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Kruger National Park

Scientific Services

7th Annual Savanna Science Network Meeting 2009 - Presentations

Monday 20 April 2009
Session: Welcome (Chair: Biggs HC)
08h00 Welcome Kruger, JM
08h05 Opening Address Magome H
Session: Implementing Adaptive Management
08h25 Organisational learning through adaptive management Freitag S, Biggs HC and Breen C
08h40 Operationalising the adaptive planning and management process beyond Kruger Gaylard A and Ferreira S
08h55 Operationalising monitoring strategically according to objectives Ferreira S, Bezuidenhout H et al
Session: River Health as an Outcome of Management and Ecosystem Processess
Session: Flow and Quality as Drivers
09h10 What factors constrain compliance with environmental flows? A case study from the transboundary, Lowveld Rivers of southern Africa Pollard S and du Toit D
09h40 The use of Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) in the Sabie River: towards equitable water management scenarios under climate change and population growth Viera M and Erasmus BFN
09h55 Shingwedzi River - why is it the most polluted river in the KNP? Vlok W and Fouche P
10h10
DISCUSSION
10h20
TEA
Session: Hydrological processes as Drivers (Chair: Rogers KH)
10h50 Classifying the landscapes of Kruger National Park in terms of drainage network characteristics Cullum C and Rogers KH
11h05 Landscape hydro-geomorphological insights from termite mound spatial distribution Levick SR, Asner GP, Rogers KH et al
11h20 Vertical and lateral water dynamics in transects of the Sabie and Letaba River exclosures, Kruger National Park, South Africa Lorentz SA, Riddell ER, Pretorius JJ et al
Session: Biodiversity Outcomes
11h35 Do reserves protect riparian biodiversity? Kotschy K and Rogers KH
11h50 Influences of stream order on compositional and structural riparian biodiversity Tye N and Rogers KH
12h05 The use of the "umbrella and indicator species concept" as a tool for conserving aquatic species and processes. Fouche P, Venter J and Vlok W
Matlala MJ, Bills IR, Kleynhans CJ et al
12h20 Poster: Variation within and among Chiloglanis species from the Limpopo River system of the Kruger Naional Park Matlala MJ, Bills IR, Kleynhans CJ et al
Session: Wetlands
12h22 Savanna Wetlands Project and Wetlands of Marakele National Park: understanding the geo-hydrological setting Grundling P, Price JS, and Grundling AT
12h37 Rehabilitation of wetlands in the Kruger, Mapungubwe and Marakele National Parks, South Africa: a restoration ecology approach Grootjans AP, Grundling P and Price JP
12h52 Poster: The Wetlands of the Mapungubwe National Park: a Regional overview Grundling P, Price JS and Grundling AT
12h54 Poster: An integrated modeling approach to map wetlands in the Kruger National Park Grundling AT, Price JS, McCarter C et al
12h56
DISCUSSION
13h10
LUNCH
Session: Vegetation Structure and Composition (Chair: Ferreira SM)
14h15 Tree-grass coexistence and the real savanna problem? Bond WJ
Session: Climate as a Driver of Vegetation Structure
14h30 Predicted changes in the savanna ecosystems of South Africa as a result of climate change induced carbon dioxide, temperature, and rainfall anomalies Davis C and Archer ERM
14h45 Herbaceous community and ecosystem properties of a lowveld savanna respond to climatic variables Buitenwerf R and Swemmer AM
15h00 Poster: Mapping the southern boundary of Colophospermum mopane: A baseline from which to detect climate change responses Stevens N and Swemmer AM
15h02
TEA
15h30 C4 savanna biomes origin: from CO2 levels to coevolutionary processes Bouchenak-Khelladi Y, Verboom GA, van der Bank M et al
15h45 Spatial and seasonal patterns of NDVI along a rainfall gradient in an African savanna Combrink HJ, Delgado-Cartay, MD, Higgins SI
16h00 Hyperspectral differentiation of savanna tree species at leaf and crown scales Cho M, Mathieu R, Naidoo L et al
16h15
DISCUSSION
Tuesday 21 April 2009
Session: Landscape Processes as a Driver of Vegetation Structure (Chair: Govender N)
08h00 Hierarchy and scale: testing the role of water, grazing and nitrogen in the savanna landscape of Limpopo National Park (Mozambique) Ekblom A and Gillson L
08h15 Effect of water, shade and competition with grass on the germination and seedling early survival of savannas tree seedlings Barbosa ERM, Van Langevelde, F, Tomlinson K et al
08h30 Self-organization in savannas: does the data fit the model? Barichievy C and Rogers KH
08h45 Poster: Are Highveld grasslands treeless because of nutrient limitations on growth? Wakeling JL, Bond WJ and Cramer MD
08h47 Poster: Spatial and temporal variation of reservoir siltation in selected ecozones of the Kruger National Park - A reconnaissance survey Baade J
08h49 DISCUSSION
Session: Fire as a Driver of Vegetation Structure
09h00 Revisiting fire-rainfall relationships in Southern Africa Archibald S, Kirton A, Scholes, RJ et al
09h15 Response of savannas to fire across a rainfall gradient: analysis of landscape pattern and heterogeneity Boggs GS, Parr, C, Smit I et al
09h30 The effect of fire frequency and fire season on woody vegetation structure in an African savanna Smit IPJ, Asner GP, Govender N et al
09h45 Experiment Burn Plot Trial (EBP's) - Fascinating glimpses covering 47 years of the effects of season and frequency of burning in the four major vegetation landscapes in the Kruger National Park, South Africa Trollope WSW, Trollope LA, du Toit J et al
10h00
TEA
10h30 Can resilience to top kill explain long-term shifts in the dominance of different tree species? Higgins SI, Lannas K, Govender N et al
10h45 Disentangling the effects of fire and herbivory on trees. Preliminary results from long-term monitoring plots at the South African Wildlife College. Swemmer AMR
11h00 Spatio-temporal trends in Australian mesic savanna tree cover are driven by landscape disturbance Lehmann CER, Prior LD, Williams RJ et al
11h15 Are the dynamics of the eucalypt and non-eucalypt components of Australian tropical savannas coupled? Lawes MJ, Murphy BP and Russell-Smith J
11h30 A non-linear historical perspective on fire research in Kruger Pooley S
11h45
DISCUSSION
12h00
LUNCH
Session: Herbivores as Drivers of Vegetation Structure (Chair: Kruger L)
13h30 Large-scale effects of herbivore exclusion on vegetation structure in Kruger National Park. Asner GP, Levick SR, Kennedy-Bowdoin T et al
13h45 Is there reason for concern about the loss of tall trees? Grant CC
14h00 Acacia nigrescens demography inside and outside the roan exclosure. Midgley JJ, Moncrieff G and Kruger L
14h15 Determining the rates of change in the utilisation of large trees by elephants and fire in Kruger National Park Shannon G, Druce DJ, Page BR et al
14h30 Mortality and utilisation of Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra between 2001 and 2008 in the Kruger National Park, South Africa Helm CV, Witkowski ETF, Kruger L et al
14h45
TEA
15h15 Poster: Elephant browsing across tree height classes and its potential influence on the woody vegetation state in Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa Moolman L, Page BR and Slotow R
15h17 Poster: Structural and compositional change caused by extreme elephant impact in the Linyanti woodland, northern Botswana over 16 years Teren G, Owen-Smith N and Erasmus B
15h19 Large herbivore effects on phenolics and nutrients of woody species at the Nkuhlu Exclosures (2005-2008): Considerations of species, rainfall and scale Scogings P
15h34 Monitoring of growth, recruitment and elephant damage of marula trees inside and outside the Nkuhlu exclosure and the buffalo enclosure near Satara in the Kruger National Park Stam E
15h49 A spatial model of elephant, vegetation and fire dynamics for scenario-based adaptive management simulations Kiker G, Munoz-Carpena R and Thummalapalli R
16h04 Elephant impacts on the current and future vegetation of savannas: a modelling study
 Scheiter S and Higgins SI
16h19 Large herbivores alter semi-arid savanna structure through soil nutrient mediation: lessons from a natural experiment with abandoned kraals van der Waal C, Kool A, Meijer S, Kohi E, de Kroon H, Heitkönig IMA et al
16h34
DISCUSSION
Wednesday 22 April 2009
Session: Landuse as a Driver (Chair: Kruger J)
08h00 Three-dimensional woody vegetation structure across different land-uses in a semi-arid savanna Fisher JT, Erasmus BFN, Witkowski ETF et al
08h15 Thirteen years of land cover change in the Kruger to Canyon Biosphere Reserve: spatial implications for conservation planning Coetzer KL, Erasmus BFN and Witkowski ETF
08h30 Poster: People and the lowveld landscape: modeling the impact of firewood harvesting on communal savanna woodlands in Bushbuckridge, South Africa Matsika R, Twine W and Erasmus BFN
08h32 Impact of land use on tree canopy height distributions as measured by Lidar Wessels KJ, Mathieu R, Asner GP et al
08h47 Exploring various spectral indices for grass biomass estimations along a land use gradient Ramuelo A, Cho M, Mathieu R et al
09h02 Impact of land use on herbaceous ground cover as estimated from CAO imagery Mathieu R, Wessels KJ, Main R et al
09h17 Poster: Vegetation change (1961-2009) along an aridity gradient in the eastern Karoo and southern Free State grasslands ecotone. Masubelele ML, Hoffman MT and Gambiza J
09h19
DISCUSSION
Session: Management Options
09h30 Intermittent piospheres: patchiness, pattern and precipitation Matchett KJ, Kirkman KP, Morris CD et al
09h45 Poster: Rapid artificial waterpoint assessment to inform management decisions regarding closure Farmer H
09h47 The implementation of selected technologies to enhance the restoration of indigenous tree species in the deforested riparian areas in the Mapungubwe National Park, South Africa Els Y and Kellner K
10h02 Poster: Testing an indicator of alien species status and management in National Parks in South Africa Spear D, Foxcroft LC and McGeoch MA
10h04
DISCUSSION
10h20
TEA
Session: Socio Ecological Systems (Chair: Scheepers K)
10h50 An introduction to social science in South African National Parks: past, present and future Swemmer LK
11h05 The Mnisi Community Programme: An integrated interface programme Kriek NPJ and Burroughs R
11h20 Community based natural resource management within community conservation reserves: A case study of the Usuthu Gorge Community Conservation Reserve, Maputaland, South Africa. Hanekom CC
11h35 Fire management for Greenhouse gas abatement in Australian savannas Anderson A
11h50 The effect of different fire regimes on soil carbon storage in Australian tropical savannas. Richards AE
12h05 Friends, foes or playmates: Cultural heritage resources management and environmental resources management at the Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site
 Hanisch EOM
12h20
DISCUSSION
12h40
LUNCH
AFTERNOON FREE
Thursday 23 April 2009
Session: Biodiversity Outcomes of Vegetation Structure Change (Chair: Vickers K)
08h00 Woody thickening in savannas: implications for biodiversity Parr CL and Bond WJ
08h15 Spatial partitioning of wildlife species in the Kruger National Park savanna landscape as a function of spatial heterogeneity of vegetation cover Murwira A, Skidmore AK, Toxopeus B et al
08h30 The influence of elephants feeding on microhabitat selection of herbivores: An experimental approach Kohi EM, de Boer F, Prins H et al
08h45 Fire and termites in a southern African savanna Davies AB, van Rensberg BJ and Parr CL
09h00 The effects of long-term burning regimes on savanna spider assemblages Reynolds BN, van Rensburg BJ and Parr CL
09h15 Evaluating strategic objectives through the predictive inventory of small vertebrates Deacon AR, Bezuidenhout H, Daemane E et al
09h30 Indirect effects of mammalian herbivore exclusion on ant assemblages Sithole H, Parr CL, Andersen AN et al
09h45
TEA
Session: Biodiversity Outcomes (Chair: Hofmeyr M)
10h15 What a wonderful world Zambatis G
10h30 Poster: Diversity and abundance of insect visitors to flowers of trees and shrubs in a Southern African savanna Mawdsley JR and Sithole H
10h32 Poster: Vegetation and flora of the Letaba exclosures, Kruger National Park Siebert F, Eckhardt HC and Siebert SJ
10h34 The geomorphic impacts of african elephants (Loxodonta africana) on Tembe Elephant Park
 Bigwood T
10h49
DISCUSSION
Session: Techniques used to Evaluate Vegetation Structure (Chair: Smit I)
11h00 Waveform Lidar data for the assessment of woody and herbaceous biomass at the site-level: Current approaches and research status Wu J, Van Aardt JAN, Asner GP et al
11h15 Estimating woody biomass in Kruger National Park using Airborne Remote Sensing Colgan MS, Asner GP and Levick SR
11h30 Spectral discrimination of bush enchroaching species at canopy level using CAO hyperspectral data Naidoo L, Mathieu R, Cho M et al
11h45 Spectral properties of savanna vegetation: Assessing spatial and temporal variability and the potential for mapping fire risk in the Gran Sabana, Venezuela Delgado-Cartay MD and Higgins SI
12h00 Poster: The SARvanna Project: SAR mapping of vegetation structure in the African savanna Schmullius CH, Annegarn H, Paradzay C et al
12h02 Poster: Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of phenology patterns in Kruger National Park, South Africa: climate or landscape variability? Parrini F and Erasmus BFN
12h04 Poster: Isotopic signatures across stable and unstable vegetation boundaries in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa Gillson L
12h06
DISCUSSION
12h20
LUNCH
Session: Disease as a Driver of Herbivore Distribution (Chair: Hofmeyr M)
13h45 Prevalence of bovine tuberculosis among the buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) of the northern Kruger National Park Van Schalkwyk OL, Buss P, De Klerk LM et al
14h00 The effect of BTB on predator numbers in KNP: a predictive population model Uys P and van Helden PD
14h15 Molecular typing reveals important clues on the transmission of Mycobacterium bovis to and among free-ranging African wildlife species Michel AL, Coetzee ML, Keet DF et al
14h30 Poster: The epidemiology of Cryptosporidium at the wildlife - livestock and human interface in the western boundary of the Kruger National Park Abu Samra N, Thompson P, Woods P et al
14h32 Poster: Haemoparasites infecting African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in Kruger National Park, South Africa Kanapeckas KL, Cameron EZ, Ezenwa VO et al
14h34
DISCUSSION
14h50
TEA
Session: Predation as a Driver of Herbivore Distribution (Chair: Govender D)
15h20 Lion predation in the Satara region Tambling CJ, Cameron EZ and du Toit JT
15h35 Poster: Using digital camera traps to investigate leopard populations in the Waterberg Biosphere, Limpopo, South Africa Swanepoel L, Dalerum F and Somers M
15h37 Calibrating camera-based biased mark-recapture sampling designs to survey leopard populations Maputla NW and Ferreira SM
15h52 Poster: Rapid response to predators: buffalo and lion in Addo Elephant National Park Tambling CJ, Kerley GIH, Hayward M et al
15h54
DISCUSSION
Friday 24 April 2009
Session: Nutrients as a Driver of Herbivore Populations and Distributions (Chair: Grant R)
08h00 Large herbivore responses to nutrient heterogeneity in an African savanna Pretorius Y, de Boer F, Coughenour M et al
08h15 Biotic vs. abiotic determinants of the local distribution of a low-density larger herbivore species in the Kruger National Park Chirima GJ and Owen-Smith N
08h30 Multifactor perspectives on the population performance of rare antelope species in the Kruger National Park: the potential role of fire Seydack AHW, Grant CC and Vermeulen WJ
08h45 Effects of the nutrient status of the habitat in the wet and dry season on the nutrient status of roan antelope Hippotragus equinus populations in the Kruger National Park and Vaalbos National Park, South Africa Van Rooyen J, Webb EC, Grant CC et al
09h00 Indicators of nutritional stress from GPS tracking of sable movements in Kruger National Park Owen-Smith N
09h15 Habitat dependence by sable antelope in the Kruger National Park: Factors determining foraging area suitability Le Roux L and Owen-Smith N
09h30 Faecal nutritional indicators and the population status of sable antelope Macandza VA and Owen-Smith N
09h45 Movements and habitat preferences of African elephants, in response to rainfall variation Bodasing T, Duffy KJ and Page BR
10h00 Poster: Evidence in support of an east-west range differentiation in the Kruger National Park elephant population Henley SR and Henley MD
10h02
DISCUSSION
10h20
TEA
Session: Management Options(Chair: Freitag-Ronaldson S)
10h50 A theoretical framework for managing wildlife systems Fynn R
11h05 The way forward with elephants Ferreira SM
11h20 Immunocontraception: short term effects on behavioural assays and contribution to elephant management in a small, enclosed reserve Druce HC, Mackey RL and Slotow R
11h35 Poster: Non-invasive assessment of adrenocortical activity as an endocrine response to stress in African elephants (Loxodonta africana) Ganswindt A and Münscher S
11h37 Fence Interface Research and Monitoring in the Kruger National Park Ferguson KJ
11h52 Keeping unwanted neighbours out: protected area boundaries as barriers to alien plant invasions Foxcroft LC, Richardson DM, Pyšek P et al
12h07 Threats facing the endangered African wild dogs in the Zimbabwean part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area Groom R, Romanach S and Lindsey P
12h22 Poster: Modelling the effects of fences and fence penetrability on population viability of endangered African wild dogs (Lyacon pictus) Somers MJ, Dalerum F and Gusset M
12h24 Lion social organisation in a human affected landscape: implications for Mapungubwe National Park Snyman A and Funston PJ

12h39

DISCUSSION
12h50 Wrap up Andersen AN
13h10 Thanks and meeting closure Pienaar DJ