The Future of Animal Wildlife and Its Habitat in Botswana

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Richard Mordi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Wildlife Management ◽  
National Park ◽  
Gross National Product ◽  
Tourist Industry ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Game Reserve ◽  
Wildlife Management Areas

To conserve its wildlife, Botswana has set aside more than 17% of its total land area as game reserves, national parks, and wildlife management areas. Despite this generous allocation to wildlife, the fauna of the country is declining in both absolute numbers and species diversity. Lack of permanent water-sources in some game reserves, obstruction of fauna migration routes by cattle fences, and a poorly-developed tourist industry, are partly responsible for this decline.In a developing country such as Botswana, tourism should yield sufficient funds for the maintenance of game reserves and national parks. But currently the tourist industry accounts for less than 2% of the gross national product. Unless the industry is encouraged to flourish and expand into dormant reserves such as the Gemsbok National Park and Mabuasehube Game Reserve, animals in those sanctuaries are likely to be driven by drought into South Africa.

scholarly journals Symposium on the Kalahari Ecosystem summary and conclusions

Koedoe ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J Hall-Martin
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Wildlife Management ◽  
National Park ◽  
Board Of Trustees ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Wildlife Management Areas

This symposium has dealt largely with the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (KGNP), an area which has been under the control of the National Parks Board of Trustees since 1931. The park, which covers some 9 600 km2 is part of an international conservation area which includes the adjoining 26 600 km2 Gemsbok National Park in Botswana and adjoining wildlife management areas.

scholarly journals Die Nasionale Pparke van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika die verlede en die hede

Koedoe ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A.M. Brynard
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Nature Conservation ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Board Of Trustees ◽  
The Past ◽  
Conservation History ◽  
Game Reserve ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Republic

This paper deals mainly with the past and present status of nature conservation in the Republic of South Africa. It is pointed out that the nature conservation history of the Republic of South Africa commenced as early as 1656. In 1897 the first areas for the conservation of wild animals were set aside. These were the Hluhluwe and Umfolozi Game Reserves. Shortly after- wards, in 1898, the Sabi Game Reserve was established mainly through the efforts of President Paul Kruger. Col James Stevenson-Hamilton was appointed the first Warden of the Sabi Game Reserve and through his continued endeavours and perse-verance this game reserve, with certain additions, was eventually proclaimed as the first national park in the RSA in 1926. The first National Parks Board of Trustees, instituted according to the National Parks Act of 1926 commenced with its duties on the 16th September, 1926. The National Parks Act made provision for the establishment of other National Parks. Since 1931 eight National Parks were estab- lished. A short description of the history and most important features of each of these is given.

scholarly journals Vegetation change (1988–2010) in Camdeboo National Park (South Africa), using fixed-point photo monitoring: The role of herbivory and climate

Koedoe ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mmoto L. Masubelele ◽  
Michael T. Hoffman ◽  
William Bond ◽  
Peter Burdett
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Fixed Point ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
National Park ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Growth Form ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Management Interventions

Fixed-point photo monitoring supplemented by animal census data and climate monitoring potential has never been explored as a long-term monitoring tool for studying vegetation change in the arid and semi-arid national parks of South Africa. The long-term (1988–2010), fixed-point monitoring dataset developed for the Camdeboo National Park, therefore, provides an important opportunity to do this. Using a quantitative estimate of the change in vegetation and growth form cover in 1152 fixed-point photographs, as well as series of step-point vegetation surveys at each photo monitoring site, this study documented the extent of vegetation change in the park in response to key climate drivers, such as rainfall, as well as land use drivers such as herbivory by indigenous ungulates. We demonstrated the varied response of vegetation cover within three main growth forms (grasses, dwarf shrubs [< 1 m] and tall shrubs [> 1 m]) in three different vegetation units and landforms (slopes, plains, rivers) within the Camdeboo National Park since 1988. Sites within Albany Thicket and Dwarf Shrublands showed the least change in vegetation cover, whilst Azonal vegetation and Grassy Dwarf Shrublands were more dynamic. Abiotic factors such as drought and flooding, total annual rainfall and rainfall seasonality appeared to have the greatest influence on growth form cover as assessed from the fixed-point photographs. Herbivory appeared not to have had a noticeable impact on the vegetation of the Camdeboo National Park as far as could be determined from the rather coarse approach used in this analysis and herbivore densities remained relatively low over the study duration.Conservation implications: We provided an historical assessment of the pattern of vegetation and climatic trends that can help evaluate many of South African National Parks’ biodiversity monitoring programmes, especially relating to habitat change. It will help arid parks in assessing the trajectories of vegetation in response to herbivory, climate and management interventions.

Assessment appraisal, disposal and transfer of neglected rangers’ diaries created from 1926 to 1930: case of the Kruger National Parks of South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
Content Type ◽  
National Archives ◽  
History Of ◽  
Parks Management

Purpose This paper aims to assess the appraisal, disposal and transfer of records of the Kruger National Park (KNP) rangers’ diaries processes from 1926 to 1930 with a view to recommend best practices. Design/methodology/approach The paper applied a qualitative methodology through document analysis, interviews and observations as data collection instruments to analyse contents of rangers’ diaries. The population of the study comprised rangers, a records manager and a representative from the National Archives of South Africa (NARSSA), a member of South Africa National Parks’ management and a scientist from South African National Biodiversity Institute. Findings The key findings revealed that rangers’ diaries contain historical, scientific and cultural information. However, such information is not disseminated to society. Lack of systematic appraisal, arrangement of records led to a loss of institutional memories. The role of National Archives and Records Service of South Africa is not visible to provide guidelines on the preservation of rangers’ records. Research limitations/implications This research is limited to KNP ranger’s diaries created from 1926 to 1930 because it is the period of establishment of the national park and introduction of rangers’ programme. Practical implications The findings are expected to be instrumental towards the preservation of rangers’ diaries within the park. Rangers’ diaries are also potentially of great biogeographical value in constituting a historical record of the plants and animals in a given area, their distribution and population changes, and the effects of human interventions such as game fences and artificially created waterholes, game culling and tourism, not to forget climate change. Social implications Preservation of ranger diaries may lead to documentation of records with historical, scientific and social value. Rangers’ diaries also form part of the national archival heritage of South Africa, as they bridge the gap of undocumented history of the rangers and national parks in South Africa. Originality/value This paper appears to be the first to research the assessment of the appraisal, disposal and transfer of rangers’ diaries created from 1926 to 1930.

scholarly journals DOMESTICATION, DEGENERATION, AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ADDO ELEPHANT NATIONAL PARK IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1910s–1930s

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
JULES SKOTNES-BROWN
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Nature Conservation ◽  
National Park ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Artificial Feeding ◽  
Game Reserve ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This article examines conflict between farmers and elephants in the Addo region in 1910s–1930s South Africa to explore the porosity of the concepts ‘wild’, ‘tame’, and ‘domestic’, and their relationship to race, degeneration, nature conservation, and colonialism. In the 1910s, settler farmers indicted the ‘Addo Elephants’, as ‘vicious’ thieves who raided crops and ‘hunted’ farmers. This view conflicted with a widespread perception of elephants as docile, sagacious, and worthy of protection. Seeking to reconcile these views, bureaucrats were divided between exterminating the animals, creating a game reserve, and drawing upon the expertise of Indian mahouts to domesticate them. Ultimately, all three options were attempted: the population was decimated by hunter Phillip Jacobus Pretorius, an elephant reserve was created, the animals were tamed to ‘lose their fear of man’ and fed oranges. Despite the presence of tame elephants and artificial feeding, the reserve was publicized as a natural habitat, and a window onto the prehistoric. This was not paradoxical but provokes a need to rethink the relationship between wildness, tameness, and domesticity. These concepts were not implicitly opposed but existed on a spectrum paralleling imperialist hierarchies of civilization, race, and evolution, upon which tame elephants could still be considered wild.

scholarly journals Epidemiology and hypothetical transmission cycles of Trichinella infections in the Greater Kruger National Park of South Africa: an example of host-parasite interactions in an environment with minimal human interactions

Parasite ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Louis J. La Grange ◽  
Samson Mukaratirwa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Transmission Cycles ◽  
Sub Saharan

Knowledge on the epidemiology, host range and transmission of Trichinella spp. infections in different ecological zones in southern Africa including areas of wildlife-human interface is limited. The majority of reports on Trichinella infections in sub-Saharan Africa were from wildlife resident in protected areas. Elucidation of the epidemiology of the infections and the prediction of hosts involved in the sylvatic cycles within specific ecological niches is critical. Of recent, there have been reports of Trichinella infections in several wildlife species within the Greater Kruger National Park (GKNP) of South Africa, which has prompted the revision and update of published hypothetical transmission cycles including the hypothetical options based previously on the biology and feeding behaviour of wildlife hosts confined to the GKNP. Using data gathered from surveillance studies and reports spanning the period 1964–2019, confirmed transmission cycles and revised hypothesized transmission cycles of three known Trichinella species (T. zimbabwensis, Trichinella T8 and T. nelsoni) are presented. These were formulated based on the epidemiological factors, feeding habits of hosts and prevalence data gathered from the GKNP. We presume that the formulated sylvatic cycles may be extrapolated to similar national parks and wildlife protected areas in sub-Saharan Africa where the same host and parasite species are known to occur. The anecdotal nature of some of the presented data confirms the need for more intense epidemiological surveillance in national parks and wildlife protected areas in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa to unravel the epidemiology of Trichinella infections in these unique and diverse protected landscapes.

scholarly journals The brush-tailed gerbille gerbillurus vallinus in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park

Koedoe ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D.A. Schlitter ◽  
I.L. Rautenbach
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
National Park ◽  
The Other ◽  
Desert Rodent ◽  
Important Study ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Owl Pellets

As with many of the other national parks in the Republic of South Africa, an effort has been made to determine the species of small mammals in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (KGNP) (Rautenbach 1971; Rautenbach and Nel 1975). An additional feature of such species inventories has been the use of owl pellets to determine the occurrence of small mammals in a given area. This has been done in the KGNP as well as other parts of southern Africa (Davis 1958; Nel and Nolte 1965; Nel 1969; Vernon 1972; Coetzee 1972). Such inventories of species of small mammals are critical as the KGNP has become an important study site for desert rodent ecology (Nel 1967; Nel and Rautenbach 1974; Nel 1975; Nel and Rautenbach 1975).

scholarly journals The status of rhinoceroses in South African National Parks

Koedoe ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam M. Ferreira ◽  
Charlene Bissett ◽  
Carly R. Cowell ◽  
Angela Gaylard ◽  
Cathy Greaver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
The South ◽  
South Central ◽  
The Status ◽  
Annual Population ◽  
Block Based

African rhinoceroses (rhinos) experienced a poaching onslaught since 2008 with the epicentre in South Africa where most of the world’s rhinos occur. South African national parks, under the management of South African National Parks (SANParks), are custodian to 49% of South Africa’s white and 31% of the country’s black rhinos. We collated information on rhino population sizes in seven national parks from 2011 to 2015. We include and report on rhino surveys in Kruger National Park during 2014 and 2015. Southwestern black rhinos increased over the study period, which allows SANParks to achieve its contribution to South Africa’s 2020 target of 260 individuals. South-central black rhinos declined over the study period because of poaching in the Kruger National Park, making it difficult for SANParks to realise a 9% increase per annum for its expected contribution to the South African target of 2800 individuals. For southern white rhinos, SANParks requires 5% annual growth for its contribution to the South African target of 20 400 individuals. To continue to evaluate the achievement of these targets, SANParks needs annual population estimates relying on total counts, mark-recapture techniques and block-based sample counts to track trends in rhino populations. SANParks’ primary challenge in achieving its contribution to South Africa’s rhino conservation targets is associated with curbing poaching in Kruger National Park.Conservation implications: The status and trends of rhino species in SANParks highlight key challenges associated with achieving the national targets of South Africa. Conservation managers will need to improve the protection of southern white rhino, while the Department of Environmental Affairs need to be made aware of the challenges specifically associated with not achieving targets for south-central black rhino. Outcomes for south-western black rhino have already realised and the good conservation efforts should continue.

scholarly journals Factors Influencing the Seedling Establishment of Engelmann Spruce and Subalpine Fir

1981 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 28-33
Author(s):  
A. Knapp ◽  
W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Wildlife Management ◽  
National Park ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Subalpine Fir ◽  
Engelmann Spruce ◽  
Natural Fires ◽  
Management Objectives

Prescribed burning in U.S. National Parks has been employed as a substitute for natural fires to achieve vegetation and/or wildlife management objectives (Habeck 1970). One specific management objective in Glacier National Park (GNP) is the restoration of plant community diversity to pre-fire-suppression levels.

scholarly journals Another new bat record for the Kruger National Park

Koedoe ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
I.L Rautenbach
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
National Park ◽  
Board Of Trustees ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Reference Collection

In aid of a zoogeographical survey of the mammals of Transvaal, Republic of South Africa, the National Parks Board of Trustees kindly allowed the author to study the reference collection of small mammals from the Kruger National Park, during August 1974. This collection at Skukuza formed the basis of a checklist for smaller mammals of the Kruger National Park (Pienaar 1964, 1972).

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