Coexistence from a lion’s perspective: Movements and habitat selection by African lions (Panthera leo) across a multi-use landscape

Diminishing wild space and population fragmentation are key drivers of
large carnivore declines worldwide. Persistence of large carnivores in
fragmented landscapes often depends on the ability of individuals to move
between separated subpopulations for genetic exchange and recovery from
stochastic events. Where separated by anthropogenic landscapes,
subpopulations’ connectivity hinges on the area's socio-ecological
conditions for coexistence and dispersing individuals' behavioral
choices. Using GPS-collars and resource- and step-selection functions, we
explored African lion (Panthera leo) habitat selection and movement
patterns to better understand lions’ behavioral adaptations in a landscape
shared with pastoralists. We conducted our study in the Ngorongoro
Conservation Area, Tanzania, a multiuse rangeland, that connects the
small, high density lion subpopulation of the Ngorongoro Crater with the
extensive Serengeti lion population. Landscape use by pastoralists and
their livestock varies seasonally, driven by the availability of pasture,
water, and disease avoidance. The most important factor for lion habitat
selection was the amount of vegetation cover, followed by the distance to
human settlements and the interaction between those two variables, with
selectivity strengths varying with season and time of day. All lions were
more willing to approach human settlements at night and during the dry
season, selecting strongly for cover when moving closer to humans during
the day. Resident females most consistently used areas close to humans,
but also relied more consistently on cover than males. Connectivity of
lion subpopulations, facilitated by nomadic males, does not appear to be
blocked by sparse pastoralist settlements and nomadic males avoided humans
on the landscape more strongly than did resident lions. These results are
consistent with lions balancing risk from humans with exploitation of
livestock by altering their behaviors to reduce potential conflict. Our
study lends some optimism for the adaptive capacity of lions to promote
coexistence with humans in shared landscapes.