Status of the Swayne’s Hartebeest, (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) meta-population under land cover changes in Ethiopian Protected Areas

Mamo, Yosef; Mengesha, Girma; Fetene, Aramede; Shale, Kefyalew; Girma, Mezemir

doi:10.5897/ijbc12.024

Cited by 22 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, in this study based on the 2013 count, the total population of the endangered Swayne's hartebeest which was considered as a keystone species for the establishment of Nech Sar National Park, was only four (4) individuals, with one adult male and three adult females. According to the historical data as compiled by Kelboro and Stellmacher (2012), the population of Swayne's hartebeest has significantly decreased between the periods of 1970 and 2013 (r 2 = 0.91; p < 0.01) from 130 individuals in 1967 (Blower 1968), to 100 in 1972 (Bolton 1973), to 40 in 1992 (Duckworth et al 1992), to 35 in 2008(Vymyslicka et al 2010Datiko and Bekele 2011), to 12 in 2010 (Mamo et al 2012), to four (4) in 2012 and locally extinct between 2017 and 2018 based on the Nech Sar National Park Office information as there is no record on this species in the past 3 years. Therefore, a significant decline in the trend and inexistent of Swayne's hartebeest from the Nech Sar National Park is an indicator for the serious threat of the habitat and associated degradation of the wildlife due to anthropogenic landscape disturbance in the past couple of years.…”

Section: Impacts Of Anthropogenic Activities On Terrestrial Large Mammentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of anthropogenic landscape change on the abundance and habitat use of terrestrial large mammals of Nech Sar National Park

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Landscape change and disturbance are major challenges of wildlife management worldwide. The purpose of this study is to determine the impacts of anthropogenic landscape disturbances on the abundance and habitat use of terrestrial large mammals of Nech Sar National Park. Disturbance of natural habitats for 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2013 was analyzed using descriptive metrics of different landscapes at the class level. Population estimates of large terrestrial mammals were conducted using the line-transect method. Data were collected on the distribution and abundance of human settlement, domestic animals' sightings and livestock Karel using field observation and Google Earth digital image. Result: The results have shown that anthropogenic disturbances lead to changes in the size, number, distance, spatial distribution and configuration of fragments in the natural habitats between 1985 and 2013. The highest anthropogenic impacts are detected on the forest and grassland habitats through fuelwood and construction wood collection, settlement and overgrazing. Large concentrations of settlement with grass-roofed and tin-roofed houses are observed in the grassland and wooded grassland habitats. Out of the recorded 1079 houses built within the park, 867 (80.4%) were mud and wood wall with grass-roofed and 212 (19.6%) were tin-roofed houses. The ratio of tin-roofed and grass-roofed houses is 0.24:1 which suggests the permanency of human settlement and the high intensity of human impact on the wildlife. About 771 cattle Karels were recorded with the ratio of Karel to house as 0.89:1 which indicates that households have at least one Karel near to their residence. These habitat disturbances have resulted in the decline of key wildlife species in Nech Sar National Park. For instance, the population of Grant's zebra (Equus quagga) has decreased from 6500 in 1985 to 2161 in this study based on the 2013 count. The population of Swayne's hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) has significantly decreased in the past decades from 40 in 1992 to 35 in 2008, to 12 in 2010, to four (4) in 2013 and locally extinct between 2017 and 2018 based on the Nech Sar National Park office information. Conclusions: Human activities in the Nech Sar National Park are the root causes for the decline of key wildlife species particularly for the loss of Swayne's hartebeest in the park over the past three decades. These changes are mainly related to habitat loss and habitat fragmentation due to deforestation, livestock overgrazing and residential expansion (tin-roofed, grass-roofed houses). Therefore, the main priority in Nech Sar National Park should be designing management strategies to restore the park as a fully functioning sustainable ecosystem and ensuring the social and economic sustainability of the local community. This intervention can be addressed by creating other means of livelihood,

show abstract

Section: Impacts Of Anthropogenic Activities On Terrestrial Large Mammentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of anthropogenic landscape change on the abundance and habitat use of terrestrial large mammals of Nech Sar National Park

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The findings of the present study highlights the importance of fire as a potential habitat management tool for effective conservation of Swayne's Hartebeest population in Senkelle Sanctuary, perhaps due to its effect on the growth of new grass and increased forage species diversity (Abiot Hailu, 2013). However, given that fire is also one major environmental factor that could cause undesirable effects to ecosystems and it favors the growth and establishment of invasive alien species and encroachment of indigenous bush species (Tewodros Kumssa;2006;Wondimagegnehu Tekalign and Afework Bekele, 2011;Yosef Mamo et al, 2012). These results should have be seen carefully as fire in the area is usually set by locals without appropriate plan and design.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Swayne’s Hartebeest to Fire-induced Habitat Change in Senkelle Sanctuary, Ethiopia

Hailu¹,

Gure²,

Mengesha³

et al. 2016

Sci. Technol. Arts Res. J.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fire disturbance is one principal conservation tool to improve wildlife habitat savanna ecosystems, but it can also have the opposite effect if unregulated as it favors the growth and establishment of invasive alien species and bush encroachment by indigenous species. The main aim of the present study was to examine the res Swayne's Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei Ethiopian endemic subspecies to fire-induced habitat disturbance in Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary. We specifically assessed how the abundances of the species differ between fire-burnt (hereafter referred to as disturbed sites) and unburnt (hereafter referred to as undisturbed) sites across season, and how their responses coincide with that of some co-existing mammal species. Both disturbance and season, as well thei interaction had statistically significant effects on mean number of individuals of Swayne's hartebeest; disturbed sites had greater number of individuals than undisturbed sites and greater mean number was recorded during wet season compared to dry season. This trend was also revealed when different age categories of the species were separately considered. The findings of this study highlights the importance of fire as a potential habitat management tool for effective conservation of Swayne's Hartebeest population in Senkelle Sanctuary, perhaps due to its effect on the growth of new grass and increased forage species diversity. However, this result should be interpreted cautiously as fire in the area are often unplanned and set illegally by local people. Although we suggest that regulated/planned burning of the habitat is needed for effective conservation of this globally threatened, endemic subspecies, application of fires should be conducted based on adequate knowledge (i.e. using the results of experimentally executed studies as a guide) of the frequency and severity of fire required to get optimum outcome. AbstractArticle Information

show abstract

“…Maze National Park, Ethiopia, weighing between 100 to 200 kg [47]. It was once widely distributed in Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti [48], but currently its range is confined to Ethiopia [49][50][51] and listed as endangered sub-species by IUCN Red list [52]. In our recent study, we documented the largest…”

Section: Swayne's Hartebeest (Alcelaphus Buselaphus Swaynei) Is One Omentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of season and post-fire on habitat preferences of the endangered Swayne’s hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) in Maze National Park, Ethiopia

Tamrat

Atickem

Tsegaye

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The availability of preferred habitats determines the spatial and temporal distribution of herbivores in savanna ecosystems. Understanding habitat preference of a targeted wildlife species is crucial for developing effective conservation strategies. Habitat preference of large grazers in connection to grass height and post-fire effect has been debated for the last century. Here, we examined the effects of season, grass height and burning on the habitat preference on Swayne's hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) in Maze National Park. Data for seasonal habitat selection were collected using both direct observation along established transect lines and pellet counting using permanently established plots. Every month, we measured grass height commonly preferred by Swayne's hartebeest in grassland habitat. Starting from the first week of burning, we recorded the abundance of Swayne's hartebeest in both burned and unburned grassland patches.Results: From detected pellets, 94.3% were recorded in the grassland habitat indicating that other habitat types are less used despite their extensive cover > 50% of the Park. During wet and early dry seasons, Swayne's hartebeest exclusively preferred grassland habitat. We found that 85.2% (n=1,079) and 85.3% (n=593) of individuals observed in areas with a grass height below 30 cm during wet and early dry seasons, respectively; while 70.9% (n=2,288) preferred grass height below 30 cm during the dry season. The density of Swayne's hartebeest in burned grassland area was higher than unburned grassland areas up to 150 days since burning. However, in unburned grassland areas, the density was initially low but showed increasing trend for consecutive days, reaching similar density with burned areas after 150 days since burning. Conclusion: Swayne's hartebeest exclusively preferred grassland habitat, particularly during wet and early dry seasons, shortest available grass height in all seasons and were attracted to burned grassland areas. Our results suggested that fire played an important role in maintaining habitat quality in grassland, and that management should continue using controlled burning as a tool for the conservation of Swayne's hartebeest. However, we remain cautious of our findings given the paucity of information regarding other confounding factors and the absence of long-term data on fire disturbance.

show abstract

Status of the Swayne’s Hartebeest, (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) meta-population under land cover changes in Ethiopian Protected Areas

Cited by 22 publications

References 9 publications

The effects of anthropogenic landscape change on the abundance and habitat use of terrestrial large mammals of Nech Sar National Park

The effects of anthropogenic landscape change on the abundance and habitat use of terrestrial large mammals of Nech Sar National Park

Response of Swayne’s Hartebeest to Fire-induced Habitat Change in Senkelle Sanctuary, Ethiopia

The effect of season and post-fire on habitat preferences of the endangered Swayne’s hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) in Maze National Park, Ethiopia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About