The distribution and numbers of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in southern Africa

摘要: Assessing the numbers and distribution of threatened species is a central challenge in conservation, often made difficult because concern are rare elusive. For some predators, this may be compounded by their being sparsely distributed over large areas. Such case with cheetah Acinonyx jubatus. The IUCN Red List process solicits comments, democratic, transparent, widely-used, has recently assessed species. Here, we present additional methods to that provide quantitative approaches afford greater detail benchmark against which compare future assessments. poses challenges, but also affords unique opportunities. It photogenic, allowing compilation thousands crowd-sourced data. persecuted for killing livestock, enabling estimation local population densities from persecuted. Documented instances persecution areas known human livestock density mean these data can an estimate where or not occur without observational Compilations extensive telemetry coupled nearly 20,000 observations 39 sources show free-ranging cheetahs were across approximately 789,700 km2 Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe (56%, 22%, 12% 10% respectively) 2010 2016, estimated adult 3,577 animals. We identified further 742,800 potential habitat within study region low densities, another ∼3,250 occur. Unlike many previous estimates, make available explicit information on exactly occur, unlikely stress value gathering public though mostly well-visited protected There contiguous, transboundary southern largest world. suggest more than believed due concentration about 55% individuals two ecoregions. This area overlaps commercial farmland high risk; removed at rate 0.3 per 100 year. Our confirmed presence 11% lower IUCN's current assessment same region, lending support recent call up-listing vulnerable endangered status.