Mammalian assemblages in Southern Mistbelt Forests of the northern Eastern Cape, and southern KwaZulu-Natal Provinces, South Africa, and their response to bordering land-use

Sosibo, Mbalenhle T.; Smith, David A. Ehlers; Smith, Yvette C. Ehlers; Gumede, S. Thobeka; Ngcobo, Samukelisiwe P.; Downs, Colleen T.

doi:10.1007/s42991-022-00243-5

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Our research highlighted the role of microhabitat structure in Southern Mistbelt Forest patches on the abundance of large and medium‐sized mammalian forest species present in these. We found that the large and medium‐sized mammalian forest species occurrences did vary significantly between sampling seasons; however, species richness remained the same (Sosibo et al, 2022; present study). The dry season had significantly more camera trap images of large and medium‐sized mammals than the wet season.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 48%

“…Our study areas included the disjunct Southern Mistbelt Forests of the northern Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu‐Natal Provinces, South Africa, at ~1000–1500 m a.s.l. Our study took place in three different forest cluster areas (uMthatha, Glengarry/Weza [termed iNgeli hereafter]) and Creighton; (Figure 1) with Southern Mistbelt Forest patches of varying size (5.75–718.28 ha) (Sosibo et al, 2022). The landscape structure in each study area consisted of a relatively large (>400 ha) ‘mainland’ patch, namely Nqadu in uMthatha (31°25′48.71″ S 28°45′12.33″ E, 548.70 ha), iNgeli in Glengarry/Weza (30°31′38.2″ S 29°41′33.2″ E, 568.94 ha) and Xgalingenwa in Creighton (29°58′34.91″ S 29°44′1.61″ E, 506.15 ha), with smaller satellite forest patches nearby them.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used infrared motion detection camera traps to monitor large and medium‐sized mammalian species' presence/absence at set camera trap locations (Sosibo et al, 2022). Locations were determined using a 400 m × 400 m systematic grid system overlaid onto Southern Mistbelt Forest patches in Arc GIS v10.5.1 (ESRI, 2017).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our study areas included the disjunct Southern Mistbelt Forests of the northern Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal Provinces, South Africa, at ~1000-1500 m a.s.l. Our study took place in three different forest cluster areas (uMthatha, Glengarry/Weza [termed iNgeli hereafter]) and Creighton; (Figure 1) with Southern Mistbelt Forest patches of varying size (5.75-718.28 ha) (Sosibo et al, 2022). (Mucina et al, 2006).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of microhabitat structure on large‐ and medium‐sized mammals in South African forests

Sosibo

Smith

et al. 2023

Afr J Ecol

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Microhabitats play a significant role in the persistence of mammalian species and communities. In South Africa, the forest biome is the smallest. It includes the naturally fragmented Southern Mistbelt Forest group, where little is known about contemporary mammalian assemblage dynamics concerning these forest's microhabitats. We determined the microhabitat characteristics that best explained mammalian species' presence and absence in these forests in the northern Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu‐Natal provinces. We deployed a minimum of 60 camera traps at any time for 24 h/day to monitor mammalian species' presence/absence. We recorded a habitat foliage profile within a 20 m radius around each camera trap. The species most often photographed were Tragelaphus scriptus and Cercopithecus albogularis labiatus, with the least photographed species being Leptailurus serval and Felis silvestris cafra. All mammalian species detected in our study had a negative association with bare ground. Cercopithecus albogularis labiatus, an arboreal species that requires a dense connecting canopy for movement, showed a positive association with crown closure. Our study highlighted that microhabitat variables: leaf litter, crown closure and grass cover played an important role in the presence and persistence of large and medium‐sized mammalian species that inhabit the Southern Mistbelt Forests, which benefits forest conservation management plans.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 48%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of microhabitat structure on large‐ and medium‐sized mammals in South African forests

Sosibo

Smith

et al. 2023

Afr J Ecol

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Heterogeneous conservation corridors of remnant vegetation protect biodiversity in South African timber mosaics

Samways,

Gaigher,

Deacon

et al. 2024

Biodivers Conserv

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It is urgent now to place greater emphasis on harmonising conservation of indigenous biodiversity with food and fibre production. This is especially important in countries like South Africa which support high levels of irreplaceable biodiversity. The local timber industry has responded to this challenge by retaining large-scale networks of conservation corridors of historic ecosystems in the forestry landscape. The corridors consist mostly of grassland, with patches of indigenous forest, thickets, wetlands, ponds, and rivers. The motivation is to future proof compositional and functional biodiversity for ecological resilience in these production environments in a rapidly changing world. We synthesise here the substantial evidentiary research on the effectiveness of conservation corridors in plantation forestry-dominated landscapes in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot. We focus on six emergent themes: 1. corridor dimensions, orientation, and connectivity, 2. heterogeneity at different spatial scales, 3. maintaining aquatic and terrestrial habitat quality in the conservation corridors, 4. biodiversity value of conservation corridors relative to protected areas, 5. the plantation matrix, and 6. assessment of corridor network performance. Results show the importance of prioritising large, high quality conservation corridors, especially those with a high number of natural features and variety of environmental conditions, both terrestrial and aquatic. Alien clearing, grazing control, and appropriate fire regimes should be prioritised in these corridors. Where possible we need to retain, restore, or replicate the natural ecological regimes. Overall, this conservation approach in commercial forestry landscapes helps to conserve indigenous biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, improves connectivity across afforested landscapes while also having sustainable timber production, thereby safeguarding the resilience of these working landscapes well into the future.

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Preserving large tracts of natural grassland promotes mammal species richness and occurrence in afforested areas

Pretorius

Wimberger²,

O’Riain

2023

Forest Ecology and Management

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Mammalian assemblages in Southern Mistbelt Forests of the northern Eastern Cape, and southern KwaZulu-Natal Provinces, South Africa, and their response to bordering land-use

Cited by 7 publications

References 76 publications

Influence of microhabitat structure on large‐ and medium‐sized mammals in South African forests

Influence of microhabitat structure on large‐ and medium‐sized mammals in South African forests

Heterogeneous conservation corridors of remnant vegetation protect biodiversity in South African timber mosaics

Preserving large tracts of natural grassland promotes mammal species richness and occurrence in afforested areas

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