An Overview Of Our Solution
Human-carnivore conflict threatens large carnivores globally. On South African farmlands, this conflict is rife and arises mainly from carnivore predation on livestock. This typically leads to retaliatory killing of the suspected predators. Livestock predation undoubtedly has a serious economic impact, and a wider impact on agricultural production and rural development. However, indiscriminate and unethical killing methods (poisoning, trapping, shooting) pose a significant threat to biodiversity and, specifically, South Africa’s remaining carnivore populations. Our project, using livestock guarding dogs, encourages landowners to use more holistic and sustainable meat production methods. The approach has seen a 95% reduction in livestock losses over an area of 453,000 ha where dogs now protect farmer’s stock, while farmers have agreed to stop killing carnivores.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Africa
General Information
Organization type
Sin fines de lucro/No Gubernamental
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Grasslands
Population impacted
2,000 people (directly and indirectly as farm work
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
453,000 ha
Production quantity
Over 3,000,000 kilos
People employed
2 employees (EWT) and 143 beneficiary farmers
Solution
Describe your solution
The solution to this problem should prevent predation (thereby increasing farmers’ stock production) while enabling livestock owners to effectively farm with carnivores present on their land (thereby protecting threatened large carnivores). To do so we need to teach and implement proactive, non-lethal conflict reduction methods in order to promote change in farmers’ activities.
Our solution places livestock guarding dogs on farmland. This ensures that farmers are actively involved in the management and conservation of predators on their farms through the implementation of long term predator and livestock management strategies. In order to maximize project success farm owners, workers and herders are actively involved in the care and raising of the livestock guarding dogs, allowing them to recruit livestock guarding dogs on their own in future. The method is relatively easy to implement too, as once farmers have trained their livestock guarding dogs, they remain with the herd at all times, and less time needs to be devoted to herd management. The solution is also beneficial to consumers (ethically), as the farm management methods on these predator-friendly farms greatly reduces the likelihood that any predators are killed in the process.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
The EWT places livestock guarding dog pups with farmers. We monitor the development of the pups on a monthly basis for their first year, through farm visits. These visits are key to ensuring that our solution is adopted, and we encourage farmers to discuss any concerns or problems they experience during the training of the dog. During these visits, husbandry care is given to the pup by providing regular vaccinations and de-worming, while also treating the dog for external parasites such as ticks and fleas which can cause the dog to become ill.
The livestock guarding dog remains the property of the EWT for the first 12 months after placement (this allows for the removal of any dogs that might not be adapting to the life of a livestock guardian, or in cases where farmers are not complying with the guidelines relating the care of the dog). We subsequently hand the young dog over into the care of the farmer. We do so on condition that the farmer signs an agreement with the EWT which includes a clause that all lethal control of predators ends. By this time the farmer will have seen a significant reduction in predation losses, confirming the worth of their livestock guarding dog, and realizes that lethal control measures are no longer required. The key to our high success is through our intensive monitoring of the dogs in the field to ensure that they work effectively. Also, that farmers follow the protocols we provide and that their expectations are managed. Additionally, we only select puppies from lines of proven working dogs. The EWT has fine-tuned the basic guidelines for the introduction of livestock guarding dogs to comply and fit with the unique and sometimes unusual livestock farming methods used by South African farmers.
One obstacle to success is when dogs do not have the correct temperament to become a guarding dog, either because they seek out human companionship, or because they are too boisterous with the livestock. We rehome these individuals as pets.
External connections
We have been working with Woolworths, one of the most established retailers in South Africa, to produce predator-friendly meat. ‘Green labelling’ has been effective in many sectors of the market in promoting products that are produced using best-practices. Consumer and market pressure is very effective in changing farming practices. Farmers need to be incentivized to farm more holistically and changes in farming practices will not take place spontaneously without economic incentive. Woolworths’ Predator Friendly Meat will address the consumer’s need for more environmentally friendly farming practices as well as offer incentives to farmers to change their farming practices. This will benefit farmers, consumers, the Woolworths brand, as well as biodiversity. We also work closely with provincial conservation authorities, farming unions and several UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
The persecution of free-ranging, large predators in South Africa is both widespread and significant. Research we conducted in Limpopo, South Africa, in partnership with the University of Pretoria, showed that over a two-year period, landowners in the Waterberg District reportedly killed 1,096 Back-backed Jackals Canis mesomelas, 129 Brown Hyaenas Hyaena brunnea, 77 Leopards Panthera pardus and 72 African Wild Dogs Lycaon pictus. This represents about eight per cent of the national Brown Hyaena population, nine per cent of the Waterberg/Mpumalanga Leopard population and 16% of the national African Wild Dog population. Curbing this persecution, including to threatened species such as African Wild Dogs and Cheetahs, (these species are South Africa’s most threatened carnivores, with fewer than 450 African Wild Dogs and 700 Cheetahs through the country), requires that we change farmers’ attitudes toward these predators and the methods they use to protect their livestock.
Describe the context in which you are operating
Biodiversity conservation is a key consideration for successful farming practices in South Africa. With a growing consumer conscience, meat production which takes place in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly manner, is becoming ever more important. Both commercial and community-based farmers are exposed to large carnivores that range over their farms including African Wild Dogs (Endangered) and Cheetahs (Vulnerable). Even though environmental laws protect these predators they are often persecuted as they predate livestock. While retaliatory killing reduce stock losses, the practice has obvious negative repercussions for carnivore populations. Killing includes the inhumane use of gin traps, poisoning and shooting. In many cases the killing of carnivores should only be considered as a last resort. However, farmers often fail to use other methods (such as the kraaling of livestock at night, or employing a herder to watch over stock) that would effectively reduce predation.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
We have executed our project successfully in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces since 2006, placing 183 livestock guarding dogs with farmers over the past six years. To date we have covered an area of 453,000 ha and, on average, farmers report a 95% reduction in livestock losses on farms where the EWT’s dogs work. Through their agreement with the EWT these farmers no longer kill predators.
The project has secured valuable habitat for threatened carnivore populations on farmland in South Africa including African Wild Dogs, Cheetahs, Leopards and Brown Hyaenas. The effects of large scale carnivore conservation are not limited to the targeted carnivores. Carnivore communities are strongly regulated by inter-guild competition. Thus when larger carnivores are removed from a system, the numbers of smaller carnivores increase. Jackals and Caracals in particular benefit, and can cause even greater losses to livestock when numbers are left unchecked by the absence of larger carnivores.
Language(s)
Zulu, English, Afrikaans, Sotho, Northern Sotho
Water
Not applicable.
Food Security/Nutrition
The utilization of livestock guarding dogs is taken up by the farming community without further help from the EWT. This uptake helps ensure ongoing food security. Reducing livestock losses (on average 4-5 calves, or 15-20 sheep, per farm each year) provides that more breeding stock are available the following season, which will help to improve food security.
Economic/Sustainable Development
Livestock losses are reduced through effective non-lethal mitigation methods such as the use of livestock guarding dogs. • Livestock production becomes less harmful to carnivore populations and more viable economically. • Livestock production becomes a compatible industry with biodiversity conservation. Livestock farming becomes more financially viable increasing its sustainability.
Climate
Not applicable.
Sustainability
Our work relies presently on grant funding. However, a major goal of our project is to demonstrate to farmers that our non-lethal solution is more sustainable, with greater economic benefits, than predator persecution and that this will result in voluntary participation. Additionally, with Woolworths promoting predator-friendly farming, we anticipate these methodologies will be internalized into the supply chain. We are therefore looking into the benefits of green labelling to ensure also its sustainability. This provides an exit strategy in which the EWT can provide an oversight and support role to farmers and the supply chain moving forwards, with conservation actions that are sustainable in the long term.
Return on investment
It costs about $700 to place and monitor a livestock guarding dog for their first year. Our farm surveys suggest that, on average, farmers lose 4-5 calves per year or 15-20 sheep to predators with no guarding dogs. Reducing this predation by 95%, and given that the direct benefits of livestock guarding dogs will play out over the ten year working lifespan of a dog, suggest a considerable return on investment. We estimate a dog saves a farmer approximately $1,500 per year due to reduced stock losses, as once the dog has started guarding and is working well, there are very few ongoing costs. An independent study, over 6 years, reported financial losses due to livestock predation on farms with livestock dogs decreased a staggering 30-fold.
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Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
The use of Anatolian Livestock Guarding Dogs to protect livestock is not a new idea, dating back to Turkish herding practices more than 6,000-years-ago. In Africa, they were first introduced successfully into Namibia to prevent Cheetah predation on livestock. The Endangered Wildlife Trust has refined management techniques to suit the South African scenario, which follows very different livestock farming practices to Namibia. The EWT, is now further developing these techniques and has written training material and a ‘Predators and Farmers’ booklet for the South African scenario. We use Anatolian Livestock Guarding Dogs, as well as other breeds, including indigenous African Maluti stock that are both cheaper to work with and more hardy under local conditions. We work in geographical clusters such as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves where the historical predator guilds are more or less intact. Our solution can easily be adapted to other sites across southern Africa and indeed the world.