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During 2007-2009 we conducted a survey of attacks by wild carnivores on the livestock of the Maasai and Sonjo tribes in the eastern Serengeti ecosystem of northern Tanzania. Local enumerators systematically recorded incidents of carnivore predation on livestock and their data were quantified by us, with the aid of District Game Officers or trusted local people. The annual rate of attack by African wild dogs Lycaon pictus was significantly higher (1.42 animals per 1,000 livestock) in the Sonjo tribal area than in the Maasai tribal area (0.72 animals per 1,000 livestock). In the Maasai tribal area there was a significant amount of predation by leopards Panthera pardus and spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta. In both tribal areas sheep Ovis aries and goats Capra aegagrus hircus were subject to predation more frequently than cattle. Attacks on livestock by wild dogs occurred most frequently in the afternoon and evening, whereas other carnivores generally attacked livestock at night. Sheep and goats were most frequently attacked by most carnivores during the long rainy season. Cattle Bos primigenius were most frequently attacked by wild dogs and leopards during the long dry season and by lions Panthera leo during the long rainy season, whereas spotted hyaenas killed cattle most frequently during the short rainy season.

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Decomposition is a vital ecosystem process, increasingly modified by human activity. Theoretical frameworks and empirical studies that aim to understand the interplay between human land‐use, macro‐fauna and decomposition processes have primarily focused on leaf and wood litter. For a whole‐plant understanding of how land‐use and macro‐fauna influence decomposition, investigating root litter is required. Using litterbags, we quantified rates of root decomposition across contrasting tropical savanna land‐uses, namely wildlife and fire‐dominated protected areas and livestock pastureland without fire. By scanning litterbags for termite intrusion, we differentiated termite and microbial driven decomposition. Root litter was buried underneath different tree canopies (leguminous and non‐leguminous trees) and outside canopies to account for savanna landscape effects. Additionally, we established a termite cafeteria‐style experiment and common garden to explore termite selectivity of root litter and root trait relationships, respectively. After one year, we found no significant differences in root litter mass loss between wildlife dominated areas and pastureland. Instead, we found consistent species differences in root litter mass loss across land‐uses and additive and non‐additive effects of termites on root decomposition across plant species. Termite selectivity for root litter species occurred for both root and leaf litter buried near termite mounds, but was not explained by root traits measured in the common garden. Termite foraging was greater under leguminous tree canopies than other canopies; however, this did not influence rates of root decomposition. Our study suggests that land‐use has a weak direct effect on belowground processes in savannas. Instead, changes in herbaceous species composition and termite foraging have stronger impacts on belowground decomposition. Moreover, termites were not generalist decomposers of root litter, but their impact varies depending on plant species identity and likely associated root traits. This root litter selectivity by termites is likely to be an important contributor to spatial heterogeneity in savanna nutrient cycling.

This study discusses the conflict between Maasai pastoralists and African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) over livestock before and after the Maasai were evicted from the Serengeti National Park (SNP) in 1959. We surveyed 181 randomly selected households from six villages in the eastern Serengeti ecosystem. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to acquire the required information from the respondents. We found that males had a greater awareness of local wild dog presence and livestock-derived conflict than females, and reported more frequently to have chased and killed wild dogs that attacked their livestock. Moreover, the conflict existed before 1959, decreased during the 1990s, but increased from 2000 onwards. This increase is attributed to the growth in human, livestock and wild dog populations in the area. This study recommends that to foster their coexistence, the continued escalation in livestock numbers needs to cease while simultaneously protecting the region's wild prey populations.

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