Open AccessLions in a coexistence landscape: Repurposing a traditional field technique to monitor an elusive carnivore
Author(s) -
Western Guy,
Elliot Nicholas B.,
Sompeta Steiner L.,
Broekhuis Femke,
Ngene Shadrack,
Gopalaswamy Arjun M.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.17
H-Index - 63
ISSN - 2045-7758
DOI - 10.1002/ece3.8662
Subject(s) - carnivore , geography , population density , range (aeronautics) , population , ecology , landscape connectivity , mark and recapture , distance sampling , biological dispersal , habitat , predation , biology , demography , materials science , composite material , sociology
Throughout Africa, lions are thought to have experienced dramatic population decline and range contraction. The greatest declines are likely occurring in human‐dominated landscapes where reliably estimating lion populations is particularly challenging. By adapting a method that has thus far only been applied to animals that are habituated to vehicles, we estimate lion density in two community areas in Kenya's South Rift, located more than 100 km from the nearest protected area (PA). More specifically, we conducted an 89‐day survey using unstructured spatial sampling coupled with playbacks, a commonly used field technique, and estimated lion density using spatial capture‐recapture (SCR) models. Our estimated density of 5.9 lions over the age of 1 year per 100 km 2 compares favorably with many PAs and suggests that this is a key lion population that could be crucial for connectivity across the wider landscape. We discuss the possible mechanisms supporting this density and demonstrate how rigorous field methods combined with robust analyses can produce reliable population estimates within human‐dominated landscapes.