Form Submission: Participation Entry

Large carnivore reintroduction for conservation is increasingly popular in southern Africa. Successful reintroductions need to balance ecological considerations, wildlife tourism, game ranching, local community needs and other interests. Through interviews with reserve managers, government representatives, NGOs and researchers, I investigated the roles played and decision-making by various stakeholders and how that affect reintroduction success. Among different carnivore species, lions are primarily reintroduced for tourism and cheetahs for their conservation value. Despite being more threatened, African wild dog reintroductions are less common because of management challenges and lower tourism interest. Within reserves, decision-making varies greatly with management structure and stakeholder relationships. Reserve size, landowner support, disease control, poaching pressure, wild game trade, tourist expectation and ethical consideration also constrain reintroduction success. Between reserves, NGOs and forums provide the crucial link to coordinate reintroductions for meta-population conservation. A better understanding of these processes can complement existing ecological knowledge to strategize long-term large carnivore conservation.