Geographic gradients in plant productivity can present foraging large herbivores with varying resource levels across the range of a population, to which individuals can demonstrate varying intensity of selection. To investigate individually-specific responses of nyala antelopes (Tragelaphus angasii ) to vegetation greenness, we monitored the landscape use of eight telemetry-collared adult females, half at the wetter end and half at the drier end of Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, South Africa. We used remotely-sensed greenness as an index for plant productivity and data on canopy structure, and we compared the strength of selection for greenness between animals having different greenness averages within their home ranges. We found a decreasing pattern between home-range average greenness and strength of selection, which depended on season and presence of tree canopies. Animals in low-greenness home ranges tended to have stronger positive selection in closed-canopy vegetation in the dry season; those in high-greenness home ranges tended to have the stronger negative selection in open-canopy vegetation in the wet season. Our study emphasizes the possibility that a spatial resource gradient on a landscape might provide a valuable model of temporal change in a resource and an indication of potential for foraging animals to adapt to those changes.
{"title":"Selection of Vegetation Greenness by Nyala Antelopes on a Resource Productivity Gradient","authors":"Jason P. Marshal, T. Tshabalala, F. Parrini","doi":"10.3957/056.051.0193","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3957/056.051.0193","url":null,"abstract":"Geographic gradients in plant productivity can present foraging large herbivores with varying resource levels across the range of a population, to which individuals can demonstrate varying intensity of selection. To investigate individually-specific responses of nyala antelopes (Tragelaphus angasii ) to vegetation greenness, we monitored the landscape use of eight telemetry-collared adult females, half at the wetter end and half at the drier end of Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, South Africa. We used remotely-sensed greenness as an index for plant productivity and data on canopy structure, and we compared the strength of selection for greenness between animals having different greenness averages within their home ranges. We found a decreasing pattern between home-range average greenness and strength of selection, which depended on season and presence of tree canopies. Animals in low-greenness home ranges tended to have stronger positive selection in closed-canopy vegetation in the dry season; those in high-greenness home ranges tended to have the stronger negative selection in open-canopy vegetation in the wet season. Our study emphasizes the possibility that a spatial resource gradient on a landscape might provide a valuable model of temporal change in a resource and an indication of potential for foraging animals to adapt to those changes.","PeriodicalId":54306,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Wildlife Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44169656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Despite the diversity of mesocarnivores and the broad geographic ranges of these species, our understanding of their behaviour and ecology at multi-species and community levels is limited. Our study was conducted between April and mid-July 2015 and used data collected over 105 days from 39 camera traps to quantify activity patterns of sympatric mesocarnivores in riparian and grassland habitats of Telperion Nature Reserve, South Africa. A total of 13 mesocarnivore species were detected within this relatively small (∼7350 ha) reserve. Sufficient records (≥10 records) were obtained for rusty-spotted genet (Genetta maculata), black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas), otter species (African clawless otter, Aonyx capensis, and spotted-necked otter, Hydrictis maculicollis), serval (Leptailurus serval ), slender mongoose (Galerella sanguinea), yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata) and marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus). Generalized linear models were used to investigate whether species ID, temperature, vegetation characteristics or moon phase best predicted temporal activity. To assess which species had the highest potential for competitive interaction, we also quantified the coefficient of activity overlap. Our results show that species ID and temperature were the best predictors of mesocarnivore activity. Slender and yellow mongooses displayed the highest coefficient of activity overlap (0.90), followed by marsh mongoose and rusty-spotted genet (0.80), and serval and rusty-spotted genet (0.79). These species are likely to have the highest potential for competitive interactions, but preferences for different vegetation characteristics and variations in the estimated relative abundance may point to coexistence through spatial and fine-scale temporal partitioning. The other species exhibited lower coefficients of activity overlap with each other, suggesting they may coexist through temporal partitioning of resources.
{"title":"The Determinants of Mesocarnivore Activity Patterns in Highveld Grassland and Riparian Habitats","authors":"A. Webster, M. E. Pretorius, M. Somers","doi":"10.3957/056.051.0178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3957/056.051.0178","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the diversity of mesocarnivores and the broad geographic ranges of these species, our understanding of their behaviour and ecology at multi-species and community levels is limited. Our study was conducted between April and mid-July 2015 and used data collected over 105 days from 39 camera traps to quantify activity patterns of sympatric mesocarnivores in riparian and grassland habitats of Telperion Nature Reserve, South Africa. A total of 13 mesocarnivore species were detected within this relatively small (∼7350 ha) reserve. Sufficient records (≥10 records) were obtained for rusty-spotted genet (Genetta maculata), black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas), otter species (African clawless otter, Aonyx capensis, and spotted-necked otter, Hydrictis maculicollis), serval (Leptailurus serval ), slender mongoose (Galerella sanguinea), yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata) and marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus). Generalized linear models were used to investigate whether species ID, temperature, vegetation characteristics or moon phase best predicted temporal activity. To assess which species had the highest potential for competitive interaction, we also quantified the coefficient of activity overlap. Our results show that species ID and temperature were the best predictors of mesocarnivore activity. Slender and yellow mongooses displayed the highest coefficient of activity overlap (0.90), followed by marsh mongoose and rusty-spotted genet (0.80), and serval and rusty-spotted genet (0.79). These species are likely to have the highest potential for competitive interactions, but preferences for different vegetation characteristics and variations in the estimated relative abundance may point to coexistence through spatial and fine-scale temporal partitioning. The other species exhibited lower coefficients of activity overlap with each other, suggesting they may coexist through temporal partitioning of resources.","PeriodicalId":54306,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Wildlife Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44742611","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Low-cost uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become ubiquitous, and advanced UAV systems are affordable for many field ecologists and wildlife managers. Many hobbyist UAVs have been applied to ecological studies, but proprietary software limits their widespread application with little quantification with regards to their accuracy and efficiency in the creation of maps through photogrammetry. Our study addressed these concerns by evaluating a combination of an entry-level UAV and open-source photogrammetry drone mapping software as a low-budget mapping solution for ecologists. Geometrically accurate orthophotograph maps were created from flights at altitudes below 70 m with and without differential global positioning system (d-GPS) ground control points. Object measurement errors were constrained below 30 mm for altitudes up to 70 m, and errors fell below 10 mm at 30 m altitudes with d-GPS points and below 20 mm without the use of d-GPS ground control points. Our analyses provide guidelines that parameterize the requirements for the mapping of smaller areas. Ecological surveys that do not require <50 mm accuracy can benefit from the methods described here, and many ecological studies that are presently using costly software and UAV platforms could save when adopting this approach.
{"title":"The Application and Limitations of a Low-Cost UAV Platform and Open-Source Software Combination for Ecological Mapping and Monitoring","authors":"Albert Myburgh, H. Botha, C. Downs, S. Woodborne","doi":"10.3957/056.051.0166","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3957/056.051.0166","url":null,"abstract":"Low-cost uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become ubiquitous, and advanced UAV systems are affordable for many field ecologists and wildlife managers. Many hobbyist UAVs have been applied to ecological studies, but proprietary software limits their widespread application with little quantification with regards to their accuracy and efficiency in the creation of maps through photogrammetry. Our study addressed these concerns by evaluating a combination of an entry-level UAV and open-source photogrammetry drone mapping software as a low-budget mapping solution for ecologists. Geometrically accurate orthophotograph maps were created from flights at altitudes below 70 m with and without differential global positioning system (d-GPS) ground control points. Object measurement errors were constrained below 30 mm for altitudes up to 70 m, and errors fell below 10 mm at 30 m altitudes with d-GPS points and below 20 mm without the use of d-GPS ground control points. Our analyses provide guidelines that parameterize the requirements for the mapping of smaller areas. Ecological surveys that do not require <50 mm accuracy can benefit from the methods described here, and many ecological studies that are presently using costly software and UAV platforms could save when adopting this approach.","PeriodicalId":54306,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Wildlife Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48936312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Terry-Lee Honiball, M. Somers, H. Fritz, J. Venter
Southern Africa has a diverse large carnivore guild. When this large carnivore guild is confined to fenced protected areas, the degree of intraguild competition may increase. Dietary overlap is a notable point of competition and can have considerable effects on lower trophic levels. We considered the prey preferences, dietary overlap, and dietary niche breadth of the large carnivore guild in Madikwe Game Reserve through direct observations and scat analysis, over one year of sampling. These data were analysed using the Jacobs' index for prey preference, the Pianka's index for dietary overlap and Levin's index for dietary niche breadth. Leopards (Panthera pardus), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) had a high degree of dietary overlap and were specialized in their diet selection. Lions (Panthera leo), brown (Parahyaena brunnea) and spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) also showed a high degree of dietary overlap and had broad diets. Our results show similarities to those of open systems, suggesting that large carnivore diet selection may not be negatively affected when they are confined by fences. We recommend further investigations into the variables which may affect site-specific carnivore diet selection.
{"title":"Feeding Ecology of the Large Carnivore Guild in Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa","authors":"Terry-Lee Honiball, M. Somers, H. Fritz, J. Venter","doi":"10.3957/056.051.0153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3957/056.051.0153","url":null,"abstract":"Southern Africa has a diverse large carnivore guild. When this large carnivore guild is confined to fenced protected areas, the degree of intraguild competition may increase. Dietary overlap is a notable point of competition and can have considerable effects on lower trophic levels. We considered the prey preferences, dietary overlap, and dietary niche breadth of the large carnivore guild in Madikwe Game Reserve through direct observations and scat analysis, over one year of sampling. These data were analysed using the Jacobs' index for prey preference, the Pianka's index for dietary overlap and Levin's index for dietary niche breadth. Leopards (Panthera pardus), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) had a high degree of dietary overlap and were specialized in their diet selection. Lions (Panthera leo), brown (Parahyaena brunnea) and spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) also showed a high degree of dietary overlap and had broad diets. Our results show similarities to those of open systems, suggesting that large carnivore diet selection may not be negatively affected when they are confined by fences. We recommend further investigations into the variables which may affect site-specific carnivore diet selection.","PeriodicalId":54306,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Wildlife Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43796274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
L. Werdelin, A. Kitchener, A. Abramov, G. Veron, Emmanuel Do Linh San
Lars Werdelin* ( ), Andrew C. Kitchener ( ), Alexei Abramov, Géraldine Veron ( ) & Emmanuel Do Linh San ( ) Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-10405 Stockholm, Sweden Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, U.K. Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP 51, 57 rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Fort Hare, Alice, 5700, South Africa
Lars Werdelin*（）、Andrew C.Kitchener（）、Alexei Abramov、Géraldine Veron（）和Emmanuel Do Linh San（）瑞典自然历史博物馆古生物学系，瑞典斯德哥尔摩SE-10405，邮政信箱50007，瑞典自然科学系，苏格兰国家博物馆，爱丁堡钱伯斯街EH1 1JF，英国动物研究所，俄罗斯科学院，圣彼得堡，俄罗斯系统、进化、生物多样性研究所（ISYEB），国立自然历史博物馆，CNRS，索邦大学，EPHE，安的列斯大学，CP 51，57 rue Cuvier，75231 Paris Cedex 05，法国动物和昆虫学系，爱丽丝堡大学，5700，南非
{"title":"The Scientific Name of the Aardwolf is Proteles cristatus","authors":"L. Werdelin, A. Kitchener, A. Abramov, G. Veron, Emmanuel Do Linh San","doi":"10.3957/056.051.0149","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3957/056.051.0149","url":null,"abstract":"Lars Werdelin* ( ), Andrew C. Kitchener ( ), Alexei Abramov, Géraldine Veron ( ) & Emmanuel Do Linh San ( ) Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-10405 Stockholm, Sweden Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, U.K. Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP 51, 57 rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Fort Hare, Alice, 5700, South Africa","PeriodicalId":54306,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Wildlife Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44097860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T. Patel, Keenan Stears, I. Little, Adrian M. Shrader
Tamanna Patel ( ), Keenan Stears* ( ), Ian T. Little ( ) & Adrian M. Shrader ( ) School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3209 South Africa Threatened Species Unit, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 0184 South Africa Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, U.S.A. South African Environmental Observation Network, Ndlovu Node, Phalaborwa, 1390 South Africa Endangered Wildlife Trust, Johannesburg, South Africa Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028 South Africa
Tamanna Patel ()， Keenan Stears* ()， Ian T. Little () & Adrian M. Shrader()夸祖鲁-纳塔尔大学生命科学学院，斯科茨维尔，Pietermaritzburg, 3209南非濒危物种研究组，南非国家生物多样性研究所，比勒陀利亚，0184南非加州大学生态、进化和海洋生物系，圣巴巴拉，加利福尼亚93106，美国。1390南非濒危野生动物基金会，约翰内斯堡，南非哺乳动物研究所，比勒陀利亚大学动物与昆虫学系，比勒陀利亚，0028南非
{"title":"Evaluating Oribi Translocations for Conservation: The Importance of Translocation Guidelines","authors":"T. Patel, Keenan Stears, I. Little, Adrian M. Shrader","doi":"10.3957/056.051.0144","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3957/056.051.0144","url":null,"abstract":"Tamanna Patel ( ), Keenan Stears* ( ), Ian T. Little ( ) & Adrian M. Shrader ( ) School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3209 South Africa Threatened Species Unit, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 0184 South Africa Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, U.S.A. South African Environmental Observation Network, Ndlovu Node, Phalaborwa, 1390 South Africa Endangered Wildlife Trust, Johannesburg, South Africa Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028 South Africa","PeriodicalId":54306,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Wildlife Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48037516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Human–wildlife conflicts may be unintended consequences of conservation successes and rewilding, and could be exacerbated where baselines around biodiversity have shifted. Mediating conflict is a conservation priority both due to its socio-economic impacts and due to consequences that negative perceptions of wildlife have for conservation outcomes. We document locally novel emergent conflict following reintroductions of large carnivores to fenced reserves in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Interviews with managers of 13 reserves (reintroduction sites) and adjacent properties show that reintroduced carnivores escaped from eight reserves (61.5%) and were recorded on 25 neighbouring properties (36.7%). Since large carnivore reintroductions to the Eastern Cape Province began in 1996, 75 associated conflict events were reported to the authors. This conflict was not evenly distributed, spatially or economically. Effective, evidence-based mitigation strategies are needed to ensure the continued success of conservation actions. Neighbours and policymakers should be primed for such lifted baselines where predator numbers and/or densities reflect what was historically observed. These conflicts should be anticipated and included in the early planning phases of reintroduction adaptive management processes. Conflict mitigation strategies for reintroductions should include lifting baselines to manage perceptions around recovering wildlife populations or face the prospects of re-extirpation associated with conflict-motivated retaliation.
{"title":"Emerging Human–Carnivore Conflict Following Large Carnivore Reintroductions Highlights the Need to Lift Baselines","authors":"Natalia M. Banasiak, M. Hayward, G. Kerley","doi":"10.3957/056.051.0136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3957/056.051.0136","url":null,"abstract":"Human–wildlife conflicts may be unintended consequences of conservation successes and rewilding, and could be exacerbated where baselines around biodiversity have shifted. Mediating conflict is a conservation priority both due to its socio-economic impacts and due to consequences that negative perceptions of wildlife have for conservation outcomes. We document locally novel emergent conflict following reintroductions of large carnivores to fenced reserves in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Interviews with managers of 13 reserves (reintroduction sites) and adjacent properties show that reintroduced carnivores escaped from eight reserves (61.5%) and were recorded on 25 neighbouring properties (36.7%). Since large carnivore reintroductions to the Eastern Cape Province began in 1996, 75 associated conflict events were reported to the authors. This conflict was not evenly distributed, spatially or economically. Effective, evidence-based mitigation strategies are needed to ensure the continued success of conservation actions. Neighbours and policymakers should be primed for such lifted baselines where predator numbers and/or densities reflect what was historically observed. These conflicts should be anticipated and included in the early planning phases of reintroduction adaptive management processes. Conflict mitigation strategies for reintroductions should include lifting baselines to manage perceptions around recovering wildlife populations or face the prospects of re-extirpation associated with conflict-motivated retaliation.","PeriodicalId":54306,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Wildlife Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44082133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T. Patel, Keenan Stears, I. Little, Adrian M. Shrader
Effective monitoring programmes are critical to understand and mitigate declining wildlife populations. In South Africa, the majority of oribi antelope (Ourebia ourebi ourebi ) occur on private rangelands as broadly distributed and highly-fragmented populations. Thus, to effectively manage such a species, conservation organizations rely on citizen science-led conservation initiatives, whereby members of the public provide data on oribi population demographics and potential threats. Using these data, we estimated the total oribi population size and assessed the population trend of oribi in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, over a 14-year period (2001–2014). We found that the oribi population has declined by 30% over the 14 years. However, oribi population estimates were highly correlated with the number of returned survey forms. This relationship makes it difficult to accurately assess population trends and almost impossible to determine if any changes in conservation management have influenced oribi populations. Thus, issues associated with citizen science and data quality (i.e. participation levels), may limit the ability of the oribi census to accurately inform oribi conservation and management. We discuss the value and limitations of citizen science in oribi conservation with the ultimate goal of improving citizen-led oribi conservation.
{"title":"Assessing the Performance of Oribi Antelope Populations at Multiple Scales: The Limitations of Citizen-Led Oribi Conservation","authors":"T. Patel, Keenan Stears, I. Little, Adrian M. Shrader","doi":"10.3957/056.051.0127","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3957/056.051.0127","url":null,"abstract":"Effective monitoring programmes are critical to understand and mitigate declining wildlife populations. In South Africa, the majority of oribi antelope (Ourebia ourebi ourebi ) occur on private rangelands as broadly distributed and highly-fragmented populations. Thus, to effectively manage such a species, conservation organizations rely on citizen science-led conservation initiatives, whereby members of the public provide data on oribi population demographics and potential threats. Using these data, we estimated the total oribi population size and assessed the population trend of oribi in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, over a 14-year period (2001–2014). We found that the oribi population has declined by 30% over the 14 years. However, oribi population estimates were highly correlated with the number of returned survey forms. This relationship makes it difficult to accurately assess population trends and almost impossible to determine if any changes in conservation management have influenced oribi populations. Thus, issues associated with citizen science and data quality (i.e. participation levels), may limit the ability of the oribi census to accurately inform oribi conservation and management. We discuss the value and limitations of citizen science in oribi conservation with the ultimate goal of improving citizen-led oribi conservation.","PeriodicalId":54306,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Wildlife Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45233981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Large (>15 kg) carnivores, namely lions (Panthera leo), leopards (Panthera pardus), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), spotted (Crocuta crocuta) and brown hyaenas (Parahyaena brunnea), have been reintroduced to 16 private- and state-owned reserves in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Objectives behind these reintroductions ranged from ecotourism, ecological restoration, to species conservation. We reassessed the reintroductions' objectives and updated their outcomes a decade after the initial assessment. Ecotourism and ecological restoration were the most common objectives for the reintroduction of top predators to these reserves. With one exception, these reintroductions were successful in meeting their specific objectives, as only African wild dogs have failed to re-establish in the province. Assessments for leopards and brown hyaenas were inconclusive due to a lack of monitoring data. Causes of objective- and species-specific failures in some reserves included founding same-sex populations, lack of breeding events and changes in reserve management objectives. Long-term monitoring is essential in managing and assessing the success of conservation actions, including reintroductions of threatened species. Our review demonstrates this by highlighting changed outcomes for populations and identifying new challenges that have arisen in the landscape. In the modern parlance of conservation marketing, the multi-species reintroductions that occurred within the Eastern Cape represent successful rewilding within the province.
{"title":"Ten Years on: Have Large Carnivore Reintroductions to the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, Worked?","authors":"Natalia M. Banasiak, M. Hayward, G. Kerley","doi":"10.3957/056.051.0111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3957/056.051.0111","url":null,"abstract":"Large (>15 kg) carnivores, namely lions (Panthera leo), leopards (Panthera pardus), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), spotted (Crocuta crocuta) and brown hyaenas (Parahyaena brunnea), have been reintroduced to 16 private- and state-owned reserves in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Objectives behind these reintroductions ranged from ecotourism, ecological restoration, to species conservation. We reassessed the reintroductions' objectives and updated their outcomes a decade after the initial assessment. Ecotourism and ecological restoration were the most common objectives for the reintroduction of top predators to these reserves. With one exception, these reintroductions were successful in meeting their specific objectives, as only African wild dogs have failed to re-establish in the province. Assessments for leopards and brown hyaenas were inconclusive due to a lack of monitoring data. Causes of objective- and species-specific failures in some reserves included founding same-sex populations, lack of breeding events and changes in reserve management objectives. Long-term monitoring is essential in managing and assessing the success of conservation actions, including reintroductions of threatened species. Our review demonstrates this by highlighting changed outcomes for populations and identifying new challenges that have arisen in the landscape. In the modern parlance of conservation marketing, the multi-species reintroductions that occurred within the Eastern Cape represent successful rewilding within the province.","PeriodicalId":54306,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Wildlife Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48149647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Conflict Over Wildlife Conservation in the Mbire District, Northern Zimbabwe","authors":"Vincent Jani, A. D. Wit, N. Webb","doi":"10.3957/056.049.0137","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3957/056.049.0137","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54306,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Wildlife Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2019-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45498737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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