BRIDGING THE GAP FOR VERVET MONKEYS
Courtney Maiden, EWT’s Wildlife and Transport Programme student, 64083152@mylifeunisaac.onmicrosoft.com
Gaps caused in the forest canopy cover from linear infrastructure, such as roads, force arboreal species to come down to the ground and face threats such as wildlife-vehicle collisions. Wildlife crossing structures, such as canopy bridges, have been installed in many countries to reduce the impact of roads and enhance habitat connectivity for tree-dwelling species. The Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) is one of the arboreal species subjected to daily vehicle collisions throughout South Africa.
In an attempt to reduce mortalities, EWT student Courtney Maiden is designing and testing Vervet Monkey-specific canopy bridges in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, with an end goal of installing wildlife-friendly bridges in roadkill hotspots across the country. By interrogating proposed designs and methodologies to establish a preferred Vervet Monkey crossing structure design, effective roadkill mitigation processes and species management plans can be established by integrating a simple yet potentially effective design to minimise wildlife-vehicle collisions, encourage habitat connectivity, and ensure the viability of Vervet Monkey populations. This work is being done in collaboration with the University of South Africa and the University of Wisconsin.
GOING BOSSIES
Bonnie Schumann, EWT’s Drylands Conservation Programme, Senior Field Officer, bonnies@ewt.org.za
The EWT Drylands Conservation Programme, in partnership with the Grootfontein Agricultural Institute, held Karoo bossie (vegetation) identification days around Loxton this week. Altogether 32 people, mostly farmers, attended the sessions. Karoo veld generally appears rather grey and uninteresting to many passers-by, and getting to know the different species, mostly dwarf shrubs, can be very challenging at the best of times as they tend to look rather similar at first glance. For the novice, in order not to get demotivated on the first day, it is best to go in Spring and Autumn. At these times, if there has been rain, the bossies (little bushes) may be flowering and seeding, making it a lot easier to identify them. Once you spend time in the veld, you realise that there is actually a great deal of plant diversity, including over 3,000 species in the Nama Karoo. Not bad for a desert!
If you dare get up close and personal with the larger, thorny, rather formidable-looking bushes, you realise that they shelter a range of other fascinating species, which is why they are often called “mother bushes”. Despite the rather barren appearance of Karoo veld, when the veld is managed sustainably, the rangeland will provide fodder for wildlife and livestock year-round, as there is always something growing in every season. Grasses, which are less common as one travels west across the Karoo, are nonetheless an important component of the Karoo veld. Years of good early summer rainfall will result in a good grass component. On the other hand, the shrubs tend to prefer the cooler, wetter periods, providing valuable fodder during Autumn and Winter.
The plant identification sessions give farmers the opportunity to share their knowledge of the species growing in their area and encourage and facilitate more effective management of the veld, ensuring that the important palatable species are grazed with care, species diversity is promoted, and effective rest periods are implemented. These sessions formed part of the Karoo Forever Project, which focuses on promoting sustainable land management in the Karoo. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility and managed by the United Nations Development Programme, in partnership with the Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries, and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development.
SCIENCE SNIPPETS:
POWERLINE MARKERS PREVENT COLLISIONS IN BLUE CRANES BUT NOT LUDWIG’S BUSTARDS
Shaw JM, TA Reid, BK Gibbons, M Pretorius, AR Jenkins, R Visagie, MD Michael and PG Ryan. 2021. A large-scale experiment demonstrates that line marking reduces power line collision mortality for large terrestrial birds, but not bustards, in the Karoo, South Africa. Ornithological Applications. 10.1093/ornithapp/duaa067
Power line markers, such as flappers, are widely used to reduce or prevent bird collisions with power lines. However, few studies have robustly tested how effective they are in doing this. Power line collisions are an escalating problem for several threatened bird species endemic to southern Africa, as our powerline network continues to expand to meet the growing demand for electricity. Therefore, it is critical to know whether or not line marking works to adequately manage this problem and reduce the number of birds that are killed.
A recent paper published by Jessica Shaw from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town, using EWT/ESKOM data, and coauthored by three EWT staff members, describes the results of a large scale eight-year experiment that tested the efficacy of the markers. The experiment was set up on 72 of 117 km of monitored transmission power lines in the eastern Karoo, South Africa, to assess whether line markers reduce bird collision mortality. The two bird species of particular interest were Blue Cranes (Anthropoides paradiseus) and Ludwig’s Bustards (Neotis ludwigii). Two different marking devices commonly used in South Africa were tested: bird flappers and static bird flight diverters.
The authors found that:
The monitoring conducted by the research team at this site also confirmed high levels of mortality of a range of species of conservation concern on unmarked lines. The authors, therefore, recommend that marking be widely installed on new power lines. However, other, more effective options need to be urgently explored to reduce collision mortality of bustards. Five different bustard species were in the top 10 list of most frequently found carcasses. High collision rates of Ludwig’s Bustards add to wider concerns about population-level effects for this range-restricted and Endangered species.
A WORD FROM THE CEO
Yolan Friedmann, EWT CEO
yolanf@ewt.org.za We have many challenges in our country, and one that plagues us all too often is poor decision-making on behalf of the authorities who have the mandate to safeguard our environment for current and future generations. We fully appreciate the fine balancing act that our decision-makers face, with millions of unemployed people needing jobs at all costs. But we cannot lose sight of the long-term devastation that can arise out of many developments that are, in fact, only opportunities for very limited, short-term gain for a select few. In cases like these, it behoves organisations like the EWT and our partners to fight for a greater good that considers not only the needs of future generations but those of the current as well. A case in point is the ongoing fight to protect the Mabola Protected Environment in Mpumalanga from inappropriate mining activity, which will destroy its critical biodiversity, its important contribution to water security, and its unique variety of threatened species.
The EWT is a member of a coalition of eight civil society organisations, which has been working since 2015 to prevent the development of the proposed Yzermyn coal mine near Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga proceeding. Our reasons for wanting to stop this mine are based on our grave concern for the negative impact of this proposed coal mine, which would fall within a Strategic Water Source Area – one of only 22 areas from which more than 50% of South Africa’s freshwater originates. Protecting strategic water source areas is crucial for South Africa’s water security, provide water for people and economic activity, food security, and meaningful, long-term job creation.
There are currently five court challenges to various permits granted for the proposed mine, which are pending before the High Court, with more in the wings as decisions are taken which, in our view, are not in the interest of sustainable living and environmental protection to the benefit of all.
Whilst we await the courts’ decisions on the pending matters, the coalition went to court in March to seek an urgent interdict to halt any form of development. The matter went before the Pretoria High Court, which issued a ruling on 23 March that interdicts the coal mining company from commencing mining and related activities in a Strategic Water Source Area. The interdict was issued to allow the legal challenges of its various permits to be decided first before harm is done to this fragile system.
The EWT is not a litigious organisation by nature but takes seriously our commitment to ensuring a healthy planet and an equitable world that values and sustains the diversity of all life, so if we need to resort to the courts to help us secure critical water sources and fragile ecosystems, we will. The Mabola Protected Environment is one of these critical areas that cannot be lost to future generations for the unique and critically important life-giving services it provides. The other coalition members feel the same, and hence we joined forces to defend the Mabola Protected Environment along with the Mining and Environmental Justice Communities Network of South Africa, groundWork, Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, BirdLife South Africa, the Federation for a Sustainable Environment, the Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD), and the Bench Marks Foundation, and we are all represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights in this critical and landmark case.
The EWT is pleased with the outcome of this court action, which builds confidence around the balancing role that our courts still play by upholding the rule of law in a country where competing interests can drown out the voices of many. We will continue to update you on this matter as the various court proceedings come to a head later this year.
CONSERVATION CHAMPION
[Thank you to Conservation Champions Gavin Chamberlain and his team for running another successful fundraising campaign. His team provided magnificent wildlife photos, and they designed and printed these 2021 wildlife calendars to raise funds for our conservation activities. There are still some left if you would like to grab one. They are R150 each, and all proceeds go to the EWT.
Gaps caused in the forest canopy cover from linear infrastructure, such as roads, force arboreal species to come down to the ground and face threats such as wildlife-vehicle collisions. Wildlife crossing structures, such as canopy bridges, have been installed in many countries to reduce the impact of roads and enhance habitat connectivity for tree-dwelling species. The Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) is one of the arboreal species subjected to daily vehicle collisions throughout South Africa.