Game viewing potential in a multi-use conservation area: a case study of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, Southern Africa
Date
2015-02-04
Authors
Pride, Roxanne S
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Three key objectives of transfrontier conservation are biodiversity conservation, local economic
development and the promotion of peace and cooperation across international borders
(Ramutsindela, 2004). Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA’s) may incorporate a variety of
conservation land uses, and comprise of both consumptive and non-consumptive uses of
wildlife (Hanks, 2003). It is critical that this mosaic of land uses is well managed and integrated
in order to meet the conservation and socio-economic goals of TFCA’s. One challenge is that
different conservation land use areas may have varying effects on wildlife. This study aims to
further our understanding of these effects in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park of South
Africa and Mozambique.
The research uses the behavioural responses of wildlife as a way of determining the tolerance of
wildlife to potentially disturbing activities. Four different conservation land use areas, namely
trophy hunting, communal land, photographic tourism and exclusive photographic tourism were
studied and compared in and around the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, southern Africa. The
aim of this study was to firstly establish the diversity of mammals and the frequency of mammal
sightings within each conservation land use area, and secondly, assess the response behaviour
of five mammal species to an approaching vehicle. K-means cluster analysis was used on both
the mammal sightings data and the response behaviour data in order to determine key
influencing variables.
Throughout the study period, the mammal diversity and frequency of mammal sightings were
the highest in the private ecotourism concession, followed by the national park, and then the
trophy hunting reserve and lastly communal land. The behavioural responses displayed by the
five study mammals (African elephant, African buffalo, impala, chacma baboon and Burchell’s
zebra) also varied considerably between the four conservation land use areas. The lowest
response indexes and least number of flight responses occurred in the national park, followed
by the private ecotourism concession, and conversely, a higher average initial response index
and a greater occurrence of flight responses occurring in the trophy hunting reserve and
communal land. According to the findings from the cluster analyses, the type of conservation
land use impacts on the sighting potential and sighting quality of mammals, but so do
iii
topographical differences and seasons. These results can help in the management of each
conservation land use area on its own and as an integrated part of a TFCA.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science.