The impact of tourist hunting on large mammals in Tanzania: an initial assessment |
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| Authors: | T M Caro N Pelkey M Borner E L M Severre K L I Campbell S A Huish J Ole Kuwai B P Farm & B L Woodworth |
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| Institution: | Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A. and Serengeti Wildlife Research Institute, PO Box 661, Arusha, Tanzania, Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A.;, Frankfurt Zoological Society, c/o Tanzania National Parks, PO Box 3134, Arusha, Tanzania;, Department of Wildlife, PO Box 63150, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;, Natural Resources Institute, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, U.K.;, Tanzania Wildlife Conservation Monitoring, Conservation Information Centre, PO Box 14935, Arusha, Tanzania; |
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| Abstract: | In Tanzania, where tourist hunting is employed as a conservation tool for habitat protection, information on population sizes and hunting offtake was used to assess the impact of tourist hunting on mammal densities. In general, tourist hunting pressure was unrelated to local population sizes, but for most species, animals were removed at a level of less than 10% of the local population size, suggesting that over-exploitation was unlikely. Eland, however, and perhaps small antelope, bushbuck, kudu and reedbuck were hunted at levels which may be unsustainable in the long term. Analyses also identified areas of Tanzania with high levels of tourist hunting pressure, showed that, in certain areas, species with small population sizes such as eland could be declining as a result of tourist hunting, and suggested that current levels of lion and leopard offtake are too high. These findings, although preliminary, allow recommendations to be put forward for changing hunting quotas for certain species in particular areas of Tanzania. |
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| Keywords: | mammal densities Tanzania tourist hunting |
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