Mitigating Human–Large Carnivore Conflicts via Time‐Regulated Management of Free‐Ranging Livestock in the Sanjiangyuan Region, China

Livestock depredation by large carnivores is a global conservation challenge that fuels human-carnivore conflict and hinders coexistence with agropastoral communities. Understanding carnivore activity patterns and implementing temporal segregation are key to mitigating conflict risks. In this study, we have compiled nearly a decade (2014 to 2024) of infrared camera monitoring data from a representative region of China (the Sanjiangyuan Region), where human-large carnivore conflicts are particularly pronounced. We employed kernel and conditional circular kernel density estimation to analyze the diel activity patterns of four large carnivores and to identify seasonal variations between cold and warm periods, thereby enabling the identification of high-risk intervals for potential human-large carnivore conflicts. Our analysis showed that all four large carnivores were primarily nocturnal with species-specific peak activity times. Notably, the wolf (Canis lupus) exhibited distinct seasonal diel activity patterns, unlike the other species. The temporal risk assessment of livestock predation identified species-specific high-risk windows: for snow leopards (Panthera uncia), the high-risk periods are from 02:35 to 06:41 and from 16:00 to 21:08; for wolves, the high-risk periods are from 06:24 to 11:33 and from 16:12 to 21:24; for Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the high-risk periods are from 01:42 to 06:46 and from 15:57 to 19:32; and for brown bears (Ursus arctos), the high-risk periods for intruding into pastoral dwellings, causing property damage, and posing risks to human safety are from 20:42 to 02:36. Our study established temporal management frameworks in SR for human-carnivore conflict risk mitigation, providing transferable insights for global human-wildlife conflict resolution.