Editing Cheetah (section)

==Threats==
The cheetah is threatened by several factors, like [[habitat loss]] and fragmentation of populations. Habitat loss is caused mainly by the introduction of commercial land use, such as agriculture and industry.<ref name=iucn /> It is further aggravated by ecological degradation, like [[woody plant encroachment]], which is common in southern Africa.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Atkinson |first1=Holly |last2=Cristescu |first2=Bogdan |last3=Marker |first3=Laurie |last4=Rooney |first4=Nicola |date=15 September 2022 |title=Bush Encroachment and Large Carnivore Predation Success in African Landscapes: A Review |journal=Earth |language=en |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=1010–1026 |doi=10.3390/earth3030058 |bibcode=2022Earth...3.1010A |issn=2673-4834|doi-access=free|hdl=1983/d2ffceb9-7d00-40d3-ba34-a34257caecdb |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name=FSC/><ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Nghikembua M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Marker L.L. |author3=Brewer, B. |author4=Mehtätalo, L. |author5=Appiah, M. |author6=Pappinen, A. |date=2020 |title=Response of wildlife to bush thinning on the north central freehold farmlands of Namibia |journal=Forest Ecology and Management |volume=473 |issue=1 |page=118330 |doi=10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118330 |bibcode=2020ForEM.47318330N |s2cid=224961400}}</ref> Moreover, the species apparently requires a sizeable area to live in as indicated by its low population densities. Shortage of prey and conflict with other species such as humans and large carnivores are other major threats.<ref name=iucn /><ref name=marker10>{{cite book |editor1=Marker, L. |editor2=Boast, L. K. |editor3=Schmidt-Kuentzel, A. |title=Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation |date=2018 |publisher=Academic Press |location=London |isbn=978-0-12-804088-1 |chapter=Drivers of habitat loss and fragmentation: implication for the design of landscape linkages for cheetahs |last1=Jeo |first1=R. M. |last2=Schmidt-Kuentzel |first2=A. |last3=Ballou |first3=J. D. |last4=Sanjayan |first4=M.|name-list-style=amp |pages=137–150}}</ref> The cheetah appears to be less capable of coexisting with humans than the leopard.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Laurenson |first1=M. K. |last2=Caro |first2=T. M. |s2cid=53158982 |title=Monitoring the effects of non-trivial handling in free-living cheetahs |journal=Animal Behaviour |year=1994 |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=547–557 |doi=10.1006/anbe.1994.1078 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> With 76% of its range consisting of unprotected land, the cheetah is often targeted by farmers and pastoralists who attempt to protect their livestock, especially in Namibia.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Voigt |first1=C. C. |author2=Thalwitzer, S. |author3=Melzheimer, J. |author4=Blanc, A. |author5=Jago, M. |author6=Wachter, B. |author7=Fenton, B. |title=The conflict between cheetahs and humans on Namibian farmland elucidated by stable isotope diet analysis |journal=PLOS ONE |year=2014 |volume=9 |issue=8 |pages=e101917 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0101917 |pmid=25162403 |pmc=4146470 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...9j1917V |name-list-style=amp|doi-access = free}}</ref> Illegal [[wildlife trade]] and trafficking is another problem in some places (like Ethiopia). Some tribes, like the [[Maasai people]] in Tanzania, have been reported to use cheetah skins in ceremonies.<ref name=marker1/><ref name=marker2/> [[Roadkill]] is another threat, especially in areas where roads have been constructed near natural habitat or protected areas. Cases of roadkill involving cheetahs have been reported from Kalmand, [[Touran National Park]], and [[Bafq]] in Iran.<ref name=iucn /> The reduced genetic variability makes cheetahs more vulnerable to diseases;<ref name=obrien2017/> however, the threat posed by infectious diseases may be minor, given the low population densities and hence a reduced chance of infection.<ref name=iucn />