Predator management in South Africa is central to one of landowners' most enduring conservation dilemmas: how to balance ecological integrity with the economic realities of wildlife and livestock production. New research from the Sustainable Wildlife Economies Project (SWEP) offers a fresh look at how private landowners navigate this balance across diverse landscapes, providing critical insights into predator management in South Africa.

What is the Sustainable Wildlife Economies Project?

SWEP is a strategic partnership between the government, the wildlife ranching sector, and academia. It aims to document how wildlife-based land uses contribute to sustainable land management, socio-economic development, and biodiversity conservation.

Managed as a training and capacity-building initiative, SWEP equips recent graduates with practical field experience while gathering essential data. These graduates are deployed across the country to conduct in-depth surveys, integrating assessments of:

  • Sustainable land management and restoration practices
  • Biodiversity conservation outcomes
  • Socio-economic dimensions of wildlife enterprises

Between 2021 and 2022, 37 graduates completed 137 surveys in the Eastern Cape, covering over 600,000 hectares. In Limpopo, 63 graduates conducted 155 surveys representing over 637,000 hectares. This evidence-based approach helps generate policies that align ecological sustainability with economic opportunity.

Predator presence and management on private land in South Africa: regional findings

Insights from these surveys were recently presented by Karlin Muller, AWEI Research Associate, at the Predation Management South Africa (PMSA) workshop in Bloemfontein. The results highlight a significant predator presence on private land:

  • Host properties: 62% of surveyed properties are home to large predators.
  • Common species: Lions are the most frequent, followed by spotted hyenas and leopards.
  • Regional variation: The presence of large carnivores is significantly higher in Limpopo (76%) than in the Eastern Cape (35%), likely due to differences in habitat and management priorities.

While large predators often serve as a tourism drawcard, smaller predators present a more complex balancing act for landowners.

How landowners in the Eastern Cape manage predation

In the Eastern Cape, where smaller, mixed-use ranches are common, 58% of landowners actively manage predators. This management primarily focuses on the black-backed jackal and caracal.

Management tools and economic impact:

  1. Lethal control: Methods remain widespread and include night hunts, hounds, aerial shooting, and predator calling.
  2. Non-lethal advances: 11% of ranches now utilise predator-proof fencing and livestock kraaling.
  3. Economic stakes: Some ranches report annual livestock losses exceeding 15–20%.

These figures underscore the trade-offs between profitability, species welfare, and ecological health. Many landowners are now aiming to shift toward sustainable practices, such as those aligned with the Responsible Wool Standards.

Why predation management matters for the wildlife economy

Predation management is not merely an ecological issue; it is inextricably linked to the financial viability of wildlife and livestock enterprises. Understanding these financial drivers is essential for identifying practical, locally relevant conservation solutions.

SWEP data enable researchers to link management strategies to specific business models—such as ecotourism, trophy hunting, or meat production—to better understand the drivers of landowner decisions.

Future opportunities for a balanced wildlife sector

The findings from SWEP enable further regional comparisons between the Eastern Cape and Limpopo. These insights are vital for developing a Predator Management Framework (PMF) in provinces that currently lack one.

By combining rigorous ecological data with the real-world experiences of landowners, SWEP is informing a sustainable future for South Africa’s wildlife sector—one where both predators and people can thrive.

SWEP research outputs

SWEP has generated a range of research outputs and publications, available below:

Get in touch

To learn more about SWEP and opportunities to collaborate, please contact Karlin Muller via email at karlin7muller@gmail.com.

  • Karlin Muller