Data from: Population dynamics and threats to an apex predator outside protected areas: implications for carnivore management

Data on the population dynamics and threats to large carnivores are vital to conservation efforts, but these are hampered by a paucity of studies. For some species, such as the leopard (Panthera pardus), there is such uncertainty in population trends that leopard trophy hunting has been banned in South Africa since 2016 while further data on leopard abundance are collected. We present one of the first assessments of leopard population dynamics, and identify the key threats to a population of leopards outside of protected areas in South Africa. We conducted a long-term trap survey between 2012 and 2016 in the Soutpansberg Mountains, and drew on a previous estimate of leopard population density for the region from 2008. In 24 sampling periods, we estimated the population density and assessed population structure. We fitted eight leopards with GPS collars to assess threats to the population. Leopard population density declined by 66%, from 10.73 to 3.65 leopards per 100 km2 in 2008 and 2016, respectively. Collared leopards had a high mortality rate, which appeared to be due to illegal human activity. While improving the management of trophy hunting is important, we suggest that mitigating human–wildlife conflict could have a bigger impact on carnivore conservation.

大型食肉动物的种群动态与受胁数据对物种保护工作至关重要，但相关研究的匮乏却严重制约了保护实践的推进。针对花豹（Panthera pardus）这类物种，其种群变化趋势存在极大不确定性，因此南非自2016年起便已禁止花豹战利品狩猎，直至获取更多关于花豹种群丰度的有效数据。本研究是首批针对花豹种群动态开展的评估之一，明确了南非保护区外一处花豹种群所面临的主要威胁。我们于2012年至2016年间在索特潘斯贝格山脉（Soutpansberg Mountains）开展了长期诱捕调查，并引用了该区域2008年的花豹种群密度前期估算结果。在24个采样周期中，我们完成了种群密度估算与种群结构分析；同时为8只花豹佩戴GPS项圈，以解析该种群面临的威胁因素。结果显示，花豹种群密度下降了66%，从2008年的每100平方千米10.73只降至2016年的3.65只。佩戴GPS项圈的花豹死亡率较高，该现象似乎由人类非法活动所引发。尽管优化战利品狩猎的管理策略至关重要，但本研究认为缓解人兽冲突或能对食肉动物保护产生更为显著的积极效果。