Examining human–carnivore interactions using a socio-ecological framework: sympatric wild canids in India as a case study

• Published in: Royal Society Open Science
• Main Authors: Srivathsa, Arjun, Puri, Mahi, Karanth, Krithi K., Patel, Imran, Kumar, N. Samba
• Other Authors: Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Society, University of Florida, Rufford Foundation, Idea Wild, Oracle, DeFries-Bajpai Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Network
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 2019
• Subjects: Indian; Canis lupus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.182008; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.182008; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsos.182008

Many carnivores inhabit human-dominated landscapes outside protected reserves. Spatially explicit assessments of carnivore distributions and livestock depredation patterns in human-use landscapes are crucial for minimizing negative interactions and fostering coexistence between people and predators. India harbours 23% of the world's carnivore species that share space with 1.3 billion people in approximately 2.3% of the global land area. We examined carnivore distributions and human–carnivore interactions in a multi-use forest landscape in central India. We focused on five sympatric carnivore species: Indian grey wolf Canis lupus pallipes , dhole Cuon alpinus , Indian jackal Canis aureus indicus , Indian fox Vulpes bengalensis and striped hyena Hyaena hyaena . Carnivore occupancy ranged from 12% for dholes to 86% for jackals, mostly influenced by forests, open scrublands and terrain ruggedness. Livestock/poultry depredation probability in the landscape ranged from 21% for dholes to greater than 95% for jackals, influenced by land cover and livestock- or poultry-holding. The five species also showed high spatial overlap with free-ranging dogs, suggesting potential competitive interactions and disease risks, with consequences for human health and safety. Our study provides insights on factors that facilitate and impede co-occurrence between people and predators. Spatial prioritization of carnivore-rich areas and conflict-prone locations could facilitate human–carnivore coexistence in shared habitats. Our framework is ideally suited for making socio-ecological assessments of human–carnivore interactions in other multi-use landscapes and regions, worldwide.