Predation by small mammalian carnivores in rural agro-ecosystems : an undervalued ecosystem service?

Africa is endowed with a diverse guild of small carnivores, which could benefit stakeholders by providing ecosystem services while fostering conservation tolerance for carnivores. To investigate the potential of small carnivores for the biological control of rodents within agro-ecosystems, we assessed both the ecological and social landscapes within two rural villages in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa. We employed a camera trapping survey underpinned by an occupancy modelling framework to distinguish between ecological and observation processes affecting small carnivore occupancy. We also used questionnaires to investigate perceptions of small carnivores and their role in pest control. We found the greatest diversity of small carnivores in land used for cropping in comparison to grazing or settlements. Probability of use by small carnivores was influenced negatively by the relative abundance of domestic dogs and positively by the relative abundance of livestock. Greater carnivore diversity and probability of use could be mediated through habitat heterogeneity, food abundance, or reduced competition from domestic carnivores. Village residents failed to appreciate the role of small carnivores in rodent control. Our results suggest that there is significant, although undervalued, potential for small carnivores to provide ecosystem services in agro-ecosystems.Supplementary data 1. Supplementary Figure 1. Study area figure. Supplementary Figure 2. Species accumulation curves to show sampling adequacy. Supplementary Figure 3. Percentage of respondents in Ka-Ndengeza and Vyeboom that reported seeing species of small carnivores. Supplementary Figure 4. Reasons provided why carnivores have impacted respondents negatively for Ka-Ndengeza and Vyeboom.Supplementary data 2.Supplementary data 3. Interview schedule.Supplementary data 4. Model description and parameter estimates of the community occupancy model applied to small carnivore camera trapping data from a rural matrix.Supplementary data 5. Community model JAGS code used in the analysis.The Sasol Agricultural Trust (South Africa), Univen Niche fund (SMNS /17/Zoo/01), International Foundation for Science (D/4984-2), the European Union through its ACP S & T programme (StopRats; FED2013-330223; http://www.acp-hestr.eu/) with further funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Science (“BMBF”) through the project “Limpopo Living Landscapes – Understanding the Dynamics of Ecological and Cultural Landscapes, in the Face of Global Change, in the Northern Limpopo Region of South Africa” of the SPACES (Science Partnerships for the Assessment of Complex Earth Systems) consortium (https://www.fona.de/mediathek/pdf/SPACES_Broschuere_Englisch.pdf). PJT acknowledges the support of the University of Venda, the National Research Foundation, and the Department of Science and Technology under the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) on Biodiversity Value and Change within the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, hosted at University of Venda and co-hosted by the Centre for Invasion Biology at University of Stellenbosch.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecoser2019-04-02hj2019Mammal Research Institut