Hippopotamus population trends in Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa, from 1951 to 2021

Understanding population trends is important when managing wildlife in protected areas. The common hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius (hereafter hippo), is an iconic African species that, in South Africa, is mainly restricted to protected areas. Ndumo Game Reserve (NGR), South Africa, was establis...

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Autores principales:	Camille J. Fritsch, Cathariné Hanekom, Colleen T. Downs
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Elsevier 2021
Materias:	Hippo UAV Drone Census Large mammal conservation Population dynamics Ecology QH540-549.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/296137694114499594cb63ef061a15d9
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:296137694114499594cb63ef061a15d92021-11-14T04:33:23ZHippopotamus population trends in Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa, from 1951 to 20212351-989410.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01910https://doaj.org/article/296137694114499594cb63ef061a15d92021-12-01T00:00:00Zhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989421004601https://doaj.org/toc/2351-9894Understanding population trends is important when managing wildlife in protected areas. The common hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius (hereafter hippo), is an iconic African species that, in South Africa, is mainly restricted to protected areas. Ndumo Game Reserve (NGR), South Africa, was established as a sanctuary for hippos in 1924. However, NGR and its hippo population are under increased anthropogenic threat, outlining the importance of long-term and current data on hippo population dynamics. We collated census data from 1951 to 2021 to identify trends in hippo population numbers. We also conducted monthly unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) censuses from August 2016- July 2017 to identify changes in the distribution of hippos in the most important water bodies in NGR. Historical census data were collected using a variety of methods, and observed trends revealed a decrease in the hippo population in the past 40 years. Monthly census data from 2016 to 2017 revealed that wading locations in NGR hold differing values as wading sites, with 85–95% of the population using the uSuthu and Phongolo Rivers and associated floodplains. Areas in NGR experiencing the greatest anthropogenic land invasions are also the areas that represent the best hippo habitat in NGR. We, therefore, recommend that the conservation management authority, sections of the South African government like the Department of Land Affairs and local communities work together to reinstate the boundary of NGR to protect hippo and other wildlife in this important protected area.Camille J. FritschCathariné HanekomColleen T. DownsElsevierarticleHippoUAVDroneCensusLarge mammal conservationPopulation dynamicsEcologyQH540-549.5ENGlobal Ecology and Conservation, Vol 32, Iss , Pp e01910- (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Hippo UAV Drone Census Large mammal conservation Population dynamics Ecology QH540-549.5
spellingShingle	Hippo UAV Drone Census Large mammal conservation Population dynamics Ecology QH540-549.5 Camille J. Fritsch Cathariné Hanekom Colleen T. Downs Hippopotamus population trends in Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa, from 1951 to 2021
description	Understanding population trends is important when managing wildlife in protected areas. The common hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius (hereafter hippo), is an iconic African species that, in South Africa, is mainly restricted to protected areas. Ndumo Game Reserve (NGR), South Africa, was established as a sanctuary for hippos in 1924. However, NGR and its hippo population are under increased anthropogenic threat, outlining the importance of long-term and current data on hippo population dynamics. We collated census data from 1951 to 2021 to identify trends in hippo population numbers. We also conducted monthly unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) censuses from August 2016- July 2017 to identify changes in the distribution of hippos in the most important water bodies in NGR. Historical census data were collected using a variety of methods, and observed trends revealed a decrease in the hippo population in the past 40 years. Monthly census data from 2016 to 2017 revealed that wading locations in NGR hold differing values as wading sites, with 85–95% of the population using the uSuthu and Phongolo Rivers and associated floodplains. Areas in NGR experiencing the greatest anthropogenic land invasions are also the areas that represent the best hippo habitat in NGR. We, therefore, recommend that the conservation management authority, sections of the South African government like the Department of Land Affairs and local communities work together to reinstate the boundary of NGR to protect hippo and other wildlife in this important protected area.
format	article
author	Camille J. Fritsch Cathariné Hanekom Colleen T. Downs
author_facet	Camille J. Fritsch Cathariné Hanekom Colleen T. Downs
author_sort	Camille J. Fritsch
title	Hippopotamus population trends in Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa, from 1951 to 2021
title_short	Hippopotamus population trends in Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa, from 1951 to 2021
title_full	Hippopotamus population trends in Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa, from 1951 to 2021
title_fullStr	Hippopotamus population trends in Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa, from 1951 to 2021
title_full_unstemmed	Hippopotamus population trends in Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa, from 1951 to 2021
title_sort	hippopotamus population trends in ndumo game reserve, south africa, from 1951 to 2021
publisher	Elsevier
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/296137694114499594cb63ef061a15d9
work_keys_str_mv	AT camillejfritsch hippopotamuspopulationtrendsinndumogamereservesouthafricafrom1951to2021 AT catharinehanekom hippopotamuspopulationtrendsinndumogamereservesouthafricafrom1951to2021 AT colleentdowns hippopotamuspopulationtrendsinndumogamereservesouthafricafrom1951to2021
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Hippopotamus population trends in Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa, from 1951 to 2021

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