Abstract:
Accurate assessment of carnivore population
status is frequently hindered by insufficient distribution
data. For northern South Africa we address this deficit by
mapping new records from landscape-scale sign surveys,
questionnaire interviews, problem animal records and
camera trapping. The black-backed jackal Canis mesomelas
and caracal Caracal caracal remain common and widespread.
Ranges of the serval Leptailurus serval and brown
hyaena Hyaena brunnea were much larger than previous
estimates, reducing the risk of simultaneous extirpation
across all occupied locations. The proportion of range area
occupied was larger for several species, notably the leopard
Panthera pardus, cheetah Acinonyx jubatus and serval. We
conclude that the serval continues to recover from historical
threats and is expanding into new areas. A larger
brown hyaena range and less fragmented pattern of
occurrence probably confers greater resilience to threats
than was suggested by previous data. Reduced extinction
risk arising from the increased area occupied by the
cheetah and leopard is tempered by probable local range
contraction. Our maps provide baseline information for
monitoring the distribution of these six species, which is
essential in managing ecological issues that have a spatial
component such as responses to changing land use. Our
results also demonstrate the utility of detection/nondetection
surveys in rapid assessment of carnivore
populations at large spatial scales.
