The Brown Hyaena is found in dry areas, generally with annual rainfall less than 100 mm, particularly along the coast, semi-desert, open scrub and open woodland savanna with a maximum rainfall up to about 700 mm. It shows an ability to survive close to urban areas. It is predominantly nocturnal in its activity (Hulsman et al. 2010). The Brown Hyaena is independent of drinking water, but needs some type of cover in which to lie up during the day. For this it favours rocky, mountainous areas with bush cover in the bushveld areas of South Africa (Skinner 1976). It is primarily a scavenger of a wide range of vertebrate remains, which is supplemented by wild fruit and other plant material, insects, birds’ eggs, and the occasional small animal which is killed; their impact on domestic livestock is usually very small (Mills 1998, 1990; Maude and Mills 2005; Schiess-Meier et al. 2007). On Namibian farmlands, Brown Hyaenas often scavenge from leopard kills (Stein et al. 2013). Along the Namib Desert Coast, Brown Hyaenas are successful hunters of Cape Fur Seal pups (e.g. Wiesel 2006, Wiesel 2010). Populations of Brown Hyaenas in non-protected areas comprise a significant proportion of the global population, suggesting that such areas are likely to be important for their sustained conservation (Kent and Hill 2013, Lindsey et al. 2013, Stein et al. 2013). Working in areas occupied by pastoralist herders, Maude and Mills (2005) found, that, although Brown Hyaenas feed on carcasses of livestock, there was no evidence to suggest that Brown Hyaenas hunted livestock, or any other significantly sized mammals. Thus the persecution of them because of perceived livestock predation is unjustified. The dietary benefit derived by the Brown Hyaenas from the presence of subsistence pastoralists and their livestock carcasses, may be the primary reason that Brown Hyaena populations are viable in cattle areas (Maude and Mills 2005).

This species is endemic to southern Africa with a marginal extension into the arid parts of southwestern Angola, southeastern Botswana, and the northern and western Cape regions of the Republic of South Africa. Almost 90% of the Brown Hyena population in Botswana occurs in the Southern Conservation Zone (Winterbach et al. 2014). The range of the Brown Hyaena has shrunk significantly since the end of the 18th century when it was last recorded from Table Bay in the extreme southwest of the continent (Hofer and Mills 1998a, Mills 1990). They remain widespread in southern Africa, and in recent years in South Africa have been recorded from the extreme south in the Western Cape (Gansbaai and Bredasdorp), possibly vagrants from a small population in the Little Karoo (Yarnell et al. 2013). Thorn et al. (2011a) found that Brown Hyena distribution in northern South Africa was larger than in previous estimates. However, in farm land in this same area, Brown Hyaena occupancy was estimated at 0.748 (±SE 0.1), and estimated overall density in agricultural land (0.15/100 km², ±SE 0.08), which was an order of magnitude lower than in protected areas (Thorn et al. 2011b). Boast and Houser (2012) also found that Brown Hyena distribution in Ghanzi, Botswana was larger than previously believed. Several re-introductions have taken place in South Africa's Eastern Cape (e.g., Shamwari Game Reserve; Slater and Muller 2014), and sightings have since been recorded there (e.g., Hayward et al. 2007). Other range expansions have also been recorded from South Africa (Thorn et al. 2011a). Recent studies from Zimbabwe show a range expansion into the north/northwest region of the country (E. van der Meer pers. comm. 2014) and into the east (R. Groom pers. comm. 2014). They seem to be absent from southeast Namibia (I. Wiesel pers. comm. 2014) and the Zambezi region (former Caprivi Strip; L. Hanssen pers. comm. 2014). No recent records are available from the central and western parts of South Africa's Northern Cape Province. Records from Malawi are erroneous (see discussion in Ansell and Dowsett 1988).

Brown Hyaenas occur in a number of large conservation areas, including: Namib-Naukluft, Skeleton Coast, Tsau//Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) and Etosha National Parks (Namibia), Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, Botswana), Makgadikgadi National Park (Botswana), Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa), Shamwari Game Reserve (Eastern Cape, South Africa), and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (Botswana). A recent study from Botswana suggested that a significant proportion of the global Brown Hyaena population is found in non-protected areas, and that these animals can also tolerate land-use changes under some circumstances (Kent and Hill 2013). Boast and Houser (2012) found that Brown Hyaenas occurred evenly on game and cattle farms in Botswana, and in Namibia 54.5% of farm owners reported Brown Hyaena presence (Lindsey et al. 2013). Increased efforts to educate farmers and pastoralists about the fact that Brown Hyenas pose very little risk to livestock is likely to enhance conservation of these animals.