Ungulate co-occurrence in a landscape of antagonisms.

Protected areas largely now exist as coupled natural-human ecosystems where human activities are increasingly forcing wildlife to adjust behaviors. For many ungulate species that rely on protected areas for their persistence, they must balance these anthropogenic pressures amid natural regulators. Here, we investigated the pressures exerted from humans and livestock, apex predators, and within guild competitors on ungulate co-occurrence patterns in a fragile protected area complex in West Africa.

Embargo on Lion Hunting Trophies from West Africa: An Effective Measure or a Threat to Lion Conservation?

The W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) ecosystem, shared among Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger, represents the last lion stronghold of West Africa. To assess the impact of trophy hunting on lion populations in hunting areas of the WAP, we analyzed trends in harvest rates from 1999 to 2014. We also investigated whether the hunting areas with higher initial hunting intensity experienced steeper declines in lion harvest between 1999 and 2014, and whether lion densities in hunting areas were lower than in national parks.