South Africa

With carnivore populations declining globally and human-wildlife conflict increasing, understanding landowner attitudes of various management techniques is crucial for effective conflict mitigation. We investigated attitudes toward predator control methods for mesopredators among wildlife and domestic ranchers in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. Lethal control, a common method, aims to safeguard livelihoods but has unpredictable ecological consequences. Non-lethal methods offer alternatives but vary in their efficacy. We surveyed 73 respondents across five municipalities, finding that lethal control was perceived most effective, especially among wildlife ranchers. Land use and region of origin significantly influenced attitudes, with wildlife ranchers showing more negative perceptions than livestock ranchers. Socio-demographic variables (e.g. education level) had a minimal impact on attitudes, highlighting the importance of peer group norms, among several variables, in driving attitudes.