The persistence of many species of carnivore may depend on their survival outside
protected areas where they come into conflict with humans and their livestock. Knowledge
of these wildlife populations and of the perceptions and attitudes of the stakeholders in the
areas in which they live is of critical importance in the quest for coexistence.
The Ghanzi farmlands in western Botswana are a prime example of semi-arid rangeland
where humans, domestic livestock and wildlife live side by side with varying degrees of
success. But little research has been conducted in the area into either the wildlife or the
white Afrikaner minority who own the majority of the land. This study aimed to fill some of
these gaps in knowledge by adopting an interdisciplinary approach, and employing
methodologies from both the biological and social sciences, to determine the potential for
conservation of carnivores in the area.
The farm block was found to contain good carnivore species diversity and a reduced, but
healthy, naturally occurring prey base. Densities of cheetah and leopard were low, but
comparable to, or better than, those reported for other similar environments. A good
population of brown hyaena was found to exist in the area which could be of importance to
the conservation of the species as a whole. The farming community were supportive of
conservation in principle, but generally intolerant of predators that killed their livestock. A
wide variety of land management and livestock husbandry practices were apparent, with
some farmers prepared to do more than others to actively protect their livestock. Farmers
with small stock suffered from greater levels of depredation than those who farmed only
cattle, while some species of predator elicited greater feelings of antipathy than others.
Some farmers professed a distrust of government interference in their affairs which served
to hamper efforts to obtain reliable data on livestock depredation and monitor the lethal
control of predators.