A standardised protocol for roadkill detection and the determinants of roadkill in the greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, Limpopo Province, South Africa
- Authors: Collinson, Wendy Jane
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Roadkill -- South Africa -- Mapungubwe Site , Traffic safety and wildlife -- South Africa -- Mapungubwe Site
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5606 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002056 , Roadkill -- South Africa -- Mapungubwe Site , Traffic safety and wildlife -- South Africa -- Mapungubwe Site
- Description: Despite evidence suggesting that road traffic is a major threat to biodiversity loss, very little is known about its actual impact on wildlife populations in South Africa. Globally, road density and traffic volumes are increasing, and although huge budgets are devoted to the construction and upgrading of roads, there is little or no allocation to mitigation measures for protecting fauna in most countries, particularly Africa. Further, no global standardised protocol exists for the rapid assessment of roadkill or the most economical and efficient approach for assessing roadkill rates. Using vehicle field trials, the reliability of detecting artificially deployed roadkill was assessed. Roadkill detection rates decreased significantly at speeds >50 km/h and were also significantly influenced by light conditions (i.e. detection success was greater when the sun was high) and the position of the roadkill on the road (i.e. smaller roadkill on verges were often missed). These results suggest that roadkill sampling was most effective between 1.5 hours after dawn and 1.5 hours before dusk and that driving at slower speeds (<50 km.h⁻ₑ) was required to detect roadkill. This protocol was implemented across three ecological seasons on a 100 km paved road and a 20 km unpaved road in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Driven daily over a 120-day period (three periods consisting each of 40 days), a total of 1,027 roadkill were recorded. These comprised 162 species from all terrestrial vertebrate groups with birds being the most commonly encountered roadkill (50% of all incidents). The high numbers of vertebrates identified as roadkill suggests that road traffic could have potentially unsustainable impacts on wildlife populations and hence the biodiversity of the area. Seventeen variables were identified as possible determinants of roadkill occurrence with season, rainfall, minimum and maximum temperature, habitat type, grass height, grass density, fence type and vehicle type significantly influencing roadkill numbers. Significantly more roadkill were detected on the paved road (9.91/100km) than on the unpaved road (1.8/100km) probably because of greater traffic volumes and the increased speed that vehicles travelled on the paved road. Warmer temperatures and increased rainfall in the preceding 24 hours also increased road mortality numbers as animals tended to become more active during these times. Interestingly, more roadkill was detected in open roadside habitats compared to dense roadside habitats on both the paved and unpaved roads and when grass on the roadside verge was of intermediate height. Open habitat possibly may provide a natural corridor for wildlife which ultimately end up on the road. Roadkill numbers increased when certain other physical barriers, such as cattle fences, were present, probably because these barriers were more penetrable than electric fencing. A series of mitigation measures are proposed to reduce the impacts of roads on wildlife in South Africa. These mitigation measures highlight the need to address the balance between the development of a country’s transport infrastructure and the conservation of its fauna. It is important that research on the impacts of roads becomes standardised to enable robust statistical comparisons which will provide a greater understanding of the potential threats to vertebrate biodiversity
- Full Text:
- Authors: Collinson, Wendy Jane
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Roadkill -- South Africa -- Mapungubwe Site , Traffic safety and wildlife -- South Africa -- Mapungubwe Site
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5606 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002056 , Roadkill -- South Africa -- Mapungubwe Site , Traffic safety and wildlife -- South Africa -- Mapungubwe Site
- Description: Despite evidence suggesting that road traffic is a major threat to biodiversity loss, very little is known about its actual impact on wildlife populations in South Africa. Globally, road density and traffic volumes are increasing, and although huge budgets are devoted to the construction and upgrading of roads, there is little or no allocation to mitigation measures for protecting fauna in most countries, particularly Africa. Further, no global standardised protocol exists for the rapid assessment of roadkill or the most economical and efficient approach for assessing roadkill rates. Using vehicle field trials, the reliability of detecting artificially deployed roadkill was assessed. Roadkill detection rates decreased significantly at speeds >50 km/h and were also significantly influenced by light conditions (i.e. detection success was greater when the sun was high) and the position of the roadkill on the road (i.e. smaller roadkill on verges were often missed). These results suggest that roadkill sampling was most effective between 1.5 hours after dawn and 1.5 hours before dusk and that driving at slower speeds (<50 km.h⁻ₑ) was required to detect roadkill. This protocol was implemented across three ecological seasons on a 100 km paved road and a 20 km unpaved road in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Driven daily over a 120-day period (three periods consisting each of 40 days), a total of 1,027 roadkill were recorded. These comprised 162 species from all terrestrial vertebrate groups with birds being the most commonly encountered roadkill (50% of all incidents). The high numbers of vertebrates identified as roadkill suggests that road traffic could have potentially unsustainable impacts on wildlife populations and hence the biodiversity of the area. Seventeen variables were identified as possible determinants of roadkill occurrence with season, rainfall, minimum and maximum temperature, habitat type, grass height, grass density, fence type and vehicle type significantly influencing roadkill numbers. Significantly more roadkill were detected on the paved road (9.91/100km) than on the unpaved road (1.8/100km) probably because of greater traffic volumes and the increased speed that vehicles travelled on the paved road. Warmer temperatures and increased rainfall in the preceding 24 hours also increased road mortality numbers as animals tended to become more active during these times. Interestingly, more roadkill was detected in open roadside habitats compared to dense roadside habitats on both the paved and unpaved roads and when grass on the roadside verge was of intermediate height. Open habitat possibly may provide a natural corridor for wildlife which ultimately end up on the road. Roadkill numbers increased when certain other physical barriers, such as cattle fences, were present, probably because these barriers were more penetrable than electric fencing. A series of mitigation measures are proposed to reduce the impacts of roads on wildlife in South Africa. These mitigation measures highlight the need to address the balance between the development of a country’s transport infrastructure and the conservation of its fauna. It is important that research on the impacts of roads becomes standardised to enable robust statistical comparisons which will provide a greater understanding of the potential threats to vertebrate biodiversity
- Full Text:
The ecology and management of the large carnivore guild on Shamwari Game Reserve, Eastern Cape
- Authors: O'Brien, John William
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Cheetah -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Shamwari Game Reserve (South Africa) Carnivora -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Wildlife conservation -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Game reserves -- Management -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Lion -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Lion -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve African wild dog -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Cheetah -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Lion -- Food -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Lion -- Food -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Cheetah -- Food -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve African wild dog -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve African wild dog -- Food -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Leopard -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Leopard -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Leopard -- Food --South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5609 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002604
- Description: Shamwari Game Reserve was the first enclosed conservation area in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa to reintroduce free ranging lions, cheetahs, leopards and wild dogs back into their historic range. At that time (2000 – 2001), little information was available on the ecology and behaviour of these predators in the habitats of the Eastern Cape, and management decisions were based on assumptions and unfounded comparisons with extant populations but from quite different habitats. The aim of this study was therefore to obtain a better understanding of the feeding ecology and space use of the predator guild, and the carrying capacity of Shamwari Game Reserve to enable more informed management decisions. In addition, the reserve is a photographic based tourism venture and understanding both the ecological and financial sustainability of the predator guild was important. The diets of the predators were similar to those reported in other studies; larger predators killed a greater range of prey species than did smaller predators and a small number of prey species made up the majority of the kills. The larger predators had a higher mean kill mass than the smaller species and prey selection was influenced by prey size, prey abundance and prey habitat preference, and risk associated with hunting the species. Diet was flexible and responded to natural and management induced changes in prey abundance. There was a considerable overlap in space use by the lions, cheetahs and leopards with their core areas being centred on and around the Bushmans River. Space use was driven by resource distribution and landscape attributes, and by the presence of other predators of the same or different species. The long term viability of wild dog within the reserve was explored and the results confirmed that there was neither the required space nor the ecological processes and the wild dogs were removed from the reserve. A carrying capacity of the reserve for the predator guild was determined using the Maximum Sustainable Yield method to assess the potential prey species off take and a resultant density of 3.3 to 6.6 lion female equivalent units per 10 000 ha was established. The natural carrying capacity of the reserve with respect to predators will not sustain the tourism objectives and consequently prey supplementation was necessary to maintain predator density at levels high enough to sustain tourism. Under these conditions the large predator guild is still sustainable financially although careful, responsible management is needed to provide ecological sustainability.
- Full Text:
- Authors: O'Brien, John William
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Cheetah -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Shamwari Game Reserve (South Africa) Carnivora -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Wildlife conservation -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Game reserves -- Management -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Lion -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Lion -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve African wild dog -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Cheetah -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Lion -- Food -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Lion -- Food -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Cheetah -- Food -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve African wild dog -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve African wild dog -- Food -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Leopard -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Leopard -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve Leopard -- Food --South Africa -- Shamwari Game Reserve
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5609 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002604
- Description: Shamwari Game Reserve was the first enclosed conservation area in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa to reintroduce free ranging lions, cheetahs, leopards and wild dogs back into their historic range. At that time (2000 – 2001), little information was available on the ecology and behaviour of these predators in the habitats of the Eastern Cape, and management decisions were based on assumptions and unfounded comparisons with extant populations but from quite different habitats. The aim of this study was therefore to obtain a better understanding of the feeding ecology and space use of the predator guild, and the carrying capacity of Shamwari Game Reserve to enable more informed management decisions. In addition, the reserve is a photographic based tourism venture and understanding both the ecological and financial sustainability of the predator guild was important. The diets of the predators were similar to those reported in other studies; larger predators killed a greater range of prey species than did smaller predators and a small number of prey species made up the majority of the kills. The larger predators had a higher mean kill mass than the smaller species and prey selection was influenced by prey size, prey abundance and prey habitat preference, and risk associated with hunting the species. Diet was flexible and responded to natural and management induced changes in prey abundance. There was a considerable overlap in space use by the lions, cheetahs and leopards with their core areas being centred on and around the Bushmans River. Space use was driven by resource distribution and landscape attributes, and by the presence of other predators of the same or different species. The long term viability of wild dog within the reserve was explored and the results confirmed that there was neither the required space nor the ecological processes and the wild dogs were removed from the reserve. A carrying capacity of the reserve for the predator guild was determined using the Maximum Sustainable Yield method to assess the potential prey species off take and a resultant density of 3.3 to 6.6 lion female equivalent units per 10 000 ha was established. The natural carrying capacity of the reserve with respect to predators will not sustain the tourism objectives and consequently prey supplementation was necessary to maintain predator density at levels high enough to sustain tourism. Under these conditions the large predator guild is still sustainable financially although careful, responsible management is needed to provide ecological sustainability.
- Full Text:
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