4.5 Article

Assessing Distribution Patterns and the Relative Abundance of Reintroduced Large Herbivores in the Limpopo National Park, Mozambique

期刊

DIVERSITY-BASEL
卷 13, 期 10, 页码 -

出版社

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/d13100456

关键词

camera trap; colonization; distribution patterns; relative abundance; ecological parameters; habitat types; large herbivores reintroduction; Limpopo National Park; Old Sanctuary

资金

  1. German Development Bank (KFW).

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This study conducted a systematic assessment of large herbivore communities in Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, finding that species richness decreased with distance of resettlement, and relative abundance index was linked with habitat features. The response patterns of herbivores suggest that the park is already in an intermediate stage of restoration.
This study is the first systematic assessment of large herbivore (LH) communities in Limpopo National Park (LNP) in Mozambique, an area where most LH species were extinct until the early 2000s. We investigate whether LH community parameters are linked with the availability of habitat types or the distance between sampling sites and the origin of LH resettlement. We placed camera traps in five habitat types in resettled and not-resettled areas to compare species richness, relative abundance index, grazers-browsers-mixed feeder and naive occupancy of 15 LH species. While the richness decreased along the distance gradient of LH resettlement, relative abundance index strongly responded to habitat features. The grazer-browser-mixed feeder ratio oscillated, while from resettled to not-resettled areas, the ratio increased. Most species show a wide distribution range. The associations of most LH community parameters with habitat types rather than distance to initial release, together with the species-specific and guild-specific response patterns of LH, suggest LNP to already be in an intermediate stage of restoration. Our results highlight the importance of post-release monitoring of reintroduced wildlife as a tool to assess the success of ecological restoration initiatives in transboundary conservation areas.

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