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 was banned in South Africa in 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 24 camera trap surveys between 2012 and 2016 in the Soutpansberg Mountains, and drew on a previous estimate of leopard population density for the region from 2008. In each survey 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 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及其受胁因素相关数据对保护工作至关重要，但相关研究的匮乏却严重掣肘了该领域的发展。针对豹（Panthera pardus）等部分物种，其种群趋势存在极大不确定性，为此南非于2016年暂停了豹的战利品狩猎活动，以待收集更多关于豹种群丰度的相关数据。本研究系豹种群动态领域的首批评估之一，同时明确了南非保护区外豹种群所面临的核心威胁。我们于2012年至2016年间，在绍特潘斯贝格山脉（Soutpansberg Mountains）开展了24次相机陷阱调查，并参考了2008年该区域豹种群密度的既往估算结果。每次调查中，我们均对种群密度进行估算并评估种群结构。我们为8只豹佩戴了GPS项圈（GPS collar），以探究该种群面临的各类威胁。研究结果显示，豹种群密度下降了66%，从2008年的每100平方公里10.73只，降至2016年的3.65只。佩戴项圈的个体因人类非法活动出现了极高的死亡率。尽管优化战利品狩猎管理十分重要，但我们认为，缓解人兽冲突或许能对食肉动物保护产生更为显著的积极影响。