Field guides are the face of South African nature- and wildlife-based tourism products. However, research on the work and careers of field guides in South Africa is lacking. To our knowledge, only two studies have researched field guides in other African countries. Therefore, the aim of this research is to delve deeper into the field guide work and career. Indeed, the management literature includes countless studies on how work characteristics and career motivations influence the performance of (service) employees. It is therefore crucial for the literature on South African nature-based tourism to begin to include research on field guides, as their performance is central to the largest sector contributing to South African tourism revenues. This exploratory study includes 24 in-depth interviews with field guides working in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve in South Africa. Conservation implications: he study makes two key contributions: Firstly, as a contribution to the literature, we advance scholarship on tourism labour and precarity by offering an empirically grounded account of field guide career trajectories within the South African nature-based tourism industry. Secondly, a managerial contribution. This includes: (1) Organisations should formalise and improve communication on entry pathways for field guides by providing clear, accessible information on training routes, requirements, and points of contact. (2) Lodges and other operators could benefit from rebranding field guides as a high-status group. (3) To elevate safari guide training beyond short courses towards a more comprehensive and accredited qualification.
Accurate estimation of vegetation composition is essential for effective conservation management strategies in protected savannas. In this study, we integrated annual temporal metrics from Sentinel-1 (S1) and Sentinel-2 (S2) time series at a 10 m resolution for 2017-2021 in Benfontein Nature Reserve (BNR). We trained a Random Forest Regression (RFR) model using training data derived from very high-resolution imagery (VHR) from Google Earth Pro© and later used for results accuracy assessment and validation. Error metrics for predicting trees, shrubs and grasses were derived at each year. We selected the most important features for the most accurate models. Model error metrics were further derived by simplifying pixel fractions into broader fraction categories. Shrubs S1+S2 and S2 models produced the lowest mean absolute error (MAE) of 3.91%, while grass produced the highest MAE of 13.71% from S1 data. Trees produced the second-best accuracies obtained consistently with S1+S2 data. Trees achieved the highest R2 values of up to 0.76% from S1+S2 data, followed by grass highest R2 of 0.74% from S2 data. When predicting based on broader pixel categories, errors decreased significantly for near-pure pixels; with the largest decrease observed for pixels with 76% – 100% grass cover. Contrastingly, MAE for woody covers (shrubs and trees) increased as fraction in the pixel cover increased. Visible green and blue bands, VH and SAVI were the most important features for estimating trees. In addition to blue, VH and Coherence ranked high for shrubs, while blue and green ranked high for grass as well. Conservation implications: The study is conducted in a nature reserve. Accurate information on composition and dynamics of vegetation is essential for parks management. Predicting change in woody cover is critical for monitoring woody encroachment that impacts herbivory and fires.
Protected areas (PAs) are key for conserving biodiversity and can act as partial barriers against the regional spread of alien species. Yet, the number of invasive species and the magnitude of their impact on PAs are increasing globally, creating an urgent need to establish effective management actions. Increased public interest in biological invasions in PAs may lead to increased support for their management. To assess recent public interest, we extracted and analysed data from Twitter/X, which was one of the most popular microblogging social media platforms during the study period. Firstly, we extracted all tweets posted between 2010 and 2020 containing the scientific name of any plant species recorded as naturalised anywhere in the world, or the term ‘invasive species’, together with the name of any national park globally and the term ‘national park’. This approach allowed us to capture potential mentions of species across their native and non-native ranges. Mentions of species in their native ranges were identified and flagged in the dataset. Secondly, using Kruger National Park (i.e. one of the oldest and most widely known protected areas in the world) as a study case, we extracted all tweets posted in 2010–2020 containing the term ‘Kruger’ together with: (1) the scientific name of any of the 146 taxa recorded in the recently updated naturalised alien flora of the park, (2) the genus name of some of the most well-known naturalised plant species in the park, some of which also function as common names, and (3) the term ‘invasive species’. We found a very limited number of tweets. These results suggest that public engagement with the topic of invasive plant species in national parks on social media was limited during the study period. Conservation implications: Public awareness campaigns are needed to support successful management of plant invasions in protected areas globally.
The two oxpecker species (Buphagus spp.) in Africa’s savanna habitats have undergone drastic changes in distribution in the wake of anthropogenic landscape changes. The yellow-billed oxpecker (Buphagus africanus) was extirpated from South Africa by 1907, but since the late 1970s has naturally and progressively recolonised the Kruger National Park (KNP) and the neighbouring Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR). Using available historical and current records, we aimed to describe the recolonisation and current status of yellow-billed oxpeckers in the KNP and adjoining conservation areas, and to investigate mammalian host and habitat selection. The yellow-billed oxpecker may now be encountered throughout the KNP and APNR so long as suitable host mammals are present. We found evidence for distinct host choice and significant habitat preferences (χ2 = 4362.4, df = 9, p < 0.0001), but the interactions between the birds, the hosts and the choice of habitat by hosts made evaluating oxpecker preferences a complex task. Fourteen wild and two domestic host species were recorded, with African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) the most frequently used host species, followed by giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis). Yellow-billed oxpecker sightings decreased with increasing latitude across the study area, and some regional and seasonal differences in host selection were apparent. The success of the yellow-billed oxpecker in the KNP is testimony to the benefits of the long history of game and ecosystem preservation in the KNP and surrounding areas. Conservation implications: The yellow-billed oxpeckers of the KNP constitute the only breeding population of this species in South Africa, and significant additional range expansion is unlikely. Given the numerous protected areas in South Africa’s savanna habitats, reintroduction of this species into other suitable areas of its former range is recommended.
The alpine soils of the northern Maloti–Drakensberg site are fundamental to carbon (C) sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and water provisioning, yet remain vulnerable to degradation from grazing and tourism pressures. Soil microbial activity is central to alpine soil functionality through its influence on nutrient cycling, organic matter (OM) turnover and structural stability, but microbial community patterns in the alpine zones of southern Africa remain poorly understood. This study provides the first coordinated quantitative characterisation of soil microbial and physicochemical properties on the Amphitheatre summit of the uThukela catchment, thereby establishing a baseline for long-term soil health monitoring. Thirty topsoil samples were analysed for monitoring their physical (texture, bulk density, aggregate stability), chemical (pH, soil organic carbon or soil organic carbon [SOC], total C, total N and active C) and biological (microbial activity and community-level physiological profiling) attributes. The soils were uniformly acidic (pH 4.9), sandy loam in texture, and exhibited relatively low bulk density (1.01 g cm−3) but high SOC (9.8%). Soil organic carbon, active C, total N and microbial activity showed strong correlation, indicating consistent links between organic matter pools and microbial functioning. Community-level profiling further distinguished three microbial functional groups, primarily driven by variation in SOC, active C and microbial activity, rather than by soil forms or physical properties. The study indicated that SOC and total N are the most informative soil indicators for evaluating microbial functionality in alpine soils of the northern Maloti-Drakensberg. Conservation implications: The baseline generated in this study enables the future detection of soil changes in response to land use or climate pressures in the northern Maloti–Drakensberg. Soil organic carbon and total N emerged as key indicators of microbial community functioning, underscoring the importance of maintaining soil organic matter through sustainable grazing and tourism management to enhance the resilience of high-altitude ecosystems.
Protected areas play a critical role in biodiversity conservation, but they are increasingly threatened by poaching. This study provides the first long-term analysis of poaching trends and law enforcement effectiveness in Kakum Conservation Area, Ghana’s most visited protected area. Drawing on ranger patrol data collected between 2012 and 2021, we analysed trends and seasonal variations in poaching indicators and enforcement effort and the relationship between enforcement effort and poaching activity. Twelve indicators of poaching were identified, with poachers’ paths, gunshots, footprints, snares and gin traps and empty cartridges being the most frequent. Trend analysis revealed a general decline in most indicators, including snares, cartridges, footprints and poachers’ camps, suggesting that consistent patrol of defined areas of the Park contributed to reduced poaching pressure. However, the rise in poachers’ paths points to hunters adapting their strategies to avoid detection. Seasonal analysis showed no significant difference in most indicators between the open and closed hunting seasons, highlighting gaps in compliance with Ghana’s wildlife regulations. Patrol effort, measured as Patrol Man-Days, was relatively high and consistent between 2012 and 2016 but declined sharply after 2017, reaching its lowest levels between 2019 and 2021. Weak positive correlations between Patrol Man-Days and most poaching indicators suggest that more patrols improved detection but did not necessarily reduce incidents in the short term. The decline in patrol effort during the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates how enforcement is vulnerable to resource constraints and external shocks. Although the recorded poaching decreased during periods of reduced patrols, illegal activity remains ongoing and responsive to enforcement conditions. Conservation implications: Sustained law enforcement probably reduced poaching in Kakum Conservation Area, but illegal activities persist and adapt. Strengthening community participation, ensuring consistent patrol funding across the entire reserve, and using technology can enhance effectiveness. Adaptive management and stronger regulation are essential to sustain biodiversity conservation and reduce wildlife exploitation in protected areas.
This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of neutralising antibodies to two genetically distant lyssaviruses, classical rabies virus (RABV) and Mokola virus (MOKV), the latter being one of the three rabies-related viruses encountered in South Africa, in 160 banked serum samples originating from lions in private and provincial game reserves adjacent to the Mnisi communal area (n = 20) in Mpumalanga and in the greater Kruger National Park (KNP) (n = 140) of South Africa. The KNP lion serum samples were collected between 1995 and 2000, and the rest much later, between 2010 and 2012. The serum samples were tested for neutralising antibodies to RABV and MOKV using the fluorescent antibody virus neutralisation test. Lion sera collected between 1995 and 2000 (n = 140) had a 2.1% and 0.7% prevalence of RABV and MOKV neutralising antibodies, respectively, whereas sera collected between 2010 and 2012 (n = 20) had prevalence values of 65.0% and 36.8%, respectively. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that lions from KNP have been exposed to both RABV and MOKV at low frequencies (<= 2.0%) between 1995 and 2000, while the sample sizes of the lions from other game reserves were too small to make a valid conclusion. Conservation implications: These data suggest that lions, like other wild carnivores, are constantly and naturally exposed to viral pathogens, including lyssaviruses, in their natural habitat. These exposures present a risk of population decline of the endangered lion species, exacerbated by intra-group transmission and disruption of predator-prey dynamics, destabilising ecosystems, including the viability of other endangered wildlife species. Other implications include increased human-lion conflict influencing existing conservation efforts because of heightened fear of lions and the potential for co-infection and viral mutation because of concomitant rabies and/or other virus infections complicating disease prevention and control efforts in lion populations.
This Table of Contents reflects the print compilation of peer-reviewed articles published in the journal. Each article listed was originally published online under the journal’s open access model and remains individually accessible and citable. This compilation has been created solely for print distribution, reference, and archival purposes. No new research content is introduced. The publisher affirms that all articles included in this compilation have undergone the journal’s standard editorial and peer-review processes.
This Table of Contents reflects the print compilation of peer-reviewed articles published in the journal. Each article listed was originally published online under the journal’s open access model and remains individually accessible and citable. This compilation has been created solely for print distribution, reference, and archival purposes. No new research content is introduced. The publisher affirms that all articles included in this compilation have undergone the journal’s standard editorial and peer-review processes.
Understanding the dietary composition of large carnivores and how these relate to the availability of suitable habitat and prey is crucial to population management, especially in fenced reserves. This study aimed to determine the current diet of the lion (Panthera leo) in the Karoo National Park and to establish whether prey preference has changed over the 12 years post-introduction. Global positioning system-collar-based kill-site cluster investigations and scat analyses were used to determine contemporary lion diet, while multinomial logistic regressions were used to investigate longitudinal changes in prey preference by comparing a decade of historical kill and aerial census records. Lion (n = 8) collar fixes identified 358 (12%) ‘potential’ kill-site clusters across 2945 discernible clusters over 15 months (i.e. 2021/2022). The subsequent in-field investigation of 227 (63%) ‘potential’ kill sites yielded 144 (63%) and 103 (45%) independent lion kill and scat samples, respectively. While these two methods offered different sampling advantages, both provided sufficient data to show lion preference for greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), common eland (Tragelaphus oryx) and red hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus caama). Other prey species included gemsbok (Oryx gazella), springbuck (Antidorcas marsupialis), common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) and mountain zebra (Equus zebra). Historical carcass records (n = 1035, = 89.6 ± 13.8 Standard Error [SE] per annum), since the reintroduction of lions in 2010, indicate no significant change in dietary composition over time (Χ2 = 1.98, df = 5, p = 0.85), when controlling for lion population size, despite post-introduction acclimation with substantial inter-annual variability in rainfall and prey availability. Conservation implications: Understanding dietary changes in response to systemic disturbances is crucial to ensuring that lions are ethically and sustainably managed for their ecological efficacy in fenced metapopulations. With no significant change in hunting behaviour, management concerns are unlikely to be driven by reduced prey suitability or availability.
Checklists play a fundamental role in biodiversity conservation by facilitating species monitoring, conservation planning and biogeographical assessments. The Cape Peninsula, South Africa, has a unique combination of nutrient-poor soils in a winter rainfall region, characterised by mountainous and coastal areas, all of which contribute to high levels of plant endemism. The Table Mountain National Park is a core conservation area within this global biodiversity hotspot, encompassing approximately 250 km2 of diverse vegetation types, ranging from Sandstone, Granite, Shale and Sand Fynbos, to Afrotemperate Forest, Renosterveld and Strandveld and covers roughly 50% of the Cape Peninsula. Historical land use and urbanisation have also introduced a wide diversity of non-native species. This study presents an updated checklist of the flora of the park and surrounding peninsula, incorporating recent taxonomic revisions and newly recorded species. The checklist was compiled using data from herbarium records, conservation agency databases, citizen science platforms and historical surveys. Nomenclature follows the South African National Plant Checklist as of March 2024. The resulting dataset comprises 2785 plant taxa, excluding cultivated and urban parkland species. Asteraceae (300 taxa), Fabaceae (210) and Poaceae (173) emerged as the richest families, with Erica (118 species) as the most speciose genus. A total of 437 non-native naturalised plant taxa were recorded, with Fabaceae, Poaceae and Myrtaceae among the most diverse families. Additionally, 261 species are currently classified as threatened, including 38 Critically Endangered taxa. The Table Mountain National Park flora stands out as being among the most diverse within the South African National Parks network. Conservation implications: This updated checklist serves as a critical resource for conservation efforts, providing a baseline for future ecological research, climate change impact assessments, restoration initiatives and monitoring programmes. The data contribute to understanding species vulnerability and informing strategies for preserving the unique plant diversity of the Cape Peninsula.
Checklists form an important component of biodiversity conservation, underpinning species monitoring, conservation planning and management prioritisation. Developing an accurate and taxonomically up-to-date plant checklist for a protected area requires the integration of diverse datasets, verification of species names and careful data management. Using the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, as a case study, we outline key steps and considerations in curating a comprehensive checklist for protected area management. We compiled data from multiple sources, including herbaria, museum collections, local conservation agencies, non-governmental organisations, universities, private conservancies, historical surveys and citizen science platforms such as iNaturalist. Key recommendations for checklist development include: (1) defining the geographic and taxonomic scope of the checklist, (2) identifying data sources, (3) optimising database design with standardised data collection and essential metadata fields, (4) having a verifiable taxonomic backbone, and (5) a clear workflow for working through each data source. In this process, it is important to retain, but flag erroneous records rather than deleting them, make provision for correctly assigning status information to extralimital and alien species, and use a local taxonomic expert to assist in decision-making required for resolving errors. Challenges encountered during the compilation of the checklist include resolving taxonomic inconsistencies, handling misidentifications, addressing orthographical errors in plant names and filtering out cultivated records from naturally occurring species – particularly in iNaturalist data. Our methodology provides practical guidelines to minimise these challenges, aligning with international best practices for checklist compilation and maintenance. By ensuring data completeness, accuracy and taxonomic consistency, we offer a framework that can benefit future biodiversity monitoring and conservation efforts. Conservation implications: Accurate species checklists are crucial for informed conservation decisions. Standardised protocols for data validation and taxonomic accuracy enhance the reliability of biodiversity assessments, ultimately improving conservation outcomes in protected areas.
We present the first appraisal of the herpetofauna of Meerkat National Park, a recently established conservation area in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. A baseline list of species of amphibians and reptiles recorded from the park was created using a combination of active searching, night drives and trapping over a nine-day survey in March 2025. We also collated ad hoc observations of herpetofauna shared on the community science platform, iNaturalist, to supplement our dataset. Our findings were compared against species expected to occur in the park based on published inferred distribution maps. Our survey resulted in 126 observations from 29 species (6 amphibians and 23 reptiles), increasing the number of known species in the park from 14 to 30 and improving the coverage from 13 to 18 pentads. However, much of the park remains unsurveyed and several expected species were not recorded. Therefore, for a more comprehensive species list, we recommend further sampling of the park. Conservation implications: Sampling of protected areas is important for generating species lists and building knowledge of population trends that are essential for assisting in species conservation. Our study provides a list of the reptile and amphibian species that currently occur and those that might occur in the newly established Meerkat National Park.
Vegetation mapping with details of plant communities plays an important role in managing and conserving the natural environment. Vegetation types mapping by Du Preez, including the current Drakensberg-Amathole Afromontane Fynbos (Gd6) in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, somewhat differs from that of Mucina and Rutherford. Recent research indicated that the Gd6 vegetation type is very restricted in the park. Apart from these shortcomings, there are also questions about the occurrence of other fynbos components within the grassland biome. Using the Braun-Blanquet cover abundance scale, 108 sample plots were placed in three transects across the mapped and proposed sections of Gd6 to collect vegetation data. A TWINSPAN classification in JUICE suggests the phytosociological classification of two distinct plant communities. These two communities were further confirmed by ordination, which indicated that the communities had different environmental preferences. The combination of different plant families found during the study confirms the composition of fynbos elements within the grassland. Our research findings indicate that Gd6 is present within Golden Gate Highlands National Park and serves as a baseline for plant communities related to this vegetation type. The results further suggest that both mapped and proposed sections should be combined to create a single, more detailed map. Conservation implications: The analysis of plant species and communities in the proposed and mapped sections of the Drakensberg-Amathole Afromontane Fynbos indicated the presence of this vegetation type within Golden Gate Highlands National Park. The description of these communities helped to define and assist with the criteria for the management and protection of fynbos components in the grassland.
Protected areas in the savannas are key global reserves for biological diversity, including arthropods. Fire and mammal herbivory disrupts the diversity of biological organisms that alternately affects the functioning of the ecosystem. The study presents a global synthesis review of arthropod responses to varying intensities of fires and mammal herbivory in the protected savannas. We hypothesise that the intensity of predetermined fires and mammal herbivory has cascading impacts on abundance, species richness and diversity of terrestrial arthropods in the protected savannas. A minimum selection criteria was used to collate relevant literature from electronic databases of previous studies performed in the subtropical regions of Australia, Brazil and South Africa. Arthropod orders were used to group ecological indicators in 84.6%, while the functional traits were used in 15.4% of the studies. The orders included Hymenoptera (i.e. Formicidae), which was used in 81.8% of the studies selected for this systematic review, while Orthoptera, Araneae and Coleoptera were each used in 45.5%, 36.4% and 36.4% of the studies, respectively. In addition, Hemiptera and Lepidoptera were used as indicators in 27.3%, while Blattodea and Diptera were used in 18.2% of the studies. Collembola and functional groups (herbivores, omnivores and predators) were used as indicators in less than 9.1% of the studies. Fire and mammal herbivory significantly influenced the abundance and species richness of Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera and multi-taxon. However, the response of arthropods (i.e. abundance and species richness) to the intensities of disturbances did not vary significantly at burnt and grazed plots. Conservation implications: A similar response to intensities of disturbance suggests that an array of arthropod orders and functional groups (solely or combined) are indistinguishably affected by fire and mammal herbivory. Thus, arthropods could potentially be a viable ecological indicator to ascertain the magnitude of impacts. Policies encouraging the integration of different intensities of fire and mammal herbivory across protected areas should be encouraged to optimise the conservation of arthropods, including the threatened morphospecies.
Spiders were sampled using pitfall traps over two 21-day periods in July 2020 and November 2020 at five sites within a litchi orchard in Hazyview, located in the Mpumalanga Lowveld of South Africa. In total, 407 specimens representing 16 families, 25 genera and 30 species were recorded. The Corinnidae (n = 229) represented 56.3% of all spiders collected, followed by the Salticidae (n = 56, 13.8%), Lycosidae (n = 40, 9.8%) and Gallieniellidae (n = 24, 6.0%). The families with the highest number of species were Salticidae (n = 7) and Lycosidae (n = 4). Wandering spiders made up 93.3% of the total specimens collected, while web-building spiders accounted for only 6.7%. Conservation implications: Although this study focused on epigeic spiders rather than foliage spiders, some ground-dwelling species can help reduce pest populations through their vertical movement within the orchard. Therefore, understanding the assemblages and dominant patterns of spiders found on the floor of the litchi orchard can inform our advocacy for reducing chemical use and increasing the reliance on spiders for biological pest control. Additionally, recognising these dominant patterns is essential for maintaining suitable habitat conditions, ensuring the sustainability of biological control programmes and the conservation of predator species.
