Identifying areas of socio-ecological value for the translocation of perceived conflict cheetah (A. jubatus) and leopard (P. pardus) in Namibia

Abstract

Human-wildlife conflict is an ever-present threat to large carnivores in Namibia due to their distribution across privately owned properties. Translocation techniques are one approach to solving this conservation challenge, but are often regarded as unsuccessful due to new sources of competition, stress, or human conflict for translocated animals. In attempt to mitigate some of these failures, I developed an ArcGIS- (v.10.1, ESRI 2012) based carnivore translocation suitability tool (CaTSuiT) that identifies habitat patches which meet the ecological requirements of leopard and cheetah and accounts for human-development parameters. CaTSuiT ranks potential habitat patches based on landowner tolerance of carnivores (determined by survey) and the uncertainty associated with a patch's designated tolerance due to the number of un-surveyed landowners. The model indicates a large number of available habitat patches for leopard; however, suitable cheetah habitat patches are limited by the amount of suitable areas farther from the recommended minimum homing distance away from a conflict animal's capture location. This tool should be used as a guide to inform conservation managers about where to focus their efforts to help landowners incorporate more tolerant farming practices and improve coexistence between local land-owners and large carnivores.