Greater Mapungubwe Network Meeting – April 2015

Greater Mapungubwe Network Meeting
Meeting Minutes
th
Friday 10 April 2015, Lajuma Research Centre
Location: Lajuma Research Centre
Time Start: 10:00
Time finish: 14:10
Minutes prepared by: Carolyn Dunford and Wendy Collinson
1. Welcome and thank you
WC welcomed all attendees and then gave a network overview.
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The Greater Mapungubwe Network has been active for over three years; its primary
objective is to provide a network or contacts – it is not an activist group. Over the last there
years, our numbers have grown, with increased interest across the country, with numerous
students also partaking.
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WC thanked Lajuma Research Centre for hosting the event, with a personal thanks to Ian
Gaiger (for organising the event), Kyle and Ticha (for the lunch), and Carolyn Dunford (for
taking the minutes).
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IG further emphasised how established the network had become, and that it is great to have
so many people involved. He encouraged attendees to chat more after the network, during
lunch.
2. Apologies:
Judy Alexander (JA), Meagan Alexander (MA), Gavin Anderson (GA), Rox Brummer (RB), Trevor
Buckland (TB), Wilhelm Coetsee (WCo), Elbe Coetsee (EC), Christiaan Coetsee (CC), Janette Deacon
(JD), Meg Edwards (ME), Bianca Engelbrecht (BE), Patience Gandiwa (PG), Tarryn Gerris (TG), Inga
Gilfillan (IG), Rosemary Hatty (RH), Paul Hatty (PH), Thomas Huffman (TH), Brian Kalshoven (BK), Ludi
Kern (LK), Mostert Kriek (MK), Peter Laver (PL), Herman Lemmer (HL), Duncan MacFadyen (DM),
Duncan MacWhirter (DMa), Hazel MacWhirter (HM), Tanya McKenzie (TM), Allan McMurtrie (AM),
Smangaliso Mkhabele (SM), Werner Myberg (WM), Josephine Pieters (JP), Ross Pitman (RP), Andrew
Rae (AR), Loanda Richter (LR), Quintus Richter (QR), Coba Rohm (CR), Diana Schoeman (DS), Paul
Smit (PS), Piet Theron (PT), Dirk Uys (DU), Rudi Viljoen (RV), Katy Williams (KW).
3. Attendees:
Andy Allan (AA), Minielle Aurole (MA), Margot Bahloul (MB), Don Bird (DB), Marcelle Bosch (MB),
Harold Braack (HB), Wendy Collinson (WC), Ozanne Compere (OC), Sam Dagada (SD), Mat Davies
(MD), Dave Dewsnap (DD), Karen Dewsnap (KD), Carolyn Dunford (CD), Clair Eggberry (CL), Cliff
Eggberry (ClE), Martin Engelbrecht (ME), Steven Evans (SE) Ian Gaiger (IG), Nadia Hassan (NH), Atta
Hanisch (AH), Edwin Hanisch (EH), Marjorie Hopmeiners (MH), Quentin Horta (QH), David Johnson
(DJ), Peta Jones (PJ), Pierre Jonker (PJ), Meredith Keeley (MK), Paula Knipping (PK), Toine Knipping
(TK), Caroline Kruger (CK), Frank Kruger (FK), Emily Lake (EL), Bibi Linden (BL), Jabu Linden (JL),
Valerie Linden (VL), Oriane Marquot (OM), Diede Melsen (DM), Zoe Melvin (ZM), Kevin Mensonides
(KM), Rebecca Moran (RMo), Ralf Mullers (RM), Fiona Nicholson (FN), Ryan van Huyssten (RvH), Bibi
Linden (BL), Jabu Linden (JL), Melissa Petford (MP), Portia Phokera (PP), Tom Pinfield (TP), Amelie
Revel (AR), Felix Schroder (FS), Ryan Scott (RS), Buffy Smith (BS), Liam Thomas (LT), Anna Venter
(AV), Judy van Schalkwyk (JvS), Oldrich van Schalkwyk (OvS), Aart van Soest (AvS)Sam Williams (SW),
Ellie Wood (EW).
4. Minutes of last meeting:
 Signed off by Ian Gaiger and Don Bird.
5. Matters arising
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The GMN is a collaborative effort amongst stakeholders in the GMTFCA and has created
partnerships with many organisations. Leon Marais wrote an article about the GMTFCA and
the GMN and this was published in the March edition of Country life magazine. It is great to
have the network recognised internationally.
Newsletter articles; please can we have submissions as we are late on the current one.
Articles can be about anything, they do not have to be ‘just wildlife’ – try not to make them
too scientific though. Thank you to De Beers Group of Companies (Venetia Mine) for funding
our newsletter. We have 600 copies printed and these are distributed in Alldays, Vivo, Louis
Trichardt, Musina and local lodges.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has previously conducted African Wild Dog (AWD)
research in the GMTFCA and is updating their census. Samantha Page, of the EWT, contacted
WC to obtain an update of the records for the GMTFCA. Only one sighting of AWD has been
reported in the last four years. Please forward any sightings (as close to month and year as
possible) to WC, so that she can forward to the EWT.
CV: Queen of the night cactus with disease is available to those wishing to control this
invasive species.
Fund raising for The Greater Mapungubwe Lion Project – sale of rings which will be available
in June. Please record details on the available sheet if you are interested in supporting the
project.
Invitation from Fiona Johnson to view Samango Monkeys on her property.
([email protected])
Steven Evans: Crowned Eagle project; cameras on nest and radio tracking. Please inform
him if you have Crowned Eagles or nests on your property. He is also in the process of
creating a South Africa Crowned Eagle Conservation Action Plan. Please contact SE if you
wish to attend a three-day workshop at Lajuma Research Centre.
([email protected])
Bibi Linden: ‘Brake for Samango Monkeys’ car bumper stickers are available at the veterinary
practise in Louis Trichardt. Proceeds go towards the research.
6. Presentations
A PowerPoint presentation is available on request.
Ian Gaiger (Lajuma Research Centre)
Biography: Ian Gaigher was born close to three quarters of a century ago in Herman Charles
Bosman’s Marico District (yes, this explains a lot!). His childhood memories consist of mountain
hikes, fishing trips and camping on their Bushveld farm. He must have attended some schooling
because he eventually matriculated (obviously to the relief of his teachers).
He managed to scrape through a Master’s degree in Wildlife Management at the University of
Pretoria and then continued his fishing exploits for which he obtained a Ph.D. in 1970.
His academic career was highlighted by frequent holiday trips to the Okavango, Namib, Zimbabwe,
Mozambique, etc. In between he also managed to do some teaching and research for the former
Transvaal and Cape Departments of Nature Conservation and the University of the Free State. In
1985 he decided to leave the rat race and accepted a post at the University of Venda where his first
task was to find rats for a practical.
Realising that he was due to be fired, he took early retirement in 2002 to initiate the Lajuma
Research Centre.
Title of presentation: Conservation status of butterflies in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve
Questions:
Q: ClE– Can I photograph butterflies and send them somewhere to be identified?
A: The Butterfly Animal Demographic Unit (a virtual museum) will identify each specimen and add
them to the National Database. Alternatively you can send them to the LEPIMAP – a virtual museum
(http://lepimap.adu.org.za/)
Q: Can we get an ID book with photos, distribution etc.?
A: Lepidoptera society of South Africa has records which you can access.
WC: You can also contribute to the Great White Butterfly Migration – you report the direction and
number and how long they are there for. There is a Facebook group to involve the public and shows
just how useful media can be.
Ian: There is a decrease in vegetation types across the region – the butterflies need a variety but
there is a problem with mining in the South.
Peta Jones (Donkey Power)
Biography: Peta Jones has a PhD in African Archaeology (Early Iron Age), but started using donkeys
when she was living in the Zambezi Valley, the BaTonga area of Zimbabwe, and needed
transport. Very soon she found herself writing a handbook on donkeys for Zimbabwe's Agritex, but
it has since become 'Donkeys for Development', available on CD.
This started a long involvement of training communities in donkey management, and also using
donkeys for cultural tourism. Many publications and international conferences later, she is now a
donkey specialist and cannot any longer call herself an archaeologist. She also specializes in
sustainable agriculture, on which she has collaborated with the FAO and the African Conservation
Tillage network.
She brought her donkeys down to South Africa (on their own feet, but not always hers) 14 years ago,
and after living on the mountain for a while, now lives with her donkeys to the north of the
Soutpansberg on the Sand River, where she welcomes visitors.
Title of presentation: The advantages to tourism and the environment of using donkeys
Questions:
Q: Donkeys can be used for livestock protection, what can you tell me about that?
A: They are widely used to protect against predators but maybe not leopards. They are very
aggressive towards dogs and are popular in Texas against Coyotes.
Q: You mentioned issues with Donkey harnesses, can you elaborate?
A: Often they have a neck strap which is not good as it slides onto the front of the neck and applies
the pressure here. They are a different shape to horses and so can’t use the same system.
Q: If the phrase is ‘Stubborn as a Donkey’, Can they really be trained?
A: The phrase is ‘Stubborn as a mule’! Donkeys are very intelligent; they just won’t do something
that they think is dangerous. You have to teach them by observation – if they see another cart going
across the bridge, they will learn that it is safe for them to go too.
Q: Donkeys don’t like wet environments so how can they be used on the mountains where we can
get a lot of rain?
A: They can be. You just have to take care of their feet and provide adequate shelter. They can easily
handle the terrain here you just need to look after them properly.
Wendy Collinson (The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife and Roads Project)
Biography: Originally hailing form the UK, Wendy came to South Africa in 2006, and began her work
in conservation as an unpaid volunteer with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). She immersed
herself in a number of carnivore research projects during which time she observed many animal
road mortalities. Deeply concerned by this, Wendy used her own time and resources to conduct
pilot studies to ascertain the extent of roadkill. Some alarming statistics came to light, showing that
roads may detrimentally impact biodiversity. For example, 10 African Wild Dogs were killed on the
roads in the study area over a three-month period. With approximately 450 African Wild Dogs left in
South Africa, this charismatic and Endangered species may further be at risk from roads.
In the past two decades, research on the effects of roads and traffic and the use and effectiveness of
mitigation works has increased dramatically in Europe, North America and Australia. However, the
uptake of road ecology in Africa has been slower and it is not a routine part of road construction or
management. The mortality of wildlife due to collision with vehicles in Africa has been recognised as
a substantial threat to wildlife. This is of significant concern, particularly in South Africa, which is the
third most biologically diverse country on Earth.
In 2010, Wendy initiated a project that formed the basis for the future development of the first
national multi-species protocol for the monitoring of roadkill in South Africa. This protocol was
implemented in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA) in the
northern Limpopo Valley of South Africa, a World Heritage Site and identified the factors affecting
roadkill rates, species composition and any other variables that may affect roadkill rates. Over a 120day period, 1121 roadkill carcasses were identified from 166 different species. This protocol has
since been adopted by other localised roadkill studies.
Wendy is currently working with the EWT’s Wildlife and Roads Project where she is driving initiatives
that address the now-recognised threat of roads in South Africa. She has successfully co-ordinated
two international road ecology workshops which led to the development of a five-year action plan.
In addition, she is creating a national network forum which will continue to raise awareness and
further quantify the issue at hand through proactive mitigation measures such as a Roadkill
Sensitivity Map and best practice guidelines to guide road development. Wendy is continuing to
motivate for further research to be undertaken that examines the impacts of roads in South Africa,
and is liaising with South African institutions regarding the design of future projects. This body of
knowledge will lead into the development and planning decisions of future road design, which will
lessen the impact of roads on South African fauna and flora.
Wendy obtained her MSc thesis in April 2013 (through Rhodes University) which examined the
determinants of roadkill in South Africa. In addition, she has written the South African chapter for an
international publication on global road ecology.
Title of presentation: Roadkill mitigation in the GMTFCA – a success story
Questions:
Q: Could it be useful to approach road construction companies and get them to include barriers for
wildlife and build them into the road?
A: Yes
BREAK: Followed by a short presentation from WC showcasing network members and their
talents.
Ralf Mullers (Mogalakwena Research Centre)
Biography: Ralf is from the Netherlands, and initially studied tourism with the idea of becoming a
guide and therefore travel a lot, but after a few years, he figured that he needed a bit more of a
challenge. He decided to study biology at the University of Groningen in the north of the
Netherlands and field ecology gripped him there. Ralf finished his MSc and rolled into a PhD for
which his fieldwork sites were in South Africa and Namibia. After his PhD, he had a few years of nonscience-related experiences, including sewage worker, construction worker, working on an organic
farm, and land surveyor, after which he did a post-doctoral research project at the University of
Cape Town. Now he is the new Research Manager at Mogalakwena and hopes to settle down here
for a while with his girlfriend and little girl. His interests lie in the field of ecology, music and good
coffee.
Title of presentation: Shoebills in the Bangweulu Wetlands. Community based conservation
COMMENT: Please let us know if there are any soft wood or Seryngei Trees you have on your land
you need removing as we would like them to build nest boxes.
Questions:
Q: Is there a limit to the time this can be maintained if you are only funded for a limited period –
those who have jobs now might lose them?
A: Actually SANParks and the Wetland management body provide a budget for workers alongside
the research grant, so it is sustainable in the long run.
Q: Is there any research ongoing looking at reintroduction of the second chick?
A: Currently there is too little research into release areas for these animals but it is part of our long
term management plan and it being considered.
Q: How long has the fire system existed to increase fishing space?
A: It is a long standing tradition of the area.
Q: Is a 20% recruitment rate viable for a long lived species like this?
A: Well that 20% is just breeding success, not recruitment. Recruitment is when a chick then starts
breeding itself and produces offspring. This is not viable for this species. Something to also consider
is the increasing population of the wetlands, this increases trade in the birds and increases hunting.
Q: In your research, why did nest numbers decease in 2014/15 compared to 2013?
A: Nests are very hard to find, and when we are studying a nest we only include results that we are
100% certain of the outcome. So we monitored more nests than this but it’s hard to know what
happened.
Q: When do chicks start breeding themselves?
A: Around the age of 3-4 years, but its understudied so we aren’t exactly sure. We have started
ringing our chicks so hopefully we will see in the future.
Rox Brummer (Green Dogs Conservation)
Biography: Green Dogs Conservation is a South African based non-profit organisation which focusses
on wildlife conservation by making use of highly specialised domestic dogs. The dogs are trained for
different purposes such as scat detection, scent matching, anti-poaching, chasing birds and the
protection of livestock. Over the years, dogs have proven to be a very effective and efficient tool not
only for management implications but also for scientific research. All dogs used are individually
trained on different fields by Green Dogs Conservation.
Rox was born in Barbados but moved to Kenya at a young age and spent much of her childhood in
various African and Asian countries. She studied a BSc (hons) in Ecology followed by an MA in
Management at Durham University Business School. She moved to South Africa to work on a private
game reserve rehabilitating habitat and reintroducing Cheetahs. It was during this time that she
started working with sniffer dogs. Following this, she embarked on an MSc project on survey and
census methods for large carnivores, and got involved in the use of Livestock Guardian Dogs. She
also farms with Boer Goats and mixed cattle, which are protected by dogs on a farm where Lions,
Leopards, Cheetah, Spotted Hyaena, Brown Hyaena and African Wild Dog are all either transient or
resident. Firsthand experience that these dogs really do work!
Title of presentation: An update on the Greater Mapungubwe Lion Project - methodology of data
recording of free roaming lions.
Presented by Don Bird on behalf of Rox Brummer.
Questions:
Q: Why is it called Green Dogs Conservation when it is a lion project?
A: The organisation was set up by Rox Brummer where she breeds and trains livestock guarding
dogs, anti-poaching dogs etc. The lion project is an extension of her work.
Q: Are the captive lions at Alldays still drawing in the wild lions?
A: Yes, the captive lions roar and this draws in others from around the area, which can lead to
human-wildlife conflict. These are WILD lions, they aren’t the Kruger lions that you can just take
photos of - it’s dangerous.
Q: Who do you work with?
A: We get data from the public and use the photos to ID the lions. It is not my project, it is everyone
project and so we try and involve as many people as possible.
David Johnson (The Endangered Wildlife Trust) /Fiona Nicholson (Thohoyandou Victim
Empowerment Programme)
Biography: Born in Tanzania Fiona Nicholson is the Programme Director for the Thohoyandou Victim
Empowerment Programme.
David Johnson has spent the last three years researching and writing about the impacts of human
population growth. He believes we need to integrate conservation actions with actions improving
women’s rights, family planning, education and livelihood creation. After eight years in South Africa
he thinks he has completely lost his English accent.
Title of presentation: Integrating conservation and community development programmes for
greater impact.
Questions:
Q: Harold Braack– I worked on a similar project many years ago where we asked poachers questions
on how to improve their community, I would love to get in touch and work together.
Q: Oldrich van Schalkwyk – You seem to be doing great work with women, but what about men? Can
we teach them what they should be doing rather than just what they should not be doing?
A: Yes – We work with the men in the communities too. We are encouraging men to be present at
the birth of their children and are using slogans like ‘Anyone can make a baby but it takes a real man
to be a father’. Men need to be involved in the home so that children can see a functional home. We
also help men that have been abused as it tends to cascade and they become abusers. 9% of rapists
are children and so we target boys for education a lot.
Don Bird (Muvhuyu Research and Education Centre)
Biography: Don left school at the age of 17 to join the Royal Air Force, and was selected for the SAS
six years later. He then spent 25 years in the military.
Seven years ago, he visited South Africa as a mature student/volunteer and decided the bush was his
second home. He was involved with a number of research projects on Venetia and Karongwe with
Global Vision International before spending 6 months as volunteer co-ordinator on a White Lion
project in Hoedspruit. As a qualified level 2 guide, he then worked for Bundox game capture
company for three years, before running a Game Ranger experience course at Mapungubwe Private
Nature reserve. Earlier this year this year, with the help of Cliff and Clair Eggberry and Caroline (his
girlfriend) he has recently set up a research and education project in the Alldays area. Don also
assists Rox Brummer with the Greater Mapungubwe Lion Project.
Title of presentation Muvhuyu Research and Education - new horizons
Questions:
No Questions
7. Any other business
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Thanks were given to the presenters for great quality presentations and such variety.
Thank you too (again) to Lajuma Research Center, Ian Gaiger and Kyle and Ticha in the
kitchen.
Thank you to Carolyn Dunford for taking the minutes of the meeting. These will be
distributed for comment.
The next network meeting will be at Mogalakwena (July / August) CK will confirm. TK/PK
expressed interest at holding the final meeting of the year (November at Iphofolo Game
Farm and showcasing Aloway (the Aloe factory).
Please send any articles for the newsletters to WC ASAP.
A group photo was then taken of all attendees.
Meeting closed 14:10