Tawanda Tarakini

Last update: 22 July 2020

Title: Wetlands and waterfowl resources in and around Hwange National Park: access versus sustainability in the face of climate variability

Summary

Protected areas (PAs) and adjacent landuse types form important matrix ecosystems contributing to species persistence which is critical for biodiversity conservation (Child et al. 2009). Most of these matrices have been undergoing shifts in ecosystem integrity (Steinhoff 2013), but little is known on how waterfowl breeding respond to manipulations of surface water resources by humans. Waterfowl communities are expected to be sensitive to changes in environmental attributes such as water quality, habitat qualities, nesting and roosting sites, predation risks, disturbance and spatio-temporal distribution of surface water (Oro et al. 2006; Dean et al. 2009; Hermoso & Clavero 2013). Humans manipulate surface water distribution by drilling boreholes for game water provision, and consequently affecting herbivore concentrations and quality of water in waterpans (e.g Cumming et al. 2012), thereby affecting waterfowl breeding habitats.

In the newly designated but globally important Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservational Area (TFCA), the contribution of waterpans outside the protected area to waterfowl breeding is currently unknown, although it is critical information for conservation. It is therefore crucial to continue exploring how humans can sustainably benefit from wetland related goods and services and to explore if these are being supplied in the expected amounts. The Ecosystem Service Profile (ESP) as suggested by Paetzold et al. (2010) can be useful in matching societal expectations for a set of ecosystem services and the realised sustainable provision of these services (both quantity and quality). In assessing ESP, a ratio R (ratio of demand divided by supply) is employed and it can be less than 1 (desirable state) or more than 1 (undesirable state for biodiversity conservation).

This study aims to investigate breeding of waterfowl species in landscapes (communal lands and conservancies) adjacent to Hwange National Park (HNP, a protected area in Zimbabwe) and assess waterfowl community composition as this can be an indicator of ecological health. Specifically, I intend to determine if breeding of waterfowl species in the landscape is being supported mainly by the protected area through a comparison of waterfowl breeding at waterpans with varied aspects of landuse type, size, water quality, emergent vegetation, aerial predator abundance, disturbance level and spatiotemporal surface water distribution. In addition, we aim to investigate ESPs for wetland-related goods and services (e.g. protein from waterfowl, herbivore watering, irrigation and ornithological tourism) in landuses around HNP. 

Last update: 22 July 2020