Research on the African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) exhibits strong geographical biases, with most studies taking place within a few, well-studied populations. Here, we provide the first insights into the status and distribution of a globally important cheetah population in the 50,000 km² Ruaha-Rungwa landscape in southern Tanzania. We employed data from four methods (systematic camera trap surveys, sign surveys, community camera trapping, and observations by photo-tourism guides) to improve knowledge of this understudied population. Our findings indicate that cheetah are widespread across the landscape, although they appear to exist at relatively low population densities, likely primarily due to biotic factors. Our surveys revealed an extension of confirmed geographical range of the species and provide some of the first evidence that miombo woodlands may be an important habitat for cheetah across its eastern African range. We employ these findings to identify research priorities for the species elsewhere in the region. Community camera trapping revealed that cheetah are using unprotected areas, although rarely. Finally, we show that collaborations with tourism operators can be employed to monitor cheetah populations, but also identify limitations of this method. Our results have implications for conservation of the species both in southern Tanzania and across its African range.

中文翻译：

---

深入了解坦桑尼亚南部潜在据点中的猎豹（Acinonyx jubatus）的状况和分布

对非洲猎豹（Acinonyx jubatus）的研究表现出强烈的地理偏见，大多数研究都在少数经过充分研究的人群中进行。在这里，我们提供了有关50,000 km ²内全球重要猎豹种群的状况和分布的初步见解Ruaha-Rungwa风景在坦桑尼亚南部。我们采用了来自四种方法的数据（系统性相机陷阱调查，标志调查，社区相机陷阱和照片旅游指南的观察），以提高对该被研究人群的了解。我们的发现表明，尽管猎豹似乎以相对较低的种群密度存在，但可能主要是由于生物因素，在整个景观中很普遍。我们的调查表明，该物种的确证地理范围有所扩展，并提供了一些初步证据，证明Miombo林地可能是其东部非洲范围内猎豹的重要栖息地。我们利用这些发现来确定该地区其他物种的研究重点。社区相机的诱捕显示，猎豹使用的是不受保护的区域，尽管这种情况很少发生。最后，我们表明，可以与旅游运营商合作来监视猎豹种群，但同时也可以确定这种方法的局限性。我们的结果对坦桑尼亚南部及其整个非洲范围的物种保护都具有意义。