Livestock-Carnivore Coexistence: Moving beyond Preventive Killing

Area of Science:

• Conservation Biology
• Wildlife Management
• Human-Wildlife Conflict

Background:

• Livestock predation by large carnivores is a major global conflict.
• Jaguar and puma predation on livestock is documented in Latin America, but data from Honduras is scarce.
• Rancher interviews in a Honduran biosphere reserve revealed significant livestock losses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify livestock predation by jaguars and pumas in a Honduran biosphere reserve.
• To identify landscape and human factors influencing predation risk.
• To propose management strategies for human-carnivore coexistence.

Main Methods:

• Interviews with ranchers in a jaguar and puma inhabited biosphere reserve.
• Analysis of livestock loss data (2010-2019) and its relation to landscape variables.
• Review of successful human-carnivore coexistence strategies from other Latin American countries.

Main Results:

• Ranchers reported an average annual livestock loss of 7% due to predation, disease, and theft.
• Predation risk was higher in areas farther from human activity and closer to forest cover.
• Preventive and retaliatory killings were common responses to predation.

Conclusions:

• Human-carnivore conflict over livestock is significant in the study area.
• Effective coexistence requires management practices like improved livestock spatial arrangement and calf confinement.
• Conservation efforts, aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 and 15, need to address negative perceptions and support ranchers.