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Evaluating ecological monitoring systems on Mabula Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa
Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010.
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University of Pretoria
2013
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| _version_ | 1867613543453425664 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Bothma, Jacobus du P. |
| author_browse | Bothma, Jacobus du P. |
| author_facet | Bothma, Jacobus du P. |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2009, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/29234 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:37:49.221Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publishDateRange | 2013 |
| publishDateSort | 2013 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/29234 Evaluating ecological monitoring systems on Mabula Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa Bothma, Jacobus du P. Van Rooyen, M.W. (Margaretha W.), 1950- samsmallwood@gmail.com Smallwood, Samuel South africa Limpopo Mabula game reserve UCTD Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010. Ecological monitoring is an integral part of the ecological active adaptive management of wildlife reserves. The present study was conducted as an initial trial of a holistic ecological monitoring programme for Mabula Game Reserve using three existing survey methods. The information gained after each monitoring period and relevant management decisions are: <ul> <li> Large herbivore monitoring: This monitoring system gave specific information on which vegetation community each of the types of large herbivores are utilising and selecting. This information was used in conjunction with the two vegetation monitoring systems and the wildlife count data to determine the stocking rate for each large herbivores on the reserve. If required, the populations can be increase or decreased, which was found to be necessary for browsers on Mabula Game Reserve.</li> <li> Herbaceous monitoring: This monitoring system provides information on the economic and ecological grazing capacity of the individual vegetation communities in terms of Grazing Units. The herbivore monitoring provides an estimation of the actual Grazing Units occurring in a vegetation community. The total stocking rate should be less than the economic grazing capacity (70% of the ecological grazing capacity).</li> <li> Woody monitoring: This monitoring system provides information on the economic and ecological browsing capacity of the individual vegetation communities in terms of Browser Units. The herbivore monitoring provides an estimation of the stocking rate of browsers occurring in a vegetation community, which should be less than the economic grazing capacity (70% of the cological grazing capacity).</li> </ul> The combination of all the results from the three survey methods provided information on the stocking rates for the different types of herbivores, which will ensure optimal wildlife production without diminishing the condition of the vegetation on the reserve. Long-term monitoring will enable the establishment of a large database which can be used to assess the ecological dynamics of the components covered in the holistic monitoring system over time. Changes in habitat selection of the large herbivore can be observed and patterns can be determined in relation to environmental variables such as rainfall. The long-term monitoring of the vegetations layers will provide information on changes in the plant species composition and the structure of the vegetation communities. This information can then be compared to the habitat selection of the large herbivore species and other environmental influence to gain information to help in the determining the cause of any observed changes. Copyright Animal and Wildlife Sciences unrestricted 2013-09-07T15:12:33Z 2010-03-01 2013-09-07T15:12:33Z 2009-09-02 2010-03-01 2010-02-16 Dissertation Smallwood, S 200, Evaluating ecological monitoring systems on Mabula Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa, MSc dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/29234 > E10/62/gm http://hdl.handle.net/2263/29234 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02162010-105501/ © 2009, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | South africa Limpopo Mabula game reserve UCTD Evaluating ecological monitoring systems on Mabula Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa |
| title | Evaluating ecological monitoring systems on Mabula Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa |
| title_full | Evaluating ecological monitoring systems on Mabula Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating ecological monitoring systems on Mabula Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating ecological monitoring systems on Mabula Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa |
| title_short | Evaluating ecological monitoring systems on Mabula Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa |
| title_sort | evaluating ecological monitoring systems on mabula game reserve limpopo south africa |
| topic | South africa Limpopo Mabula game reserve UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/29234 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02162010-105501/ |