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

• Main Authors: Srivathsa, Arjun, Mahi Puri, Krithi K. Karanth, Patel, Imran, N. Samba Kumar
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Figshare 2019
• Subjects: Ecology; FOS Biological sciences; Indian; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4507055.v1; https://rs.figshare.com/collections/Supplementary_material_from_Examining_human_carnivore_interactions_using_a_socio-ecological_framework_sympatric_wild_canids_in_India_as_a_case_study_/4507055/1

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 C. 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.