Abundance, distribution and connectivity of the Udzungwa Elephants
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Team:
Trevor Jones, Nick McWilliam, Dr Dawn Hawkins, Guy Norton
Collaborators:
Dr Katarzyna Nowak, WildCRU, Oxford University; Professor Phyllis Lee, University of Stirling; Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre; Udzungwa Mountains National Park; Mikumi National Park; ABRU
Location of Fieldwork:
Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania
Brief Description:
The poorly known elephants of Udzungwa are particularly interesting because they are the only population resident in the extremely biodiverse montane forests of the Eastern Arc. They face grave conservation challenges, with human-elephant conflict and poaching on the rise, and traditional migration routes being rapidly cut off by conversion of surrounding land to agriculture. Our goals are to assess the distribution, abundance and demography of the population, and potential corridor areas connecting Udzungwa and Mikumi National Parks; to analyse spatial patterns and present these results to the Park and other local natural resource managers; and to train Tanzanians in order to establish an enduring long-term elephant monitoring programme.
AERG researchers have expertise and knowledge of the Udzungwa system, and have already established a reputation for excellence in conducting elephant research in nearby Mikumi National Park (ABRU). Together with Dr. Katarzyna Nowak of WildCRU (University of Oxford) and research assistants Paulo and Athumani Mndeme, we are collecting data through a series of field expeditions around the Udzungwa Mountains, using a recce-survey transect method to count, measure and geo-reference elephant dung piles in remote regions and near corridor routes with Mikumi National Park. To examine population demography, we are successfully harnessing a method for estimating elephant age from dung boli diameter using a model developed in Amboseli National Park. Dung is also being examined for food parts, particularly seeds, to explore elephants' diets and role in seed dispersal in these montane forests.
In addition to training research assistants in field skills, the project is working to build local monitoring capacity through GIS training seminars and development of an open-access Udzungwa GIS Database. We are also committed to disseminating our findings in order to contribute to local and national management strategies for wildlife corridors and elephants. Trevor Jones recently co-edited a national compilation of wildlife corridors, and is currently coordinator of the 2010 Tanzanian National Elephant Management Plan.
Outputs and Contributions:
Nowak K., Jones T. & Lee P.C. (in review) Using dung diameter to assess elephant population structure in Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania. Pachyderm.
Nowak K., Jones T., Lee P.C. & Hawkins D. (2009) Savanna elephants in montane forest: assessing the population of a landscape species in the biodiverse Udzungwa Mountains. Presentation to XIIth Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute Scientific Conference, Arusha, Tanzania, December 2009.
Jones T., Caro T. & Davenport T.R.B. (2009) Wildlife corridors in Tanzania. Report to Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, 60pp.
Caro T., Jones T. & Davenport T.R.B. (2009) Realities of documenting wildlife corridors in tropical countries. Biological Conservation 142: 2807-2811.
Jones T., Rovero F. & Msirikale J. (2007) Vanishing corridors: A last chance to preserve ecological connectivity between the Udzungwa and Selous ecosystems. Report to Conservation International, Trento Museum of Natural Sciences, Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute.
Jones T., Epps C., Coppolillo P., Mbano B., Mutayoba B. & Rovero F. (in press) Maintaining ecological connectivity between the Protected Areas of south-central Tanzania: evidence and challenges. Proceedings of the XIth Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute Scientific Conference, Arusha, Tanzania, December 2007.
Useful Links:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford
Udzungwa Elephant Project (blog)
Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre
The African Elephant Specialist Group
Funding:
Anglia Ruskin University Research Enhancement Award 2009; Anglia Ruskin University Department of Life Sciences Equipment Fund; SRIF; Idea Wild.
Trevor Jones, Nick McWilliam, Dr Dawn Hawkins, Guy Norton
Collaborators:
Dr Katarzyna Nowak, WildCRU, Oxford University; Professor Phyllis Lee, University of Stirling; Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre; Udzungwa Mountains National Park; Mikumi National Park; ABRU
Location of Fieldwork:
Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania
Brief Description:
The poorly known elephants of Udzungwa are particularly interesting because they are the only population resident in the extremely biodiverse montane forests of the Eastern Arc. They face grave conservation challenges, with human-elephant conflict and poaching on the rise, and traditional migration routes being rapidly cut off by conversion of surrounding land to agriculture. Our goals are to assess the distribution, abundance and demography of the population, and potential corridor areas connecting Udzungwa and Mikumi National Parks; to analyse spatial patterns and present these results to the Park and other local natural resource managers; and to train Tanzanians in order to establish an enduring long-term elephant monitoring programme.
AERG researchers have expertise and knowledge of the Udzungwa system, and have already established a reputation for excellence in conducting elephant research in nearby Mikumi National Park (ABRU). Together with Dr. Katarzyna Nowak of WildCRU (University of Oxford) and research assistants Paulo and Athumani Mndeme, we are collecting data through a series of field expeditions around the Udzungwa Mountains, using a recce-survey transect method to count, measure and geo-reference elephant dung piles in remote regions and near corridor routes with Mikumi National Park. To examine population demography, we are successfully harnessing a method for estimating elephant age from dung boli diameter using a model developed in Amboseli National Park. Dung is also being examined for food parts, particularly seeds, to explore elephants' diets and role in seed dispersal in these montane forests.
In addition to training research assistants in field skills, the project is working to build local monitoring capacity through GIS training seminars and development of an open-access Udzungwa GIS Database. We are also committed to disseminating our findings in order to contribute to local and national management strategies for wildlife corridors and elephants. Trevor Jones recently co-edited a national compilation of wildlife corridors, and is currently coordinator of the 2010 Tanzanian National Elephant Management Plan.
Outputs and Contributions:
Nowak K., Jones T. & Lee P.C. (in review) Using dung diameter to assess elephant population structure in Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania. Pachyderm.
Nowak K., Jones T., Lee P.C. & Hawkins D. (2009) Savanna elephants in montane forest: assessing the population of a landscape species in the biodiverse Udzungwa Mountains. Presentation to XIIth Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute Scientific Conference, Arusha, Tanzania, December 2009.
Jones T., Caro T. & Davenport T.R.B. (2009) Wildlife corridors in Tanzania. Report to Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, 60pp.
Caro T., Jones T. & Davenport T.R.B. (2009) Realities of documenting wildlife corridors in tropical countries. Biological Conservation 142: 2807-2811.
Jones T., Rovero F. & Msirikale J. (2007) Vanishing corridors: A last chance to preserve ecological connectivity between the Udzungwa and Selous ecosystems. Report to Conservation International, Trento Museum of Natural Sciences, Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute.
Jones T., Epps C., Coppolillo P., Mbano B., Mutayoba B. & Rovero F. (in press) Maintaining ecological connectivity between the Protected Areas of south-central Tanzania: evidence and challenges. Proceedings of the XIth Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute Scientific Conference, Arusha, Tanzania, December 2007.
Useful Links:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford
Udzungwa Elephant Project (blog)
Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre
The African Elephant Specialist Group
Funding:
Anglia Ruskin University Research Enhancement Award 2009; Anglia Ruskin University Department of Life Sciences Equipment Fund; SRIF; Idea Wild.
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