Abstract

Human land use such as pastoralism may be a key determinant of wildlife populations. We studied the influence of land use on wildlife and livestock in south-western Kalahari, Botswana, during the wet and dry seasons. We included two types of livestock areas and two types of wildlife protection areas. Wild and domestic mammals >0.2 kg were sampled by distance technique. Small mammals <0.2 kg were trapped and a vegetation survey was performed. Livestock and some medium-sized wildlife species were most abundant in livestock areas, while large-sized wildlife species were mainly restricted to wildlife areas. Most red-listed species were confined to the national park. The influence of land use on abundances changed moderately between seasons. However, cattle moved into wildlife areas during the wet season. Differences in species richness and diversity were most pronounced during the dry season. The trapping frequency of small mammals was highest in the national park. Differences in vegetation structure included sparser field layer and higher cover of an invasive shrub in livestock areas. Our study shows the importance of protected areas for many wildlife species in the Kalahari. It also shows the value of a multi-species approach for investigating the effects of land use on wildlife communities. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Africa; Carnivore; Distance; Herbivore; Mammal; Ostrich; Savanna

Published in

Journal of Arid Environments
2009, Volume: 73, number: 3, pages: 314-321

SLU Authors

• Wallgren, Märtha

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Bergström, Roger

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Forestry Research Institute of Sweden, Skogforsk

• Danell, Kjell

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss


UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2008.09.019

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/22304