Creating larger and better connected protected areas enhances the persistence of big game species in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot

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dc.contributor.authorMinin, Enrico Dien_ZA
dc.contributor.authorHunter, Luke T Ben_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBalme, Guy Aen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorSmith, Robert Jen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorGoodman, Peter Sen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorSlotow, Roben_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-11-18T07:12:55Z
dc.date.available2015-11-18T07:12:55Z
dc.date.issued2013en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThe ideal conservation planning approach would enable decision-makers to use population viability analysis to assess the effects of management strategies and threats on all species at the landscape level. However, the lack of high-quality data derived from long-term studies, and uncertainty in model parameters and/or structure, often limit the use of population models to only a few species of conservation concern. We used spatially explicit metapopulation models in conjunction with multi-criteria decision analysis to assess how species-specific threats and management interventions would affect the persistence of African wild dog, black rhino, cheetah, elephant, leopard and lion, under six reserve scenarios, thereby providing the basis for deciding on a best course of conservation action in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, which forms the central component of the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot. Overall, the results suggest that current strategies of managing populations within individual, small, fenced reserves are unlikely to enhance metapopulation persistence should catastrophic events affect populations in the future. Creating larger and better-connected protected areas would ensure that threats can be better mitigated in the future for both African wild dog and leopard, which can disperse naturally, and black rhino, cheetah, elephant, and lion, which are constrained by electric fences but can be managed using translocation. The importance of both size and connectivity should inform endangered megafauna conservation and management, especially in the context of restoration efforts in increasingly human-dominated landscapes.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationMinin, E. D., Hunter, L. T. B., Balme, G. A., Smith, R. J., Goodman, P. S., & Slotow, R. (2013). Creating larger and better connected protected areas enhances the persistence of big game species in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot. <i>PLoS One</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15151en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMinin, Enrico Di, Luke T B Hunter, Guy A Balme, Robert J Smith, Peter S Goodman, and Rob Slotow "Creating larger and better connected protected areas enhances the persistence of big game species in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot." <i>PLoS One</i> (2013) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15151en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationDi Minin, E., Hunter, L. T., Balme, G. A., Smith, R. J., Goodman, P. S., & Slotow, R. (2013). Creating larger and better connected protected areas enhances the persistence of big game species in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot. PloS one, 8(8), e71788. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0071788en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Journal Article AU - Minin, Enrico Di AU - Hunter, Luke T B AU - Balme, Guy A AU - Smith, Robert J AU - Goodman, Peter S AU - Slotow, Rob AB - The ideal conservation planning approach would enable decision-makers to use population viability analysis to assess the effects of management strategies and threats on all species at the landscape level. However, the lack of high-quality data derived from long-term studies, and uncertainty in model parameters and/or structure, often limit the use of population models to only a few species of conservation concern. We used spatially explicit metapopulation models in conjunction with multi-criteria decision analysis to assess how species-specific threats and management interventions would affect the persistence of African wild dog, black rhino, cheetah, elephant, leopard and lion, under six reserve scenarios, thereby providing the basis for deciding on a best course of conservation action in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, which forms the central component of the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot. Overall, the results suggest that current strategies of managing populations within individual, small, fenced reserves are unlikely to enhance metapopulation persistence should catastrophic events affect populations in the future. Creating larger and better-connected protected areas would ensure that threats can be better mitigated in the future for both African wild dog and leopard, which can disperse naturally, and black rhino, cheetah, elephant, and lion, which are constrained by electric fences but can be managed using translocation. The importance of both size and connectivity should inform endangered megafauna conservation and management, especially in the context of restoration efforts in increasingly human-dominated landscapes. DA - 2013 DB - OpenUCT DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0071788 DP - University of Cape Town J1 - PLoS One LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2013 T1 - Creating larger and better connected protected areas enhances the persistence of big game species in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot TI - Creating larger and better connected protected areas enhances the persistence of big game species in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15151 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/15151
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071788
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMinin ED, Hunter LTB, Balme GA, Smith RJ, Goodman PS, Slotow R. Creating larger and better connected protected areas enhances the persistence of big game species in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot. PLoS One. 2013; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15151.en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Biological Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.rightsThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.en_ZA
dc.rights.holder© 2013 Di Minin et alen_ZA
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0en_ZA
dc.sourcePLoS Oneen_ZA
dc.source.urihttp://journals.plos.org/plosoneen_ZA
dc.subject.otherConservation scienceen_ZA
dc.subject.otherLeopardsen_ZA
dc.subject.otherHabitatsen_ZA
dc.subject.otherSpecies extinctionen_ZA
dc.subject.otherCheetahsen_ZA
dc.subject.otherElephantsen_ZA
dc.subject.otherLionsen_ZA
dc.subject.otherExtinction risken_ZA
dc.titleCreating larger and better connected protected areas enhances the persistence of big game species in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspoten_ZA
dc.typeJournal Articleen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceArticleen_ZA
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