Research overview: landscape and husbandry predictors of livestock depredation

This overview synthesises studies identifying which landscape and management variables predict where big cats kill livestock, a recurring quantitative question across conflict research. It reviews consistent findings that proximity to forest or cover, rugged terrain, low wild-prey density, poor enclosure quality, unattended grazing, and certain seasons elevate depredation risk for lions, leopards, tigers, snow leopards, jaguars, and pumas. The literature emphasises that husbandry factors are often as predictive as landscape, implying that management change can reduce risk even where habitat cannot. The survey frames predictor analysis as the empirical basis for targeted mitigation, translating statistical associations into practical guidance on where and how to fortify herds and modify grazing.