Drivers of predator-proof boma disrepair in the Amboseli Ecosystem, Kenya

Drivers of predator-proof boma disrepair in the Amboseli Ecosystem, Kenya

As natural habitats continue to shrink in Kenya's Amboseli Ecosystem, livestock depredation by lions Panthera leo threatens both the livelihoods of pastoralist communities and the lion populations affected by retaliatory killings. Finding ways for people and carnivores to coexist at the landsca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oryx Vol. 57; no. 2; pp. 196 - 204
Main Authors: Manoa, David Owino, Melubo, Stephen, Kasaine, Simon, Banham, Penny, Willie, Jacob, Oloo, Tim, Greengrass, Elizabeth, Tagg, Nikki
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01-03-2023
Subjects:
Amboseli
Animal populations
Carnivores
conflict
Construction
Damage
depredation
disrepair
Ecosystems
Fences
lions
Livestock
Local government
Panthera leo
Populations
predator-proof boma
Predators
Ranches
Recycled materials
Statistical analysis
Statistical models
Sustainability
Wildlife management
Wood construction
Kenya
United States > US
carnivores
predator-proof boma
disrepair
lions
livestock
Amboseli
depredation
conflict
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Summary:As natural habitats continue to shrink in Kenya's Amboseli Ecosystem, livestock depredation by lions Panthera leo threatens both the livelihoods of pastoralist communities and the lion populations affected by retaliatory killings. Finding ways for people and carnivores to coexist at the landscape scale is crucial to the long-term persistence of many threatened animal populations. The fortification of existing traditional bomas to make them predator-proof reduces night-time depredation of livestock. However, the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of such an initiative rely on boma owners taking responsibility for the upkeep and repair of their bomas. In August 2018 we surveyed 88 predator-proof bomas constructed during 2012–2018 and recorded their characteristics and levels of damage. We examined which variables influence disrepair, using a series of statistical analyses, including generalized linear mixed models. Our results reveal there was more disrepair in bomas constructed with wooden posts, confirming the benefit of using recycled plastic posts; in bomas with lower livestock density, suggesting that fewer animals could cause more damage or that such damage is not repaired; and in bomas located further away from a neighbouring predator-proof boma, suggesting a social element in encouraging or enabling boma owners to carry out maintenance. We recommend the consideration and further investigation of this social influence in guiding and improving the sustainability of conservation programmes that use predator-proof bomas, with a view to reducing negative interactions between pastoralists and lions.
ISSN:0030-6053
1365-3008
DOI:10.1017/S0030605321001642