Programs

Livestock Predation

The Livestock Predation Program was established in 2003 by the People & Predators Fund in the village of Loibor Serrit within the Tarangire ecosystem. The program works with local villagers to assess and monitor rates of livestock predation, the circumstances surrounding predation incidences, and the retaliatory measures taken by livestock owners on carnivores. We have discovered that the fear and risk associated with predatory attacks results in frequent human retaliation on carnivores, especially in terms of lions. An estimated 40 lions die annually on the eastern border of Tarangire National Park alone.

The People & Predators Fund is now developing participatory programs for reducing human-carnivore conflicts that will also help village communities to keep pace with and benefit from their constantly changing political and ecological environment. In line with the Fund’s strategy of “Human-Carnivore Conflict Resolution," we aim to reduce the frequency of predation incidences and retaliatory actions against carnivores in Loibor Serrit via small, community-proposed changes to herd management practices. In addition, we are expanding the program to include the main villages experiencing clashes between humans and carnivores in the region. By focusing on the entire ecological region instead of individual communities, the Fund is better placed to understand the individual and specific causes of conflict throughout the ecosystem, allowing us to develop sound and lasting solutions for the collective populations of people and carnivores.

This July, Dr. Seth Wilson, an expert on livestock predation events in Montana visited the People & Predators Fund in Loibor Serrit. His work focuses on conflict between grizzly bears, ranchers, and farmers, using GIS mapping software to unravel the connections between landscape features and depredation events. With his help and ArcGIS software provided by a grant from the ESRI Conservation Program, we are developing computerized maps of livestock depredation events in Loibor Serrit. This will help us to determine whether certain times of the year, weather conditions, terrain, and other variables correlate with higher incidences of livestock predation.

If you would like to contribute to this program and help reduce human-carnivore conflicts in Tanzania, please visit our donate page and specify “Livestock Predation Program.”

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Livestock Predation

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