Mapping movements of herded livestock in a tropical dry forest with respect to season and security: differentiating between frequently-visited areas and high duration visitation spots

Traditional wildlife utilization maps focus on spatial movements of animals (e.g. home range); yet, temporal movement patterns—such as revisitation rate or visit duration—may provide the type of information that best aids in making conservation decisions. Livestock are an integral part of the economy in communities around Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve (BMSR) in southern Madagascar. Herders move livestock across the landscape to take advantage of seasonal resources, but livestock movements concentrated in time and/or space can have detrimental impacts on forest structure.The goal of this study was to document spatio-temporal patterns of livestock movements and to examine pastoralist’s (legal) use of forests in Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve. T-LoCoH models allowed differentiation between frequently visited areas (e.g. trails, corridors) and high-duration visitation spots (e.g. high value resources, resting spots, water holes).Data were collected 7 am – 7 pm over multiple years over the period 2007 – 2018 using GPS trackers worn by herded goats and cows. Analysis was performed in R using T-LoCoH. Movements varied by season with livestock ranging much further in the wet season. During times of drought, movements were concentrated in and around forest and water holes. During times of cattle insecurity, movements were restricted to areas near corrals. High-visitation areas were degraded with compacted soil and little vegetation. Modeling both spatial and temporal forest utilization allows us to better understand how animals use resources. To minimize livestock degradation to BMSR forest, it is important to manage for both food security (e.g. crop residue) and cattle security to allow herders to range livestock widely.