Human-predator-prey conflicts: ecological correlates, prey losses and patterns of management

Conflicts between humans and predators are the product of socio-economic and political landscapes and are particularly controversial because the resources concerned have economic value and the predators involved are high profile and often legally protected. We surveyed the current literature for information on ecological and social factors common to human-predator-prey conflicts. We used this information to examine whether losses to predators and patterns of investment in husbandry could be linked to these factors. We found that livestock losses to predators were low and were negatively associated with net primary productivity and predator home range sizes, but were not affected by predator density, methods of husbandry or human population density. While there was no effect of husbandry on losses, variation in husbandry was explained by net primary productivity, predator density and percentage of stock killed by predators. Inconsistent and sparse data across conflicts may have limited our ability to identify important factors and resolve patterns, and suggests that there is no reliable or consistent framework for assessing and managing human-predator conflicts that involve game and livestock species. Our approach highlights the type of data that could be very informative to management if collected across a range of cases and habitats.