Wildlife water utilization and importance of artificial waterholes during dry season at Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Epaphras, A. M.; Gereta, Emmanuel; Lejora, Inyasi A. V.; Meing’ataki, Godwell Elias Ole; Ng’umbi, G.; Kiwango, Yustina; Mwangomo, Ephraim; Semanini, F.; Vitalis, L.; Balozi, J.; Mtahiko, M. G. G.

doi:10.1007/s11273-007-9065-3

Cited by 68 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Water is an essential resource for the functioning of ecosystems, habitats and survival of wildlife (Epaphras et al, 2007). According to Pimantel et al (2004), it is crucial for maintaining an adequate food supply and productive environment for all living organisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pimantel et al (2004) appropriately terms the water required for the maintenance of ecosystem function as "green water". This "green water" plays great role in the conservation of wildlife through maintaining a productive environment as the availability of water resources dictates species diversity (Epaphras et al, 2007). The availability of green water can also assist in maintaining proper functioning of ecosystem services.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The availability of green water can also assist in maintaining proper functioning of ecosystem services. Both daily and seasonal migration of wildlife is highly dictated by the availability of water (Jarman, 1972, Wolanski & Gereta, 2001, Western, 1975 including its distribution and functionality in any conservation area (Sungirai & Ngwenya 2016, Epaphras et al, 2007. According to Sungirai & Ngwenya (2016) water shortages have resulted in high dispersal among species and threaten biological diversity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The distribution of animals are therefore controlled to a certain extent by the availability of surface water which mainly depends on rainfall except in cases where artificial water points are constructed and water supplied from boreholes (Hayward & Hayward, 2012). Artificial water points like these have become the main source of water for wildlife in dry countries (Epaphras et al, 2007). These water points are constructed close to pans and depressions in order to reduce threats to land degradation and enhance better retention of water for wildlife (Sungirai & Ngwenya, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of water resources by wildlife has been studied in other countries such as RSA and Kenya (Echehardt et al, 2000, Gereta et al, 2000Epaphras et al, 2007;Tolsma et al, 2007). There is however limited, if any, research of this nature being carried out in Namibia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

The Utilization of Water Points by Wildlife Species in Nyae Nyae Conservancy, Namibia

Rispel¹,

Lendelvo²

2016

ENRR

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Namibia is a semi-arid country and underground water sources have proven to be reliable water sources for drought-prone countries. Underground water has the ability to sustain conservation activities as long as water infrastructure is in place and maintained. Despite the different water requirements for the wildlife species, water remains an essential component of wildlife management in Namibia. Therefore, this study aims at understanding utilization of water points by various wildlife species in the Nyae Nyae conservancies, which is located in the north-eastern part of Namibia. This study used monitoring data from wildlife counts that are conducted by the Conservancy annually at water points coupled with key-informant interviews with local conservancy members and leaders as well as some stakeholders. The study shows that the Conservancy had a diverse number of wildlife species that were predominantly ungulates (70%). These species were detected at 29 water points distributed across the Conservancy. Most of the water points in the conservancy were artificial points with water drawn from the underground water sources, while a few of the water points were pans (17%). Water resources are very important resources for conservation, not only in terms of being used by wildlife but also in terms of being used to provide an indication of species diversity in the conservation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The Utilization of Water Points by Wildlife Species in Nyae Nyae Conservancy, Namibia

Rispel¹,

Lendelvo²

2016

ENRR

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Assessment of land degradation using machine‐learning techniques: A case of declining rangelands

et al. 2020

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Increased use and increasing demands pose serious threats to rangelands. In this study, we document a pronounced downward trend in rangeland quality in the Alborz Mountains in Firozkuh County, Iran using analysis of three machine‐learning models (MLMs). A total of 1,147 transects were established to evaluate the rangeland quality trends from field data collected over a 7‐year period. Twelve independent conditional factors were analyzed for their relationships to range quality through three MLMs—Random Forest (RF), classification and regression tree (CART), and support vector machine (SVM). Based on assessments of the trained and validated models, RF, with a ROC‐AUC = 0.96, was determined to be the most robust. The results show that about 20% of the rangeland in the study area is in a critically degraded condition. Distances from roads and livestock density are the two factors most strongly linked to degradation. These results, in combination with field observations, indicate that the rangelands of the study area face two major challenges (overgrazing and early grazing) that require new strategies to mitigate and prevent damages. This study may provide important guidance for evaluating rangeland conditions in other regions of the world.

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Effect of human induced surface water scarcity on herbivore distribution during the dry season in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Schmied née Stommel,

Hofer,

Scherer

et al. 2024

Wildlife Biology

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In Africa, burgeoning human populations promote agricultural expansion and the associated demand for water. Water abstraction for agriculture from perennial rivers can be detrimental for wildlife, particularly when it reduces water availability in protected areas. Ruaha National Park (Ruaha NP) in southern Tanzania, one of the largest parks in Africa, contains important wildlife populations, including rare and endangered species. The Great Ruaha River (GRR) is the main dry season water source for wildlife in the Park. Water offtake from this river for large‐scale irrigation and livestock production up‐stream of the Park has caused large expanses of this formerly perennial river within the Park to dry out during the dry season. The dry season distribution of a species in relation to surface water is considered an indicator of its dependence on water and ability to cope with the loss of surface water. We investigated how diminishing surface water availability during three dry seasons (2011–2013) affected herbivores' distance to water in Ruaha NP. The distance held by herbivores to water is shaped by a range of factors including dietary category. We determined changes in the locations of available surface water throughout the dry season using standardized ground transects, close to and leading away from the GRR, to map the locations of nine herbivore species. Functional responses of herbivores, i.e. their change in distance to water between early and late dry season, indicated that distance to water was 1) shortest in buffalo and waterbuck (grazers), 2) similar for plains zebra (grazer), elephant and impala (mixed feeders), 3) larger in giraffe and greater kudu (browsers) and 4) largest in generalist feeders (warthog, common duiker). The substantial species' differences in surface water dependence broadly fit predicted species differences in their ability to cope with anthropogenic reduction in surface water in Ruaha NP.

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Wildlife water utilization and importance of artificial waterholes during dry season at Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Cited by 68 publications

References 23 publications

The Utilization of Water Points by Wildlife Species in Nyae Nyae Conservancy, Namibia

The Utilization of Water Points by Wildlife Species in Nyae Nyae Conservancy, Namibia

Assessment of land degradation using machine‐learning techniques: A case of declining rangelands

Effect of human induced surface water scarcity on herbivore distribution during the dry season in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

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