Room to roam for African lions Panthera leo: a review of the key drivers of lion habitat use and implications for conservation. (2nd July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sargent, Rebecca; Deere, Nicolas J.; McGowan, Philip J.K.; Bunnefeld, Nils; Pfeifer, Marion
• Is Part Of: Mammal review. Volume 52:Number 1(2022)
• Page Start: 39
• Page End: 51
• Publication Date: 2021-07-02
• Subjects: Africa -- African lion Panthera leo -- carnivores Carnivora -- conservation -- habitat suitability -- human‐dominated landscapes -- land use; Mammals -- Periodicals; 599
• DOI: 10.1111/mam.12262
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-1838

Abstract

Abstract: Globally, large terrestrial carnivores (Carnivora) have suffered precipitous declines in population and range. Today, they must persist in increasingly isolated natural habitat patches within a human‐dominated matrix. Effective conservation aimed at supporting carnivores in such landscapes requires species‐specific understanding of habitat requirements. We present results from a review of the published literature to assess the current state of knowledge regarding habitat preferences of the African lion Panthera leo, with the aim of identifying common drivers of habitat use across contexts. Using the Web of Science, we identified 154 usable articles and extracted information relating to study topic, location, habitats described, land‐use type, and any documented habitat preferences. Only 31 studies documented evidence of habitat use, and collectively, they suggested that preferences for specific habitat types were varied and context‐specific. The importance of prey abundance and proximity to water was highlighted in multiple studies. Anthropogenic factors interfered with expected patterns of habitat use. There was evident bias in study locations: 83% of the habitat‐use studies were based in only three countries, and 70% were focussed on protected or managed areas. Our synthesis suggests that lions demonstrate behavioural plasticity in habitat use in response to anthropogenic pressures. To understand the limits of this plasticity and to manage Africa's changing landscapes effectively for roaming lions, future research should be focussed on analysis of habitat use outside protected areas, taking into account gradients of distance to water, prey abundance, and anthropogenic risk. Abstract : Room to roam for African lions Panthera leo : a review of the key drivers of lion habitat use and implications for conservation. Effective conservation aimed at supporting carnivores in increasingly human‐dominated landscapes requires species‐specific understanding of habitat requirements. For the African lion, knowledge of how the complex interplay between habitat, prey and people shapes habitat selection is lacking. Here, we present results from a review to assess the current state of knowledge regarding habitat preferences of lions across contexts. Only 31 studies documented evidence of lion habitat use. The importance of prey abundance and proximity to water was highlighted across multiple studies. Anthropogenic risk factors interfered with expected patterns of habitat use, demonstrating the need for more studies outside of protected areas. We reveal pervasive knowledge gaps that limit our ability to predict the suitability of Africa's changing landscapes for roaming lions. Future research should focus on detailed analysis of factors such as distance to water, prey availability and anthropogenic risk, which are likely to mediate the use of different habitat types.