Priority conservation research questions for prospective students

Are you a student looking for some conservation-relevant ideas for a research project? Are you interested in contributing to pressing conservation challenges in southern Africa? The EWT has identified a list of priority research projects that we believe will make a difference in effectively conserving our biodiversity and ecosystems.

Prospective students are welcome to contact relevant programme managers for clarification on the projects, BUT PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE PROJECTS ARE NOT CURRENTLY FUNDED and represent an up-to-date “wish list” of the EWT’s current conservation research priorities.

Birds of prey programme

Keywords/themes: movement ecology, poisoning, breeding biology

Vultures

• Are the Vulture Safe Zones improving the breeding success and population trends of South Africa’s threatened vultures?
• Using previous results of habitat suitability models, can we identify suitable and safe sites to support an active Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) captive rearing and recovery programme?
• Since 2006, the EWT has been coordinating the vulture tagging and resighting database in southern Africa. Using this long-term database, we would like to address the following questions:
  • Are there any negative effects of using patagial wing tags (with respect to breeding success and productivity), and should we use new, less invasive colour tags?
  • Can wing tags effectively determine survival and dispersal in individuals through resighting records?
  • What is the average longevity of wing tags on vultures? Does this vary between species?
  • Are landowners and/or members of the public more likely to report the presence of vulture carcasses to the EWT if they are wing tagged and/or ringed? What does this mean for population monitoring?
• What is the nest site occupancy and breeding success of Critically Endangered White-backed Vultures in the Kalahari?
• What are the baseline levels of lead ingestion and poisoning in Lowveld vultures?
• Vultures have the potential to act as long-distance vectors of infectious diseases. What are the ecto- and endoparasite loads, the prevalence of HPAI and Newcastle’s Disease, basic health parameters, genetics, and microbiome of vultures?

Martial Eagles in the Karoo

• We aim to assess the population dynamics, breeding, spatial ecology and diet of Martial Eagles that breed on Eskom transmission lines in the central Karoo, South Africa. The mechanisms driving changes in population sizes, particularly outside protected areas, are poorly understood. Further research to elucidate the drivers of the Martial Eagle’s decline is imperative for conserving the species. We need to better understand the factors that influence Martial Eagle breeding, foraging and ultimately, population dynamics, both within and outside of protected areas of South Africa.

African raptors

• What are the migratory routes and non-breeding range of Wahlberg’s Eagle (Hieraaetus wahlbergi)? What are the threats that could impact the species along its migratory flyway?
• What is the status of the over-wintering populations, movements and foraging habits of Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) and Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) populations in South Africa?
• What are the seasonal changes in Pel’s Fishing-owl territory occupation, foraging, and habitat use? These data will inform conservation interventions and protect known breeding and foraging sites.
• What are the levels of heavy metals in the eggshells of raptors in the Lowveld? This will help us use raptors as indicators of environmental health and provide a baseline level for the levels of different contaminants in the eggshells of birds of prey in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

For more information email our programme manager Dr Gareth Tate

DRYLANDS CONSERVATION PROGRAMME

Keywords/themes: restoration, predation risk, movement ecology, climate change, human-wildlife conflict, socio-economic development

Riverine Rabbits

• What is the impact of jackal, leopard and caracal predation on Riverine Rabbit (Bunolagus monticularis) populations in the Nama and Succulent Karoo?
• What is the impact of predation by raptors on Riverine Rabbit (Bunolagus monticularis) populations in the Nama and Succulent Karoo?
• What are the habitat requirements and movement patterns of Riverine Rabbits in the Succulent Karoo?
• Can a machine learning protocol be developed to distinguish individuals of species without unique markings, such as Aardvark and Riverine Rabbits, captured on camera traps?

Karoo tortoises

• Which strategies most effectively mitigate crow predation on tortoises in the Nama and Succulent Karoo?

Dryland restoration

• What are the most effective methods of habitat restoration in the Karoo?
• What are the survival rates of nursery–grown plants on restoration sites in the Nama Karoo, with and without protection?
• How do survival rates of two nursery-grown riparian plant species compare when planted in association with micro–catchments vs plough lines at two restoration sites in the Nama Karoo?

Dryland agriculture

• What methods could mitigate human-wildlife conflict and promote more ethical farming practices in the Karoo?
• Are Nama Karoo landowners aware of the impacts of climate change, and what are their adaptation and mitigation techniques to climate change?
• How do stakeholders respond to the Responsible Wool Standards Initiative, and do the standards result in a tangible benefit to biodiversity on Karoo rangelands? (A comparison between farmers complying with the standards and those that do not).

socio-economic development

• What is the long-term environmental impact of mining, agriculture and other development along South Africa’s West Coast?
• What are the gaps, weaknesses and strengths of existing water management policies and legislation, and how can they be improved for cooperative water governance around freshwater ecosystems in the Cape?
• What is the long-term environmental impact of mining, agriculture and other development in the Northern Cape?
• Using the Nieuwoudtville project as a case study, what are the socio-economic and environmental impacts of nature-based tourism?

For more information email our programme manager Johan du Plessis

WILDLIFE AND TRANSPORT PROGRAMME

Keywords/themes: roadkill, mitigation

Expand the scope and focus of roadkill studies in South Africa

• Expand the scope and focus of roadkill studies in South Africa
  • How applicable is the EWT’s roadkill monitoring protocol in various habitats and circumstances? How might the protocol be modified to improve its reliability?
  • What rates of roadkill are observed in various habitats?
• Assess the use of existing mitigation options for roadkill
  • Which existing structures facilitate wildlife crossings? What species use them? How might structures be altered to increase their use? What are the costs associated with these alterations?
  • What are the indirect impacts of fences designed to prevent the movement of animals across road infrastructure?
  • Can different odours be used as a repellent for livestock species grazing on roadside verges and prevent them from wandering onto the road and causing road accidents?
• Determine whether deliberate collision is a threat
  • Is there a correlation between the locality of the research (urban, rural, agricultural etc.) and the type of animal deliberately hit (e.g., jackals are considered pests by some farmers)?
• Assess the use of roadkill for muthi
  • What percentage/number of animals used by sangomas for muthi purposes are sourced from roadkill?
  • What freshness of carcass is required by the sangomas?
  • Does sourcing wildlife from roadkill victims reduce the need for alternative harvesting mechanisms?
• Monitoring the impacts of roads on Serval on the N3 highway, South Africa.
  • Serval have been documented as impacting roads on the N3 highway, with over 80 killed over two years. What impact does this have on the population?
  • What are Servals’ behaviour around roads in general? Is it determined by prey base?
• Monitoring the impacts of roads on Bat-eared Fox on the R360, South Africa.
  • Bat-eared Foxes have been documented as being impacted on the R360 road. What impact does this have on the population?
  • What is Bat-eared Fox behaviour around roads in general? Is it determined by prey base?
• What species are attracted to or repelled by roads and/or rail? Use of spoor surveys adjacent to and buffering (e.g. 100m and 1 km away) these two linear infrastructures can indicate species behaviour around them to generate an understanding of specific species that avoid or are attracted to linear infrastructure and the potential barrier effects.
• Does driver behaviour change in response to roadkill signage on rural roads?

For more information email our programme manager Wendy Collison

WILDLIFE IN TRADE PROGRAMME

Keywords/themes: illegal wildlife trade, pangolins, poaching, rhinos, wildlife consumption, smuggling, responsible tourism, alternative livelihoods

Illegal trade in wildlife

• How has Covid-19 lockdown and global travel restrictions affected wildlife crime? Are poachers becoming more creative, using new means to transport products when international travel is limited?
• Have the bans on wildlife consumption, first in China and increasingly in other countries, affected the scale of illegal wildlife trade sourced in Africa, specifically from South Africa?
• To what extent has the legal trade in lion bones contributed to the poaching and smuggling of wild lions? What is the conservation impact of the captive lion industry? What are the uses for lion parts in Africa and Asia?
• How many Temminck’s Ground Pangolins (Smutsia temminckii) are being removed from the wild every year in South Africa? Who is responsible, why, and how do we reduce the impacts? How do these removals affect the wild population?
• Which bird species are being removed from the wild in South Africa for illegal trade, and in what quantities are they being extracted? What are the impacts on wild populations? Is the illegal trade being conducted at subsistence or organised level?
• Which reptile species are being removed from the wild in South Africa for illegal trade, and in what quantities are they being extracted? What are the impacts on wild populations? Is the illegal trade being conducted at subsistence or organised level?
• What other animal taxa, for example, insects, are being exploited for the illegal wildlife trade, and what is the conservation impact?
• What is the scale of the illegal trade in medicinal plants?
• What are the transport routes of illegally traded cycads, and what is the volume of cycads smuggled out of the country versus retailed domestically?
• How often do timber cargo ships call into South African ports en route to Asia, and can the waybill information for each of these ships be analysed to determine timber species composition, volumes, sources, etc.?
• When looking at community engagement in wildlife trade, both in promoting sustainable, legal trade, and discouraging unsustainable, illegal trade, what lessons can be learnt? Can we apply these lessons to address wildlife crime at the source and, through doing so, explore possibilities for alternative livelihood options for people who may have once relied on illegal wildlife trade?
• How would the market for rhino horn respond if international trade were legalised? Will demand change? Will poaching increase or decrease? Will the black market for rhino horn still exist?
• What are the drivers of demand for the rarest and endangered animals or plants?
• Regarding smuggling methods and routes:
• Which are the most likely routes (ports of entry and exit) for animal and plant products in Africa for the muthi trade?
• What methods are used at ports of entry and exit to detect illegal wildlife and wildlife products?
• How effective are the current detection methods, and how can they be improved?
• How are wildlife and wildlife products smuggled into and out of South Africa?
• Which ports of entry and exit are currently the most vulnerable to the illegal international trade in wildlife and wildlife products?
• What are the supply chains and trade routes of illegally traded wildlife products?
• Corruption is a major problem in the illegal wildlife trade because it impedes the effective implementation of the law. What can be done to reduce or prevent corruption among law enforcement officials dealing with wildlife products, and what is currently being done?

Responsible tourism

• How do wildlife-based tourism facilities advertise their activities to international and domestic tourists?
• What role does the tourism hospitality sector play in influencing where their guests go to enjoy our wildlife?
• What role can international tourists play in improving the responsibility of the wildlife-based tourism sector towards biodiversity and conservation of our environment?
• What role can domestic tourists play in improving the responsibility of the wildlife-based tourism sector towards biodiversity and conservation of our environment?
• How can we encourage both domestic and international tourists to become more responsible in their choices of wildlife-based tourism activities?

Wildlife economy

• What are the conservation benefits/impacts of different wildlife-based land use enterprise types (e.g. hunting, breeding, tourism, meat production) within the private wildlife sector, and how do these compare to other (non-wildlife) land use activities (such as livestock production, crop production etc.)?
• What are the socio-economic benefits of trophy hunting, and how do these compare to other (non-wildlife) land use activities?

For more information email our programme manager DR Andrew taylor