A spotted landscape: Threats to leopard, Panthera pardus pardus, & their prey within the Boland Mountain Complex, Western Cape

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The collapse of prey-bases threatens many predators gllobally and may contribute to some predators’ localised extinctions. A similar cascade is a potential threat to leopard Panthera pardus and their medium-sized mammalian prey populations in the Fynbos biome. Medium-sized mammals have reportedly been negatively impacted by a number of anthropogenic threats in agricultural land-covers that act as buffers between human development and natural fynbos habitats. One of these threats and a driver of many, is the loss of habitat from human-caused land-cover changes. The Boland Mountain Complex (BMC) is one of the eight patches of protected mountainous areas, proclaimed as a United Nations Environmental, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The BMC forms a key part of the leopard’s range within the Fynbos biome and has a relatively high diversity of medium-sized mammalian species, which utilise both the core protected areas and the surrounding agricultural buffer zones. Multiple adjacent human settlements are development hotspots and have increasing human population sizes. The ecology of many of these mammal species has not been well studied, particularly in the Fynbos biome. It is therefore essential that a baseline study be conducted to determine where future research inputs should be focused to mitigate potential threats in the BMC area. This study aimed to determine the extent that medium-sized mammals are threatened by human development in agricultural buffer zones in the BMC. Firstly, it was determined whether mammalian habitat was at risk of loss to land-cover change and shifts in fire regimes. Secondly, the study aimed to determine if there were apparent changes in any perceived, relative mammalian abundances over time, on agricultural buffer properties in the BMC. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology was used to analyse historic fire record data, obtained from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) for the years 1957 to 2017. Further, two South African national land-cover data sets were obtained from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), to analyse the land-cover changes for 1990 and 2013. Additionally, Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) data, obtained through structured interviews with labourersand management stakeholders on agricultural properties, were gathered and analysed. Land-cover changes displayed an overall increase in the“natural” vegetation cover class of 107.6 km 2 mostlydue to regrowth where plantations were felled, therefore remaining positivelyconsistent over the 23-year period. The number of fires per year increased by five-times the average number that burnt per year from 1957 to 2017. Further, a three-fold increase in total burnt area was detected from 1972 to 2017, when compared to the 1957 to 1972 records. Of the eight species that showed significantly lower perceived relative-abundances in parts of the BMC, hares Lepus spp.and grey rhebok Pelea capreolus generated the greatest concern for their populations’ survival. Detected threats that may be driving population changes in buffer zones, include: feral dogs, illegal hunting, edge effects and isolation of habitats due to land-cover change, roads and fencing. Differences in mammal compositions and frequencies of species’ sightings, fire regimes and land-cover changes were seen between the defined mountain zones(MZ) for this area. This study thus provides considerations of mammal distributions and threats to the various species for future spatial and management planning.

AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ineenstorting van beskikbare prooi bedreig meeste roofdiere wêreldwyd en kan bydrae tot gelokaliseerde uitsterwe van hierdie roofdiere. In Fynbos biome kan ‘n soortgelyke effek ‘n potensiële bedreiging wees vir middelmatige grootte soogdiere en prooi populasies van die luiperd Panthera pardus pardus. Middelmatige grootte soogdiere word volgens gerugte nadelig beinvloed deur ‘n verskeidenheid menslike bedreigings, onder andere landbou grond bedekkings, wat ‘n buffer sone veroorsaak tussen menslike ontwikkleling en die omliggende natuurlike Fynbos areas. Die verlies aan habitat as gevolg van menslike grond bedekking veranderinge is een van die hoof bedreigings en die katalisator van vele ander bedreigings. Die Boland Bergreeks Kompleks (BMK) is geleë in die Wes-Kaapse provinsie, Suid-Afrika, en is een van agt beskermde bergatige areas wat verklaar is onder die “United Nations Environmental, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO)” Wêreld Erfenis Gebiede. Die BMK vorm ‘n deel van die luiperd se kern area binne die Fynbos biome en het ‘n redelike hoë diversiteit van middelmatige grootte soogdier spesies wat hoofsaaklik gebruik maak van hierdie kern areas, die beskermde areas, asook die omliggende landbou buffer sones. Die omliggende area ervaar tans ‘n toename in ontwikkeling asook populasie groei. Die ekologie van baie van hierdie soogdierspesies was nog nie vantevore deeglik bestudeer nie, veral nie die in die Fynbos biome nie. Derhalwe is dit noodsaaklik dat ‘n fundamentele studie onderneem word om te bepaal wat die fokus van toekomstige navorsingsprojekte moet wees ten einde die impak van toekomstige potensiële bedreigings in die BMK te ondervang.

Masters