Data from: Assessing the relationship between illegal hunting of ungulates, wild prey occurrence and livestock depredation rate by large carnivores

1. Illegal hunting of ungulates can reduce the prey base of carnivores,
which can increase human-carnivore conflict (HCC) through livestock
depredation. However, the relationship between ungulate poaching, wild
prey abundance and livestock depredation has rarely been empirically
studied. 2. We surveyed 18 sites across the Hyrcanian forest in northern
Iran; a global biodiversity hotspot under pressure of illegal hunting of
ungulates, prey depletion, livestock grazing and HCC. We conducted three
field surveys across 1204 km in 93 4×4 km cells to count signs of ungulate
poaching as well as encounters with livestock and prey species of the
Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor and the grey wolf Canis lupus.
We documented sheep/goat and cattle depredation from interviews with 201
herders and analysed the effects of illegal hunting of ungulates, forest
cover, IUCN categories of reserves, elevation, distance to villages, and
wild prey and livestock encounter rates on carnivore depredation rates
using generalized linear models. 3. Illegal hunting of ungulates was the
most influential depredation predictor. An increase in the illegal hunting
of ungulates by one sign/km significantly increased depredation by up to
four times. We also found significantly lower levels of ungulate poaching
in national parks (IUCN category II) compared to protected areas (V),
wildlife refuges (IV) and no-hunting areas, though poaching signs were
frequently found in most cells (58%). Encounters with livestock was
inversely linked to wild prey species, but positively coupled with signs
of ungulate poaching. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our study reveals
that: (i) an increase in the intensity of illegal hunting of ungulates can
intensify livestock depredation by carnivores; (ii) future efforts in
reducing human-carnivore conflict (HCC) to acceptable levels require a
combination of law enforcement, prey recovery approaches and mitigation
measures; (iii) there is an urgent need to better understand the root
causes of poaching of ungulates to help minimize HCC.