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

Thank you