Analysis of the Spatial Relationship between Cattle and Wild Ungulates across Different Land-Use Systems in a Tropical Savanna Landscape

Abstract

In many African savanna landscapes, domestic and wild herbivores cooccur across different land-use systems, but the role of land-use in shaping their spatial relationship is poorly understood. We evaluated the spatial relationship between cattle and wild herbivores categorized by body sizes and feeding habits across different land-use types, namely, private ranches (PR), transitional lands (TRL), and pastoral grazing areas (PGA), in Laikipia County, Kenya. Cattle and wild herbivores spatial distribution data were obtained from Kenya's Department of Resources Survey and Remote Sensing (DRSRS). Spatial relationships between cattle and different wild herbivore guilds were analyzed using Ripley's bivariate 12 function. In PR, wild herbivore guilds showed significant attraction to cattle at short distances. In TRL, wild grazers, mixed feeders, megaherbivores, and medium-sized ungulates exhibited significant attraction to cattle. Additionally, repulsion was observed between cattle and browsers at short distances under this land-use system. In PGA, wild grazers, mixed feeders, and megaherbivores repelled strongly with cattle at short distances while browsers and medium-sized ungulates were significantly attracted to cattle. Cattle and wild herbivores were more randomly and independently distributed in PR than in TRL and PGA. These spatial relationships imply better coexistence between cattle and wild herbivores in PR than in TRL and PGA.

Plant community ecological strategy assembly response to yak grazing in an alpine meadow on the eastern Tibetan Plateau

“…It is worth mentioning that the different kind of livestock (e.g., yak and sheep) may disturb the environment in different ways (Bakker, Ritchie, Olff, Milchunas, & Knops, ; Kinga, Mironga, & Odadi, ; Metera, Sakowski, Słoniewski, & Romanowicz, ; Rook et al, ; Tóth et al, ), and even for the same livestock type, the disturbance may be discrepant in the different season (e.g., cold season and warm season; Ash & Mcivor, ; Luo et al, ; Wu, Wang, Liu, Ding, & Liu, ) or in the different grassland type (e.g., alpine meadow and steppe; Bakker et al, ; Cingolani, Cabido, Renison, & Neffa, ). These discrepancies reminded us that the effect of grazing on CSR strategy assembly of grassland may change due to the difference in livestock type, grassland type, or season of grazing.…”

Insights from Koala–Cattle Interaction Experiments: Koalas and Cattle May See Each Other as a Disturbance

“…Previous research on wildlife–livestock conflicts has focused on livestock as victims of predation from large carnivores [ 13 , 14 , 15 ] and even attacks from elephants [ 16 ]. Elsewhere, livestock gradually exclude resident large mammalian herbivores from food, water and space in rangelands [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. The extensive grazing of livestock has also been associated with damage to ground vegetation, which may lead to a decline of terrestrial fauna species adapted to dense ground cover [ 23 , 24 ].…”