Kruger National Park
Scientific Services
Elephant Effects on Biodiversity: An Assessment of Current Knowledge and Understanding as a Basis for Elephant Management in SANParks
1. Introduction to the Workshop - Danie Pienaar
In May of 1995 South African National Parks took a decision to put a moratorium on the culling of elephants in national parks under its management after a public discussion on the matter. South African National Parks (SANParks) has not implemented measures to control elephant populations in national parks for the last ten years, which has led to concern that the expanding populations may cause biodiversity losses, and may also pose a risk to communities adjoining certain parks. In recent months there have been repeated speculations regarding the consequences of this decision on efficient management of the elephant populations and the possible loss of biodiversity in all national parks in which elephants occur... Read More
2. Background Information:
Elephant Density and Distribution Patterns in the Kruger National Park - Sandra Mac Fadyen
The identification of naturally occurring high and low density elephant areas or “hotspots” should be an important component in the development of a Kruger National Park (KNP) Elephant Management Policy. KNP elephant distribution and density patterns over a 20 year period, 1985-2004, indicates differences between herd and bull groups. The 20-year average identifies general high and low density areas. No clear relationship was discovered between the distribution and density of water and elephant movements at the park-wide scale. This however, can be explained by the high densities of naturally and artificially occurring surface water throughout the KNP... Journal article in prep.
African Elephant Distribution in the Addo Elephant and Marakele National Parks - Guy Castley
Since the park was established in 1931 and fenced in 1954 the number of elephant have been increasing at a rate nearing 6% per annum. In 2003 56 elephant were translocated to the north of the existing elephant camp by herding selected family units across the intervening road and rail line. The figures below do not show these distributions since the elephant have only been present in this area for approximately 1.5 years and their density is currently in the region of 0.44 elephant / km2... Read More
3. Introduction to the use of Frameworks for Knowledge Management and Conflict Resolution - Angela Gaylard
The ideas for this introduction are based largely on a manuscript currently in review: Gaylard, A., M.L. Cadenasso and S.T.A. Pickett. In review. Heterogeneity shaped by African elephants in semi-arid savannas: the significance of space and scale. Submitted to BioScience.
There is a long history of conflicting opinion regarding elephant management issues in Africa. However, although a large amount of elephant research has been carried out over the last few decades, there have been few attempts to synthesize a common understanding of the role of elephants in savanna ecosystems, placing elephants and their activities in context of all other components processes and scales... Read More
4. Ecosystem Resources Influencing Elephant Populations: History of the KNP Elephant Population - Ian Whyte
The increase in the population up to 1967 are summarised in Table 1 along with the nature of the estimate and the source reference. It is clear from this that the increase between the years 1960 and 1967 could not have been due to biological increase alone. It is likely that the estimated totals prior to 1967 were under-estimates and that the first aerial census yielded a result much closer to the actual figure, suggesting the apparent massive increase over this period. It is unlikely that any of the estimates prior to 1967 have any real value compared with the latter ones using aerial census techniques. A second curve has been fitted to the graph by eye which is likely to resemble the actual population increase more closely. This would reflect biological increase and immigration from the neighbouring territories (Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) and Mozambique) as well... Read More
5. Elephant Effects on Vegetation: Changes in Vegetation in the KNP Related to Elephant Activity - Michelle Hofmeyer and Holger Eckhardt
Elephants are major agents of change and are often indicated as those large herbivores possessing the ability of changing entire ecosystems in terms of vegetation structure and composition, thereby affecting a whole series of other ecosystem components as well. The exclusive role of elephants as agents of change could thus far not be completely isolated from the multitude of factors involved in ecosystem dynamics... Read More
6. The Effect of Fire and Elephant on Vegetation: Summary of the Current KNP Fire Management Policy - Navashni Govender
The fire management system being proposed for the Kruger National Park must satisfy the Park’s recently revamped ecosystem objectives, which stress heterogeneity over space and time. The current intended lightning-driven system meant to achieve this, but proved to be dominated instead by fires caused by illegal immigrants. This led to revision, which was well underway before the tragic fire of 4th September 2001, an event, which served to help unify relationships between this, and KNP fire security policies... Read More
7. Elephant Impacts on Biodiversity: Status of Biodiversity Research in the KNP - Rina Grant, Andrew Deacon, Chris Margules, Liz Poon
A major theme of the current KNP Management Plan is biodiversity. The biodiversity objective includes a major ‘ecosystem objective’, which in turn is broken down into atmospheric ecosystem, aquatic ecosystem, terrestrial ecosystem and the impact of alien species objectives. Research and management objectives need a description of biodiversity as it is and as a benchmark against which to measure the success or failure of research and management programs. This success or failure is tested against this biodiversity benchmark with a monitoring program... Read More
8. The Interaction between the Provision of Artifical Water. Elephant and Biodiversity: Water-Provision in the KNP - Danie Pienaar
When the Sabie Game Reserve was proclaimed in 1898 and the Shingwedzi Game Reserve in 1903, there were no artificial water impoundments in what is now the Kruger National Park. Game numbers were low as a result of persistent hunting and the great rinderpest epidemic of 1896. The vegetation structure was also different from the present with for instance open grassy plains in the Pretoriuskop area and extensive stands of tall mlala palm trees (Hyphene natalensis) on the northern basalt plains, certain differences which we interpret as being the result of human influence at that time... Read More
9. Considerations for the Compilation of an Elephant Management Policy: History of the KNP Elephant Culling Policies - Ian Whyte
In 1967, annual aerial censusing of the population as well as population control (culling) were initiated. This signalled the start of the “Management era” during which the policy was to hold the population at a level of around 7 000. The artificial control of elephant numbers in the KNP had been discussed among staff as far back as at least the early 1940's. During the 1950's and early 1960's there was a growing feeling among some biologists in Africa that elephant numbers should be controlled to prevent habitat change. Beuchner et al. (1963) concluded that in Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda) 4.5 - 5.5 elephants/mile? was exceeding the carrying capacity and that "their numbers must be regulated to avoid damage to the vegetation and for the future welfare of the population of elephants"... Read More
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