Data from: A spatially integrated framework for assessing socioecological drivers of carnivore decline

Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation are key threats to the
long-term persistence of carnivores, which are also susceptible to direct
persecution by people. Integrating natural and social science methods to
examine how habitat configuration/quality and human–predator relations may
interact in space and time to effect carnivore populations within
human-dominated landscapes will help prioritise conservation investment
and action effectively. We propose a socioecological modelling framework
to evaluate drivers of carnivore decline in landscapes where predators and
people coexist. By collecting social and ecological data at the same
spatial scale, candidate models can be used to quantify and tease apart
the relative importance of different threats. We apply our methodological
framework to an empirical case study, the threatened güiña (Leopardus
guigna) in the temperate forest ecoregion of southern Chile, to illustrate
its use. Existing literature suggests that the species is declining due to
habitat loss, fragmentation and persecution in response to livestock
predation. Data used in modelling were derived from four seasons of
camera-trap surveys, remote-sensed images and household questionnaires.
Occupancy dynamics were explained by habitat configuration/quality
covariates rather than by human–predator relations. Güiñas can tolerate a
high degree of habitat loss (>80% within a home range). They are
primarily impacted by fragmentation and land subdivision (larger farms
being divided into smaller ones). Ten per cent of surveyed farmers (N =
233) reported illegally killing the species over the past decade.
Synthesis and applications. By integrating ecological and social data,
collected at the same spatial scale, within a single modelling framework,
our study demonstrates the value of an interdisciplinary approach to
assessing the potential threats to a carnivore. It has allowed us to tease
apart effectively the relative importance of different potential
extinction pressures for the güiña (Leopardus guigna), make informed
conservation recommendations and prioritise where future interventions
should be targeted. We have identified that human-dominated landscapes
with large intensive farms can be of conservation value, as long as an
appropriate network of habitat patches is maintained within the matrix.
Conservation efforts to secure the long-term persistence of the species
should focus on reducing habitat fragmentation rather than human
persecution.