Hosts
Global South Studies Center (GSSC), the University of Cologne
Rewilding the Anthropocene – A European Research Council Advanced Grant Project
Okavango Research Institute, University of Botswana
Organizers
Julia Brekl, Doctoral Researcher, Global South Studies Center, University of Cologne
jbrekl1@uni-koeln.de
Prof. Emily Bennitt, Okavango Research Institute, University of Botswana
Prof. Michael Bollig, Global South Studies Center, University of Cologne
michael.bollig@uni-koeln.de
Venue: Mowana Cresta Lodge, Kasane, Botswana
Date: March, 17th and 18th 2025
This two-day workshop is dedicated to the topic of human-carnivore co-adaptation and invites scholars and practitioners to discuss and explore the changing lifeworlds of carnivores and humans in proximity to each other.
Man-eaters, pests, rivals, demanded trophies, spiritual beings or iconic and keystone species – Carnivores are ambiguous animals that have always met controversial perceptions. The fear of living close to carnivores has significantly influenced human development historically (Somerville 2019, Baynes-Rock 2015) and continues to be a concern for many people worldwide (Gross et al. 2021). While a growing number of
carnivores are now considered endangered or extinct in the wild, in some places they are returning, such as the wolf in Europe.
The behaviours of carnivores and humans in proximity to each other are varied and constantly evolving. Carter and Linnell (2016, 2023) have termed this phenomenon “co-adaptation” and consider it a key element of human-carnivore coexistence. Understanding individual flexibility and movement patterns of carnivores can provide insights into their adaptations to human presence (Tucker et al. 2018) while it is crucial to take further ecological and human factors into account. For example, lions in the
eastern panhandle of the Okavango Delta, Botswana, are aware of the human induced risk due to frequent retaliatory killings caused by livestock depredation. They spend less time close to settlements and move more target-oriented in contrast to their dispersed movements in the distant delta area (LeFlore et al. 2023, unpublished research CLAWS Conservancy). In southeastern Tanzania, however, specific local environmental and human factors such as the high occurrence of bush pigs and the shape of houses contributed to lions frequently attacking humans since the 1990s (Kushnir et al. 2010). Over time, these context-dependent behaviours can give rise to local and regional animal cultures (Baynes-Rock 2017, Hartigan 2021).
On the human side, lethal control has been a long-standing adaptation to the presence of carnivores. However, there are also traditional and modern forms of adaptation for coexistence, for example in the form of herding (Jablonski et al. 2020), traditional medicine (Brekl unpublished data), technical early warning systems (Weise et al. 2019) or even taming. With a rapidly growing human population growth and expanding land use, there is increasing co-occurrence and hence forms of co-adaptation between
humans and carnivores worldwide (Lamb 2020). Nevertheless, carnivore ecology often focuses only on carnivores in isolated protected areas without (major) human influence. To understand “modern” carnivores moving through and living in anthropogenic landscapes, more attention to their active role in shaping coexistence landscapes is needed.
This interdisciplinary workshop aims to explore the diversity of human-carnivore coadaptation
in different case studies, whether in captivity or freedom, in shared or protected landscapes. How do carnivore and human behaviour impact each other and have historically led to or are leading to new forms of adaptation? What insights can tracking technologies, qualitative research or local knowledge bring about (individual) carnivore biographies and co-adaptation? Comparing the co-adaptation of carnivores and humans in different situations and regions, the workshop seeks to identify circumstances and factors under which sustainable coexistence can be possible. Additionally, it seeks to discuss how different forms of knowledge and data can be combined to support coexistence efforts and environmental education.
We aim to address these questions through presentations from different fields discussions and interactive sessions to gather a rich exchange of ideas and findings. Our focus area is southern Africa to enhance our knowledge on how carnivore behaviour is evolving in response to human interaction in the region. Further international case studies shall enrich our understanding of historical and global human-carnivore co-adaptation.
Baynes-Rock, M. (2015). Among the bone eaters: Encounters with hyenas in Harar. Penn State University Press.
Baynes-Rock, M., & Thomas, E. M. (2017). We are not equals: Socio-cognitive dimensions of lion/human relationships. Animal Studies Journal, 6(1), 104-128.
Carter, N. H., & Linnell, J. D. (2016). Co-adaptation is key to coexisting with large carnivores. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 31(8), 575-578.
Carter, N. H., & Linnell, J. D., Building a resilient coexistence with wildlife in a more crowded world, PNAS Nexus, Volume 2, Issue 3, March 2023, pgad030, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad030.
Gross, E., Jayasinghe, N., Brooks, A., Polet, G., Wadhwa, R., & Hilderink-Koopmans, F. (2021). A future for all: the need for human-wildlife coexistence. WWF, Gland, Switzerland). Design and infographics by Levent Köseoglu, WWF-Netherlands Text editing by ProofreadNOW. com Cover photograph: DNPWC-WWF Nepal, 3.
Hartigan, J., Jr. (2021), Knowing Animals: Multispecies Ethnography and the Scope
of Anthropology. American Anthropologist, 123: 846-860. https://doi.org/10.1111/aman.13631.
Jablonski, K. E., Merishi, J., Dolrenry, S., & Hazzah, L. (2020). Ecological doctors in Maasailand: identifying herding best practices to improve livestock management and reduce carnivore conflict. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4, 118.
Kushnir, H., Leitner, H., Ikanda, D., & Packer, C. (2010). Human and Ecological Risk Factors for Unprovoked Lion Attacks on Humans in Southeastern Tanzania. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 15(5), 315–331. https://doi.org/10.1080/10871200903510999.
Lamb, C. T., Ford, A. T., McLellan, B. N., Proctor, M. F., Mowat, G., Ciarniello, L., … & Boutin, S. (2020). The ecology of human–carnivore coexistence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(30), 17876-17883.
LeFlore, E. G., Fuller, T. K., & Stein, A. B. (2023). Lion (Panthera leo) movements in a multiuse area of the eastern Panhandle of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Journal of Mammalogy, 104(6), 1317-1328.
Somerville, K. (2019). Humans and lions: Conflict, conservation and coexistence. Routledge. M. A. Tucker et al., Moving in the Anthropocene: Global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements. Science 359, 466–469 (2018).
Weise, F. J., Hauptmeier, H., Stratford, K. J., Hayward, M. W., Aal, K., Heuer, M., … & Stein, A. B. (2019). Lions at the gates: Trans-disciplinary design of an early warning system to improve human-lion coexistence. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 6, 242.
