Spatiotemporal habitat use of large African herbivores across a conservation border

The rapid expansion of human populations in East Africa increases human-wildlife interactions, particularly along borders of protected areas (PAs). This development calls for a better understanding of how human-modified landscapes facilitate or exclude wildlife in savannas and whether these effects change through time. Here, we used camera traps to compare the distribution of 13 large herbivore species in Serengeti National Park with adjacent village lands used by livestock and people at both seasonal and diel cycle scales. The results show that body weight and feeding guild predict habitat use. Smaller sized grazers and mixed-feeders occurred more in village lands than larger herbivores. Across seasons, mixed-feeders and large browsers used edge areas year-round, while grazers were largely excluded during the dry season. At the diel cycle scale, wild herbivores' activity shifts towards the night in village lands compared to the protected area. A closer look revealed that wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and zebra (Equus quagga) mainly used village lands from pre-dusk to midnight when pastoralists and their livestock were absent. Wildebeest and zebra activity in village lands peaked around dusk, which overlapped with peaks in predator activity. These results suggest that edge areas of PAs can provide valuable habitat to native herbivores. Intensive use of village lands by grazing herbivores during the wet season - particularly at night - suggests grazers benefit from high-quality grazing lawns and increased safety from predators during part of the year. Herbivores that (also) forage on browse can benefit year-round from both food availability and decreased predation risk. We further note that excluding nighttime observations in similar studies may underestimate the use of edge areas by wildlife. Understanding how edge areas fit into the risk-resource landscape will help identify the unique benefits of edge areas to wildlife and promote coexistence of people and wildlife around protected areas.

Automated summary

The rapid expansion of human populations in East Africa has led to increased human-wildlife interactions, particularly along the borders of protected areas. This study found that body weight and feeding guild were predictors of habitat use for large herbivore species. The results suggest that edge areas of protected areas can provide valuable habitat for native herbivores, and that grazing herbivores benefit from high-quality grazing lawns and decreased predation risk during the wet season, particularly at night.