SANParks Research Report 2022/2023

[RogerFraser]

https://www.sanparks.org/wp-content/upl ... inal-1.pdf

Here is a summary of report by copilot AI:

- **Introduction**: The page is a research report by SANParks for the year 2022/23, covering various topics related to marine and coastal ecosystems, biodiversity, and conservation in South Africa's national parks.
- **Marine Protected Areas**: The page discusses the importance of MPAs as socio-ecological systems that balance conservation and sustainable use, and highlights the challenges and achievements of managing MPAs in Namaqua, Table Mountain, and other national parks.
- **Estuary Management Plans**: The page describes the process and progress of developing EMPs for estuaries within national parks, such as Sout (East), Knysna, Groot (West), and Sundays, following the National Estuarine Management Protocol.
- **Avian Influenza Outbreak**: The page reports on the impact and response to the H5N8 HPAI epidemic that affected coastal seabirds in 2017-2018, especially swift terns, African penguins, Cape cormorants, and Cape gannets, and the measures taken to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks.

- **Managing the outbreak in the wild**: The article describes the measures taken to minimise the spread and impact of a deadly avian influenza that affected several bird species in South Africa in 2022 and 2023.
- **Public engagement and safety**: The article advises the public not to handle bird carcasses, especially if they have contact with domestic birds, and provides instructions on disease management and biosecurity for staff at seabird colonies.
- **Seabird rehabilitation centres**: The article highlights the role of these centres in treating affected birds, implementing strict biosecurity measures, isolating suspected cases, and euthanizing severely affected birds to prevent suffering.
- **Disease mitigation measures**: The article acknowledges that disease plays a role in natural population control, but suggests that intervention may be needed for populations at risk of extinction. The article also recommends improved monitoring, preparedness, communication, and contingency planning for future outbreaks.

- **Climate change and biological invasions in South Africa**: This chapter explores how climate change affects the distribution, abundance, and impacts of alien species in different biogeographical regions of South Africa, and how policy and management can respond to these challenges¹[1].
- **Tracking the survival of Quiver trees**: This article reports on a long-term monitoring programme of quiver trees, a succulent species that is undergoing a range shift in response to climate change in south-western Africa, and the implications for conservation and ecosystem services.
- **Synopsis of temperature data collected in the Garden Route National Park over 20 years**: This article presents the results of temperature and relative humidity data collected from two sites in the Southern Afromontane Forests of the Garden Route National Park, and how they can inform various research and management projects.
- **Possible futures for alien species under climate change**: This article discusses the potential scenarios and trade-offs for managing alien species under climate change, and the need for flexible and adaptive legal frameworks and regional collaborations²[2].

- **Golden Gate Highlands census team**: The team conducted an aerial survey of large herbivores in the park, including wildlife and livestock, using a helicopter and a tablet app.
- **Challenges and rewards**: The team faced weather challenges, but also enjoyed sightings of caracal, wildebeest and eland¹[1]. They also observed the coexistence of livestock and wildlife in the park, and the implications for park management²[2].
- **Rare species**: The team did not see any oribi, and only a few mountain reedbuck, which raises questions about the drivers of their decline³[3].
- **Skukuza village observations**: Intern Esi Bossman recorded some of the observations seen in the Skukuza village during the iNaturalist City Challenge, such as birds, insects and plants.

- **Visiting Reunion National Park in 2022**: SANParks staff had the opportunity to visit the island of Reunion as part of a collaboration with Parc Nationale de la Reunion. They learned about the park's alien species mapping process, climate change impacts, and World Heritage Site management.
- **When the rivalry between honeybees and humans impede space research**: Meerkat National Park is home to the MeerKAT telescope, an elite radio telescope project. However, the park also attracts honeybees, which cause conflict with visitors and scientists. SANParks developed recommendations for honeybee challenges and coexistence with humans at the park.
- **Dynamic processes**: This section showcases various research projects on fire ecology, bush encroachment, forest regeneration, and blood oxygenation monitoring in different national parks. The projects aim to improve the understanding and management of these dynamic processes and their implications for conservation.

- **Elephant dung for traditional healers**: The page describes a pilot project in Kruger National Park to share elephant dung with traditional healers living next to the park, as a way of reconnecting people with the natural and cultural resources in parks. Elephant dung is used as a popular ingredient of traditional medicine for various ailments.
- **Benefits and sustainability**: The project aims to provide benefits to the traditional healers, such as access to natural resources, and to build positive relationships and connections with the park. The project also ensures the sustainability of elephant dung harvesting, as only a small fraction of the dung produced by the park's elephants is needed to meet the annual demand of the healers.
- **Process and challenges**: The page explains the process of collecting, drying, packing and distributing the elephant dung, with the guidance and support of the state veterinarians, rangers and staff in the park. The page also mentions some of the challenges and risks involved, such as disease transmission, safety issues and legal implications.

Here is a summary of part 7 of the current page:

- **WWF Environmental Leaders Program**: A collaboration between WWF and various host organisations to provide internships for young environmental graduates. The interns are guided by mentors and exposed to a range of activities and networking opportunities within the environmental sector¹[1].
- **SANParks as a host organisation**: SANParks hosted five interns in 2021/2022 and is hosting more interns in 2023/2024, working in diverse areas of park planning, scientific services and veterinary wildlife services²[2].
- **Intern profiles**: The page features the stories and achievements of four interns who worked or are working in Kruger National Park and the Garden Route National Park, focusing on freshwater ecology, biological invasions, water technology and mammal ecology.
- **References**: The page contains many references to other sources of information, such as websites, journals, books and reports.


- **Author biographies**: This section provides brief introductions of the authors who contributed to the research papers published by the South African National Parks in 2022/23.
- **Research papers**: This section lists the titles, authors, journals, and links of the research papers, organized by the national parks where the research was conducted.
- **Multiple parks**: This section lists the research papers that involved more than one national park, such as studies on climate change, biodiversity, conservation, and tourism.


- **Part 9: Biodiversity and Conservation** - This part lists the research articles related to biodiversity and conservation that were published by SANParks or its collaborators in 2022 and 2023.
- **Research topics** - The articles cover a wide range of topics, such as bioclimatic controls of plants, ecosystem typology, social-ecological change, wildlife management, invasive species, fish distribution, avian influenza, and shark movements.
- **Research methods** - The articles use various methods to collect and analyze data, such as field observations, experiments, remote sensing, modelling, and synthesis.
- **References** - This part contains many references to the articles, with their titles, authors, journals, volumes, pages, and DOIs.

[Richprins]

Rog!

Looks like some interesting stuff there, and glad they are releasing it!

[Lisbeth]

Conservation is only part 9. IMO it should be one of the first