IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| van der Meer, E. | |
| The cheetahs of Zimbabwe - Distribution and population status 2015 | |
| 2016 Full Book | |
Between 2013 and 2015 Cheetah Conservation Project Zimbabwe carried out a nationwide questionnaire based cheetah population survey. This assessment shows the changes in land use have had a severe impact on Zimbabwe's cheetah population. Despite the special attention for this charismatic species and the high level of legal protection it recieves in the country, resident cheetah range has declined ba 61% and the size of the population has been reduced with at least 85% to ca. 150-170 adult and independent adolescent cheetahs. The majority of this population (80%) is now found in wildlife protected areas (National Parks estates and wildlife conservancies), therefore, human-cheetah conflict is minimal and no longer considered a main conservation threat. With the current situation being the exact opposite of the historical situation, it is necessary to revise the cheetah management strategy in Zimbabwe. When setting priorities for cheetah conservation in Zimbabwe the aim should be to maintain relativly large cheetah populations that reside in functioning connected ecosystems which can sustain viable free ranging cheetah populations that are linked to or could be linked to larger transboundary populations. Taking into account that the cheetah populations in most areas are decreasing it would be appropriate to reduce the national quota and number of export tags under CITES to conservative 5 wich, in order to secure key populations and facilitate dispersal, should not be hunted in and around the proposed priority areas. In addition, to secure the long term conservation of cheetahs and other carnivores, it is important to promote co-existence op people and carnivores in the buffer zones surrounding the priority areas, improve knowledge of carnivores within communities and wildlife authorities and continue to monitor remaining cheetah and carnivore populations. |
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