African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) impacts on vegetation in a fenced area and the broader implications for elephant conservation.

Abstract

The first chapter assessed whether a monitored population of African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) impacted tree species in the small, fenced Karongwe Private Game Reserve (KPGR), South Africa and to determine levels of tree recovery. Trees in high-use areas were significantly less likely to show signs of debarking and push over. Tall trees were significantly more likely to be impacted by elephants, being associated with heightened risks of debarking and branches being broken but lower risks of being pushed over. Trees close to the fence line were not more impacted than trees near the centre of the reserve. The level of use, distance to the fence and tree height were not significant predictors of tree recovery indicators. Future mitigation efforts should focus on trees with high levels of impact and low levels of recovery. The second chapter considered how elephant impact influenced secondary damages to trees and how this effected tree recovery levels. Secondary damage was identified as insects, where wood borers and termites were considered. Irrespective of tree height, termites were found to be more likely to colonise damaged trees without signs of recovery andwood borers were more likely to colonise damaged trees showing signs of recovery. Therefore, carefully considering management approaches for elephant-induced termite and wood borer impact on trees should be applied in this fenced reserve. Following this, the third chapter considered an alternative method for identifying tree height in the KPGR, using aerial photographs with 3-D photogrammetry. Initial findings here indicate that this method was successful at identifying tree height within this fenced environment. This method should be repeated in such environments in conjunction with other mapping agencies. Lastly, the fourth chapter investigated school children’s perceptions of elephants and elephant conservation at different geographical locations. Different levels of exposure to elephants were significant in influencing school children’s perceptions. More research is required to enhance environmental education practises to support elephant conservation across different locations.