TY  - JOUR
T1  - Conserving large carnivores amidst human-wildlife conflict: The scope of ecological theory to guide conservation practice
AU  - Bagchi, Sumanta
JO  - Food Webs
VL  - 18
SP  - e00108
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/03/01/
SN  - 2352-2496
DO  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2018.e00108
UR  - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352249618300351
KW  - Prey-predator
KW  - Carnivore conservation
KW  - Endangered species
KW  - Grazing management
AB  - Predator-prey interactions where livestock are killed by carnivores, are a serious global challenge. Conservation interventions to address this conflict are inadequately guided by ecological theory, and instead rely on pragmatic experiential decisions. I review four families of theoretical models that can accommodate essential features of this human-wildlife conflict, namely – prey-refuge, specialist/generalist predation, social-ecological, and metapopulation models. I evaluate their relevance for conservation and arrange each model's predictions along two conceptual dimensions: coexistence and stability. These models are described with examples of pastoralists and snow leopards in the Himalayas, but they can have broader relevance to other regions. All models suggest that livestock-loss can be better controlled in highly productive habitats, than under low productivity. But, they differ in the ease with which their predictions may be translated into real-world conservation interventions. These constraints can be circumvented through animal movement between patches which is represented only in metapopulation models. But, metapopulation models do not offer much clarity on the size of the predator population. Instead, they can prescribe rotational-grazing policies for livestock – another pragmatic management concern. This comparison of models identifies lacunae where ecological theory could be better integrated within conservation practice. One option is better integration with emerging knowledge of animal movement. Comparative analyses of models helps identify future directions where outcomes of alternative management interventions can be predicted and evaluated.
ER  -