gains of individual attractions in the event of climate change, providing information on destination‐specific climate adaptation strategies and, thus, a useful tool for adapting NBT to climate‐change impacts.

AbstractWorldwide biodiversity is on the brink of extinction following the complete disappearance of many forest and freshwater vertebrates. This disappearance is closely linked to the reduction and disturbance of habitats, which should instead benefit from special conservation. In the case of lake ecosystems, fish spawning grounds remain the most vulnerable. This study aims to identify, characterise and locate fish spawning and nursery sites in Lake Kivu for better conservation. Sixteen sampling sites were selected along the shoreline of the Bukavu sub‐basin. Physico‐chemical parameters were measured in situ, and fish were captured using multi‐mesh nets, identified and dissected, gonads observed and sexual maturity stages determined. Twenty‐five fish species were identified, but 17 of these use the selected sampling sites as spawning and/or nursery. Eleven spawning and nine nursery sites were identified and located. Physico‐chemical analyses showed that temperature (F = 2.124, p = 0.011), dissolved oxygen (F = 2.792, p < 0.001), depth (F = 5.915, p < 0.001) and transparency (F = 3.421, p = 0.004) were significantly different, which characterise each site and may be key factors in species distribution between spawning sites. Fish size–weight relationships indicate allometric growths. The results of this research contribute to empirical knowledge of fish spawning grounds.

AbstractEffective monitoring, management and conservation of wildlife axiomatically depend on accurate data but causes of variation, including inter‐observer variation, are rarely explicitly quantified. Here, under controlled conditions, we demonstrate considerable variation in detection, identification and enumeration of (theoretically) readily identifiable African mammals at a reserve with a known species assemblage. Detection: 97.8% of sightings were missed by ≥1 observer; frequency of detection was affected by observer ID, detection distance, visibility and animal group size. Identification: just 3/14 species were identified consistently at all sightings. Enumeration: lack of consensus for 60.5% of sightings; consensus likelihood was affected by visibility and group size.

AbstractTropical alpine areas are some of the most vulnerable areas in the world to climate change. Their plant communities have narrow thermal niches and have limited geographic areas to expand. Here we examine changes in plant species' abundance and distribution in the Teleki Valley (3900–4500 m asl) of Mount Kenya using a spatially explicit vegetation survey from 1980. Vascular plant species were re‐sampled in 35 plots across the valley, and additional size and density data were collected for the two Dendrosenecio species. Overall species richness and diversity were lower in 2021 than in 1980, and the abundance of dominant species had declined. Changes in elevation suggested both upward and downward shifts had occurred. Dendrosenecio keniodendron exhibited a shift towards the valley bottom as well as a change in population structure towards younger individuals. The dominant environmental factors affecting plant composition were similar in both 1980 and 2021, namely elevation, vegetation cover and the presence of D. keniodendron. This keystone species plays a significant role in shaping communities but is undergoing rapid demographic changes, which may have cascading implications on the ecology of the system.