Changing Wildlife Populations in Nairobi National Park and Adjoining Athi-Kaputiei Plains: Collapse of the Migratory Wildebeest

Abstract

Abstract:There is mounting concern about declines in wildlife populations in many protected areas in Africa. Migratory ungulates are especially vulnerable to impacts of changing land use outside protected areas on their abundance. Range compression may compromise the capacity of migrants to cope with climatic variation, and accentuate both competitive interactions and predation. We analyzed the population dynamics of 11 ungulate species within Kenya's Nairobi National Park, and compared them to those in the adjoining Athi-Kaputiei Plains, where human settlements and other developments had expanded. The migratory wildebeest decreased from almost 30,000 animals in 1978 to around 5,000 currently but the migratory zebra changed little regionally. Hartebeest, impala, eland, Thomson's gazelle, Grant's gazelle, waterbuck, warthog and giraffe numbers declined regionally, whereas buffalo numbers expanded. Bimonthly counts indicated temporary movements of several species beyond the unfenced park boundaries, especially during very wet years and that few wildebeest entered the park during the dry season following exceptionally wet conditions in 1998. Wildebeest were especially vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts in their wet season dispersal range on the plains. Deterioration in grassland conditions in the park following high rainfall plus lack of burning may have discouraged these animals from using the park as a dry season refuge. Our findings emphasise the interdependency between the park and the plains for seasonal wildlife movements, especially in exceptionally dry or wet years. To effectively conserve these ungulates, we recommend implementation of the new land-use plan for the Athi-Kaputiei Plains by the county government; expansion of the land leasing program for biodiversity payments; collecting poacher's snares; negotiation and enforcement of easements, allowing both wildlife and livestock to move through the Athi-Kaputiei Plains, providing incentives for conservation to landowners; and improving grassland conditions within the park through controlled burning so that more wildlife can gain protection there.

Herbivore Dynamics and Range Contraction in Kajiado County Kenya: Climate and Land Use Changes, Population Pressures, Governance, Policy and Human-wildlife Conflicts

“…We focus on the Eastern (Greater Amboseli) and Western Kajiado ecosystems because herbivore dynamics in the AthiKaputiei ecosystem have been recently documented Ogutu et al 2013;Said et al 2013). The Greater Amboseli ecosystem consists of the Amboseli (392 km 2 , 37°-37° 30' E, 2°30'-2° 45' S) and Chyulu Hills (465 km 2 ) National Parks and 19 surrounding Maasai group ranches, collectively covering about 6032 km 2 .…”

“…The landscape changes lead to human encroachment on wildlife habitats, escalating range degradation, fragmentation and loss and human-wildlife conflicts (Western & Nightingale 2003. Additional threats include escalating bushmeat hunting and commerce due to easy availability of firearms for poachers (Barnett 1997, Wato et al 2006, ineffective law enforcement and less rigorous prosecution of poachers by the Kenyan legal system (Kahumbu et al 2014), unregulated fencing (Okello & Kiringe 2004, Ogutu et al 2013, competition between wildlife and livestock and heavy reliance on natural resources due to widespread poverty (Parker & Smith 2001, Grieves-Cook 2011, Heath 2011. Corruption and mismanagement (Mburu 2004, Gichohi 2011, Kaka 2011, recurrent severe droughts and habitat desiccation due to rising temperatures (Altmann et al 2002;Ogutu et al 2008) further aggravate these threats.…”

Potential Impacts of Temperature Projections on Selected Large Herbivores in Savanna Ecosystem of Kenya

“…Historically, wildebeests have been affected by housing developments, land fragmentation through fencing and poaching activities especially in central plains and Athi-Kaputei plains [19]. Growth and escalation of land use developments coincided with the dramatic population declines and range contractions of the wildebeest [35]. In the Athi-Kaputiei ecosystem, the wildebeest migration between the Nairobi National Park and the adjoining AthiKaputiei Plains dropped by more than 90%, from over 30,000 in 1978 to below 2000 by 2011 due to ever-increasing urbanization, fencing, settlements, mining and other developments [19] [34].…”

Effect of piospheres on physio-chemical soil properties in the Southern Rangelands of Kenya

“…Temperatures range between 12°C and 34°C , are coolest from July to August and hottest from November to April. Both the minimum (by 1.81 ± 0.46°C between 1961 and 2013) and maximum (0.275°C annual difference between 1976 and 2001) temperatures are rising in the county (Ogutu et al 2013). The ratio of Fig.…”