Carnivore conservation needs evidence-based livestock protection

van Eeden, Lily M. (author), Eklund, Ann (author), Miller, Jennifer R. B. (author), López-Bao, José Vicente (author), Chapron, Guillaume (author), Cejtin, Mikael R. (author), Crowther, Mathew S. (author), Dickman, Christopher R. (author), Frank, Jens (author), Krofel, Miha (author), Macdonald, David W. (author), McManus, Jeannine (author), Meyer, Tara K. (author), Middleton, Arthur D. (author), Newsome, Thomas M. (author), Ripple, William J. (author), Ritchie, Euan G. (author), Schmitz, Oswald J. (author), Stoner, Kelly J. (author), Tourani, Mahdieh (author), Treves, Adrian (author)

Carnivore predation on livestock often leads people to retaliate. Persecution by humans has contributed strongly to global endangerment of carnivores. Preventing livestock losses would help to achieve three goals common to many human societies: preserve nature, protect animal welfare, and safeguard human livelihoods. Between 2016 and 2018, four independent reviews evaluated >40 years of research on lethal and nonlethal interventions for reducing predation on livestock. From 114 studies, we find a striking conclusion: scarce quantitative comparisons of interventions and scarce comparisons against experimental controls preclude strong inference about the effectiveness of methods. For wise investment of public resources in protecting livestock and carnivores, evidence of effectiveness should be a prerequisite to policy making or large-scale funding of any method or, at a minimum, should be measured during implementation. An appropriate evidence base is needed, and we recommend a coalition of scientists and managers be formed to establish and encourage use of consistent standards in future experimental evaluations.

• Language: English
• Keywords: livestock, carnivory, livestock care, scientists, predation, conservation science, science policy, wolves
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2018
• Number of pages: 8 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 16, iss. 9, art. e2005577
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-114210
• UDC: 630*1
• ISSN on article: 1545-7885
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2005577
• COBISS.SI-ID: 5196454
• Publication date in RUL: 19.02.2020

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: PLoS biology
• Shortened title: PLoS biol.
• Publisher: PLOS
• ISSN: 1545-7885
• COBISS.SI-ID: 2943764

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: mesojedci, zaščita živali, zaščita živine, predatorji