The Important Role of Big Carnivores.

Big carnivores shape almost every feature of the ecosystems they inhabit. As apex predators, they help to regulate prey populations, and influence plant growth and riparian habitat by scattering populations of herbivores and smaller carnivores. By preying on sick or weak individuals, apex predators also reduce disease outbreaks in prey species and other wildlife. The cascading ecological impact of top predators, like cheetahs, boosts overall biodiversity, creating ecological balance, stabilizing ecosystems, and making them more productive.

Large predators benefit people too. While big carnivores are sometimes responsible for preying on livestock, their ecological role – and the rippling impact across trophic levels – also generates a multitude of benefits for human communities. Healthy, productive ecosystems provide vital ecological services that generate benefits for people, like improved soil quality and clean water. With undeniable charisma, big carnivores can also support tourism initiatives, drawing nature enthusiasts – and generating livelihood opportunities for local communities.

Today, Africa is home to nearly a third of the planet’s carnivore species – but these apex predators face complex challenges, including conflict with humans and the loss and degradation of vital habitat. Both of these threats are intensified by global climate change. Today, more than 60% of the large carnivores found on land are threatened with extinction – including cheetahs. The cats have disappeared from more than 90% of their historical range over the last century, and less than 7,500 mature cheetahs remain in the wild today. In the last 50 years alone, cheetahs have gone extinct in 13 former range countries.