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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
environmental science
Population recovery of black rhinoceros in north-west Namibia following poaching
Animal Conservation, Volume 14, No. 4, Year 2011
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Description
Curtailing overharvest, whether illegal or legal, is often a critical conservation objective. Yet even if overexploitation can be stopped, subsequent rates of population recovery can be highly variable due to Allee effects, alterations to age and sex structure and disruptions of animal social systems. Moreover, understanding the influence of density dependence can be difficult but important for long-term management. Here, we investigate the dynamics of black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis in the Kunene region of Namibia as they recover from illegal hunting. We use multi-strata mark-recapture models to examine survival and stage-transition rates from 1992 to 2005. Survivorship estimates ranged from 0.793 for calves to 0.910 for adult males and 0.944 for adult females. The annual reproductive rate in adult females was estimated at 0.315. Model selection showed that these vital rates were time invariant, suggesting that Allee effects and transient dynamics did not have an important effect upon population dynamics, even in the early stages of recovery. Relative population density increased significantly from 1992 to 2005 once illegal hunting had ceased in Kunene. However, the best-fit models did not include relative density in the estimation of survival or stage-transition rates. We then used the vital rates generated from our mark-recapture analysis to build matrix projection models that assessed overall population dynamics. The female-only model gave a population growth rate estimate of λ=1.011. Two-sex models suggest that the growth rate of the population could range from 0.990 to 1.012. The relatively slow growth rate of this population, even without hunting or density dependence, could stem from the low productivity of the region. Adult females had the highest reproductive value and their survival had the highest elasticity among vital rates. Translocating adult females would lead to the fastest initial population growth rate in founder populations but would have the most impact on the source population. © 2011 The Authors. Animal Conservation © 2011 The Zoological Society of London.
Authors & Co-Authors
Brodie, Jedediah F.
United States, Missoula
University of Montana College of Forestry and Conservation
Muntifering, Jeff R.
United States, Apple Valley
Minnesota Zoo
Namibia, Windhoek
Save the Rhino Trust
Hearn, M.
Namibia, Windhoek
Save the Rhino Trust
United Kingdom, Canterbury
University of Kent
Loutit, B.
Namibia, Windhoek
Save the Rhino Trust
Loutit, R.
Namibia, Windhoek
Save the Rhino Trust
Brell, B.
Namibia, Windhoek
Save the Rhino Trust
Uri-Khob, Simson
Namibia, Windhoek
Save the Rhino Trust
Leader-Williams, Nigel
United Kingdom, Canterbury
University of Kent
Du Preez, Pierre
Namibia, Windhoek
Ministry of Environment and Tourism
Statistics
Citations: 25
Authors: 9
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/j.1469-1795.2010.00434.x
e-ISSN:
14691795
Research Areas
Sexual And Reproductive Health
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Locations
Namibia
Participants Gender
Female