Hippo management in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Kruger - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Hippo management in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Kruger National Park. Johan Eksteen

Hippo management in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Kruger National Park. • Rivers are open systems for aquatic organisms • Hippo outside conservation areas, often overlap with cultivation � confrontation with farmers. • CITES : • A Non Detriment Finding (NDF) indicated a need for: • Management plan • Species conservation incentives; • Habitat conservation incentives

Hippo numbers in the lowveld • Table 1. Hippo numbers in KNP rivers: 1988 - 2009

Hippo numbers in the lowveld Table 1. Hippo numbers in Mpumalanga rivers: 1990 - 2009 •

Hippo Removals (DCA’s and capture) • 1991 - 1993

Mpumalanga hippo removals 1999-2001

Mpumalanga hippo removals 2007-2009

Hippo management in the lowveld Table 1. Hippo numbers and removals in Mpumalanga rivers: • 1990 - 2009

Urban sprawl and hippo removals 1991 - 2009

The Way Forward • Coordination of activities is important to maximise the potential of the available budgets. � A management plan : Hippo management in KNP and Lowveld of Mpumalanga, Limpopo. • Collection of information required, including: • Hippo numbers historical – do regular, coordinated counts • Hippo DCA history • Hippo removal history • Determination of available hippo habitat • Determination of acceptable hippo densities • The plan must address: • Landowner interaction • Species conservation initiatives, and • Habitat conservation initiatives

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