The Effect of Multi-Use Landscapes on Mammal Assemblages and Its Implication for Conservation

It has become clear that state-owned protected areas (PAs) are insufficient in preserving the world’s spatially heterogenous biodiversity. Private land conservation could contribute significantly to national goals, without further burdening state resources. In South Africa, legislation been introduced incentivise private landowners biodiversity goals. this study, we used camera trap arrays and hierarchical multi-species occupancy modelling evaluate impact of land-use on mammal (body mass >0.5 kg) diversity drylands Africa. Four hundred fifty-one traps were deployed across a statutory PA, PA neighbouring group farmlands, covering ~2096 km2. Although trophic species richness similar all three land-uses, occurrence detection probabilities larger (>20 low farmlands highest PA. contrast, smaller had higher where large predators megaherbivores have extirpated. Differences species-specific primarily driven by context, as opposed fine-scale habitat attributes. These results highlight how matrix incorporating PAs, PAs well-managed rangelands can benefit wildlife conservation, long these land-uses included carefully developed regional planning.