IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Dyson, P. | |
| Lion conservation in Maasailand: response to Hazzah et al. 2014 | |
| 2015 Conservation Biology (29): 939-941 | |
Evaluation of conservation initiatives is critically important for maximizing conservation success. However, comprehensive, externally conducted, peer-reviewed evaluations are rare, and conclusions can vary greatly depending on the activities studied and criteria employed (Kleiman et al. 2000). I examined the methods used in Hazzah et al.'s (2014) comparative study, "Efficacy of Two Lion Conservation Programs in Maasailand, Kenya" and considered the problems associated with such evaluations. Hazzah et al. compared the effectiveness of 2 incentivebases strategies aiming to reduce persecution of lions (_Panthera leo_) across several Maasai group ranches in the Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya. The 2 strategies differ in their approach. Predator Compensation Fund (PCF) aims to directly reduce lion killing through an agreement, jointly formulatedwith the localMaasai communities that households will receive compensation for killed livestock on the condition that they never kill lions or any other pest species listed in the PCF contract. Lion Guardians (LG) aims to reduce livestock depredation and increase local tolerance of lions by employing Maasai men to monitor lion movements and support livestock management. Staff of both programs, however, try to intervene in any retaliatory lion hunts following depredation. The 2 programs also overlap temporally and geographically. The PCF was introduced to Mbirikani group ranch in April 2003, followed by the introduction of LG in January 2007. The PCF was then replicated in Olgulului in August 2008, and LG started in northern Olgulului inOctober 2009 and expanded into southern Olgulului in September 2010. LG has also operated in Eselenkei since July 2009, without PCF. |
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