Protecting livestock from large carnivores

What is it about?

A review of the effectiveness of lethal and non-lethal methods for reducing attacks on livestock by large carnivores.

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Why is it important?

We invest huge amounts of time and resources into this management in an attempt to protect livestock from predators. However, there is limited evidence that the methods we use are effective. Our review found that there is no evidence to support that killing carnivores is more effective than non-lethal methods like livestock guardian animals, which is important for wildlife conservation in suggesting that humans can coexist with large carnivores. Furthermore, despite the resources invested in this management, we generally not collecting appropriate data to demonstrate whether it works, causing us to consider what actually shapes our management decisions if there is limited evidence.