Skip to main content
Dryad

Data and code from: Livestock grazing and geodiversity modulate wild herbivore distributions in an African community conservation area

Koch, Laura Ryge1; Svenning, Jens-Christian1; Gammelgaard, Mads1; Buitenwerf, Robert1

Published Jun 11, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.kh18932j7

Data files

Jun 11, 2026 version files 146.11 KB

Click names to download individual files

Abstract

The rapid decline of African wildlife populations demands immediate action to mitigate further losses and restore ecosystems. A key factor influencing wildlife distribution is the relationship between the energetic needs of species and the availability of forage, both in terms of quality and quantity. Community-based conservation efforts, such as rotational livestock grazing systems in multi-use landscapes, may present a promising approach for managing these dynamics by promoting habitat heterogeneity in space and time, but livestock may also compete with wildlife for forage. Here, we ask how community grazing with cattle influences wild herbivore distribution and densities and whether facilitation or competition from livestock depend on herbivore size and forage quality. We used data from 504 strip transects in the Maasai Mara during the long-wet season (February–April 2024) where we recorded 34,143 individuals of 15 herbivore species. We show that variations in forage quality and quantity, driven by rotational cattle grazing, significantly affect the distribution patterns of wild herbivores. Specifically, we found that smaller herbivores, which have relatively higher energetic demands, prefer recently cattle-grazed areas with short grass, while larger herbivores favor taller grass areas with longer cattle-free periods. However, a high-resource area with a natural nutrient hotspot further attracted small to medium-sized herbivores more than expected based on the time since cattle grazing, emphasizing the significance of landscape geodiversity in shaping wildlife responses to livestock grazing. Our results underscore the importance of maintaining diversity in forage quality and quantity in rangeland ecosystems to support the varied nutritional requirements across herbivore species. By promoting habitat heterogeneity through rotational livestock management, community-based conservation strategies can be essential for sustaining species richness and ecosystem functioning.