wildlife/livestock interface in a semi-arid savanna of Southern Africa (original) (raw)
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Waterhole use patterns at the wildlife/livestock interface in a semi-arid savanna of Southern Africa
Based on wildlife and domestic herbivore waterhole use count data collected in the South Eastern Lowveld of Zimbabwe between 2008 and 2011, we tested whether there was any significant overlap by wild and domestic herbivores in the use of waterholes located; 1) inside a wildlife protected area, 2) at the boundary of the protected and agricultural areas and 3) in the agricultural areas. We also explored whether species diversity at these three land uses vary significantly. Our results showed overlap in place and time between wild and domestic herbivores especially in the use of waterholes located at the boundary of the protected areas and at one waterhole located in the agricultural areas. Results also indicated that overall, 95% of wild herbivores prefered using waterholes located inside the protected area.Results of this study further demonstrated that animal species diversity declines significantly along a gradient from protected areas to agricultural areas. Overall, results of this study imply that the current emerging disease interface between wildlife and livestock may not necessarily be due to direct physical interaction between disease reservoir hosts or even sharing of same waterholes at the same time but rather an indirect contact. These findings could provide an important avenue of investigating livestock and wildlife disease outbreaks at the domestic -wildlife interface which are disturbing current efforts to improve livestock production as well as biodiversity conservation in African savannas.
2014
This thesis is dedicated to the most important people in my life. They have been pillars of support throughout my life. To my wife Portie, for your patience and support, you have always been there for me. To my son, Kuitakwashe for the long days I was never there to see you grow to be the sweet, handsome little 'angel' you are today. To my mother and my departed father, the seeds which you painfully sowed are now beginning to bear fruits. iii Declaration 1: Originality By submitting this Master of Philosophy thesis to the University of Zimbabwe, I, Mark Zvidzai declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my original work and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. I further declare that all sources cited or quoted are indicated by means of a comprehensive list of references.
Preventive veterinary medicine, 2012
One of the most important transboundary animal diseases (TADs) in the southern African region is foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). In this region, a pathway for spread of FMD virus is contacts between cattle and certain species of wildlife. The objective of this study was to evaluate contacts between cattle and wildlife in the Kruger National Park (KNP) and the adjacent Limpopo province for the time periods October 2006 to March 2007 and April to September 2007. In this study, 87 livestock owners and 57 KNP field rangers were interviewed. Fifteen (17%) livestock owners reported contacts between wildlife and cattle. More livestock owners reported observing contacts between cattle and all wildlife species during October-March than April-September (p=0.012). However, no difference was found between these periods for contacts between cattle and individual wildlife species. A total of 18 (32%) field rangers reported contacts between cattle and wildlife. The most common species-specific conta...
PloS one, 2016
The spatial structuring of populations or communities is an important driver of their functioning and their influence on ecosystems. Identifying the (in)stability of the spatial structure of populations is a first step towards understanding the underlying causes of these structures. Here we studied the relative importance of spatial vs. interannual variability in explaining the patterns of abundance of a large herbivore community (8 species) at waterholes in Hwange National Park (Zimbabwe). We analyzed census data collected over 13 years using multivariate methods. Our results showed that variability in the census data was mostly explained by the spatial structure of the community, as some waterholes had consistently greater herbivore abundance than others. Some temporal variability probably linked to Park-scale migration dependent on annual rainfall was noticeable, however. Once this was accounted for, little temporal variability remained to be explained, suggesting that other fact...
2003
After the eradication of the Tse-Tse fly in the Mid-Zambezi valley, human settlements and fields extended mainly along the main rivers. In order to investigate the consequences of this human development on wildlife diversity we monitored three rivers of the Mid-Zambezi valley in Zimbabwe: Angwa, Manyame and Kadzi. The rivers were divided in segments of 200 m which were checked for spoors in order to assess the number of species and the number of individuals that used the segments. Human settlements were also recorded. We used a GIS to define the spatial characteristics of the fields present along the rivers, and related them to the distribution and abundance of wild species spoors in the river beds and banks. Our results show that the number of species in one segment of the river decreased with the increasing size of the field area bordering the segment. For all the major ungulate species, the numbers of individuals recorded per segment decreased with increasing field area. A similar trend was observed for small and medium-sized carnivores, though they were in lower numbers when present. Our analyses thus confirm that the extension of human agriculture in wildlife areas has an impact on most wild species, but we also define some threshold value of field size above which there seem to be an acceleration of the decrease in wildlife density and diversity: 3.2 ha for medium and small herbivores and carnivores; only the elephant seem to tolerate larger field area with a threshold value of 32 ha.
1. African savannas are complex socio-ecological systems with diverse wild and domestic her-bivore assemblages, which adapt spatially to intra-and interannual variation in forage quantity and quality, predation and disease risks. 2. As African savannas become increasingly fragmented by growing human populations and their associated ecological impacts, adaptive foraging options for wild and domestic herbivore populations are correspondingly limited, resulting in declining wildlife populations and impoverished pastoral societies. In addition, competition for grazing by expanding domestic herbivore populations threatens the viability of wild herbivore populations occupying similar grazing niches. 3. Conservation initiatives are further impacted by conflicts between wildlife and local communities of people who often receive little benefit from adjacent protected areas, creating conflict between the livelihood-orientated goals of communities and the conservation-oriented goals of the international community and those with vested interests in wildlife. Conservation strategies facilitating the alignment of these opposing goals of communities and conservation-ists are needed. 4. Synthesis and applications. Key to understanding facilitative and competitive interactions between wild and domestic herbivores are the concepts of niche differentiation and functional resource heterogeneity. Uncontrolled incursions of burgeoning domestic herbivore populations into protected areas (PAs) threaten the conservation of wild herbivore biodiversity. However, domestic herbivores can be managed to minimize competition with wild herbivores and to enhance habitat by maximizing grassland structural heterogeneity (greater adaptive foraging options), creation of nutrient hotspots in the landscape and facilitation of high-quality grazing. Ecosystem service benefits to communities through controlled access to grazing resources in PAs, associated with appropriate disease management, can provide a conservation payment to promote communities' support of conservation of key wildlife migratory ranges and corridors outside PAs.
Relationship between burden of infection in ungulate populations and wildlife/livestock interfaces
Epidemiology and Infection, 2013
SUMMARYIn southern African transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs), people, livestock and wildlife share space and resources in semi-arid landscapes. One consequence of the coexistence of wild and domestic herbivores is the risk of pathogen transmission. This risk threatens local livelihoods relying on animal production, public health in the case of zoonoses, national economies in the context of transboundary animal diseases, and the success of integrated conservation and development initiatives. The level of interaction between sympatric wild and domestic hosts, defining different wildlife/livestock interfaces, characterizes opportunities of pathogen transmission between host populations. Exploring the relationship between infection burden and different types of wildlife/domestic interfaces is therefore necessary to manage the sanitary risk in animal populations through control options adapted to these multi-host systems. Here, we assessed the infection burdens of sympatric domest...
African Journal of Wildlife Research, 2018
Artificial waterholes are a widely used, yet contested wildlife management practice in semi-arid environments. We evaluated wildlife water provisioning at four artificial waterholes in the southern region of the Kruger National Park. We documented daily waterhole visitation patterns of mammals during the wet and dry seasons using camera-traps. We recorded 26 mammal species at the waterholes, with African elephants (Loxodonta africana) and impalas (Aepyceros melampus) being the most abundant. We used generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) to determine which variables (season, time of day, water quality, and the presence of carnivores or elephants) would affect animal visitation. Waterhole visitation patterns differed according to time of day, but this effect remained relatively constant between seasons. More animals visited waterholes in the dry season compared to the wet season. Carnivore presence negatively affected impala abundance. Elephant presence did not affect impala and white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) visits to waterholes. Water quality also appeared to play a role in determining animal abundance. Based on our results, though obtained from a limited sample size, we suggest some management practices to be considered when deciding which waterholes should be closed down or left open.
Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2013
Diseases transmitted between wildlife and livestock may have significant impacts on local farmers" health, livestock health and productivity, overall national economies, and conservation initiatives, such as Transfrontier Conservation Areas in Southern Africa. However, little is known on local farmers" awareness of the potential risks, and how they perceive the role played by wildlife in the epidemiology of these diseases. We investigated the knowledge base regarding livestock diseases of local cattle owners living at the periphery of conservation areas within the Great Limpopo TFCA and the Kavango-Zambezi TFCA in Zimbabwe, using free-listing and semi-structured questionnaires during dipping sessions. The results suggest that information related to cattle diseases circulates widely between cattle farmers, including between different socio-cultural groups, using English and vernacular languages. Most respondents had an accurate perception of the epidemiology of diseases affecting their livestock, and their perception of the potential role played by wildlife species was usually in agreement with current state of veterinary knowledge. However, we found significant variations in the ranking of livestock diseases between sites, and owners" perceptions were not directly related with the local abundance of wildlife. In contrast, awareness of zoonotic risks and of the potential increase in TADs with the establishment of TFCAs, seemed low. We recommend the establishment of a One health program, including information and awareness on zoonotic diseases, with increased participation of communities at a local level in the prioritization of disease control and surveillance.