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The effects of anthropogenic disturbances on vegetation, birds, and nearby communities in selected Southern Mistbelt Forests in South Africa.
(2025) Magoso, Siboniso.; Downs, Colleen Thelma.
Globally, forests are threatened by several disturbance factors. Most of these include anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, land use, agricultural conversion, and fragmentation, driven by poverty and rapid population expansion. These disturbances have a considerable impact on forest structure and composition. In eastern South Africa, most rural communities are located near natural forest patches and, if not, are within travelling distance, which allows for unlimited access to forest resources. Overexploitation and harvesting are common in these regions. Nevertheless, forests provide valuable ecosystem services to local communities, while they are also crucial for biodiversity as they host most species, regardless of the small space they take up on Earth. Therefore, understanding the trends of disturbance and future implications is necessary. We explored the benefits and costs of mistbelt forest disturbance to the nearby communities and biodiversity. We compared lower, medium, and highly disturbed mistbelt forests in three different areas in terms of (1) bird species diversity, forest structural complexity and heterogeneity, and (2) the impacts, values, and perspectives of the nearby communities. Firstly, we investigated the response of bird taxonomic and functional diversity to local and landscape characteristics. Bird species were sampled using fixed radius point counts at a distance of 200 m apart. The bird functional indices were quantified using the functional richness and functional evenness. The overall results showed a positive response of functional richness and evenness to structural complexity and heterogeneity. The categorical disturbance had a negative influence on the functional richness and evenness of the bird community, including the specialists and generalist bird species. However, we found that the functional richness and evenness in highly disturbed patches increased compared with medium disturbed patches. The results demonstrated the importance of microhabitat covariates in promoting species diversity and conservation of endangered and vulnerable species. Moreover, monitoring of recovering forest patches is crucial given their possible future role in biodiversity conservation. Secondly, we conducted a total of 360 interviews in seven villages/communities situated near indigenous forest patches using the questionnaires between October 2023 and January 2024. The overall results indicated that local community members benefit from forest resources such as firewood and traditional medicine. They use these resources to build houses, and fences, and generate sales. Furthermore, during the dry season, the forests become primarily important for foraging for their livestock. This prevents the use of expensive supplements to supplement their livestock. Therefore, human-nature interactions are an important step in balancing ecosystem services and conservation. In addition, forest ecosystems are crucial for the provision of ecosystem services for biodiversity and human livelihood. The proper management and conservation of the Mistbelt Forests is recommended for a long-term supply of resources and biodiversity conservation.
Presence and persistence of the Peregrine Falcon and Lanner Falcon in South Africa.
(2024) Govender, Kyle Trenton.; Downs, Colleen Thelma.
The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) and the Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus) are small to medium-sized birds that display behavioural plasticity to diverse environments and are widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, where they occur sympatrically. Peregrine Falcons have an almost global distribution, and Lanner Falcons have an Afro-tropical distribution. The aim of this thesis was to determine the presence and persistence of the Peregrine Falcon and the Lanner Falcon across South Africa. This study leverages data from the Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1 and SABAP2), social media platforms (Facebook®, eBird®, and iNaturalist®), and literature (sourced from Google Scholar®, Web of Science®, Scopus®, and PUBMED®) to investigate the distribution and relative abundance of the Peregrine Falcon and Lanner Falcon across South Africa. Both species, often coexisting across sub-Saharan Africa, share similar habitat preferences and prey species selection. Peregrine Falcons’ behavioural plasticity to urban environments highlights its resilience, whereas Lanner Falcons displayed mixed responses suggesting targeted conservation strategies to mitigate the impacts of habitat fragmentation, land use changes, and urban encroachment. Peregrine Falcons had a more restricted distribution within South Africa than Lanner Falcons, and both species had distributions within urban areas. The presence of Peregrine Falcons negatively influenced Lanner Falcons distributions and abundance. Lanner Falcons were more frequently observed but remained understudied in comparison. Overall, both species are understudied in Africa, particularly in South Africa. Research on both falcons focussed on their breeding ecology and the health of the species with a focus on egg-shell thickness in response to environmental factors and parasitic studies. Research was primarily based in Europe and North America, and both species remain understudied in other regions of geographical distribution. Research techniques for monitoring and data collection relied on observational data and biological and genetic sampling. Established monitoring techniques are commonly used, and new novel approaches such as citizen science remain underutilised but with growing interest. The findings in this thesis highlight the complex relationship between urbanisation, species competition, social interactions, ecology, behaviour, and habitat preferences in shaping these falcons' distribution and population trends.
Aspects of the urban and rural ecology of Nile monitors (Varanus niloticus) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2024) Genevier, Euan Emmanuel Zinedine.; Downs, Colleen Thelma.
Changing land use, which is taking place globally at an unprecedented rate, generally has a negative impact on biodiversity. However, some species persist in or even exploit these anthropogenically modified environments. Little is known about how reptiles are affected by urbanisation, especially in the global South. Nile monitors (Varanus niloticus) are Africa’s largest lizard and are amongst the most exploited tetrapods on the continent, yet they can be found in highly urbanised and densely populated areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. They remain greatly understudied, with many gaps in even basic aspects of their ecology. They are projected to become threatened in parts of their range without successful management. This thesis focuses on two broad aspects of the ecology of Nile monitors in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Namely, a) their distribution and persistence in a mosaic of land-use type and human population density in two focal areas and b) their population size and morphometrics in rural and urban areas.
The aim was to fill important knowledge gaps in the ecology of this highly exploited, charismatic, and yet understudied species to make management recommendations and promote sustainable coexistence of people with Nile monitors in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The first aim was to determine if Nile monitors occur in urban environments in KwaZulu- Natal and what land use types they are associated with. Using 419 Nile monitor sightings, two hotspots were found in the region, one dominated by protected land and the other dominated by mosaics of anthropogenic land use. They were found throughout regardless of human density. However, their use of residential areas was greater in the region with less available natural land.
Increasing human density was positively associated with the use of more wooded habitats, except for planted forests, which were avoided systematically. Their association with water was confirmed; however, increased human density also increased their mean distance to rivers, likely reflecting their use of swimming pools, storm drains and other anthropogenic water features. Both managed and unmanaged green spaces (e.g., gardens, parks, golf courses) in urban mosaic landscapes are important features for the persistence of Nile monitors. The second aim was to estimate the Nile monitor population size using a mark-resight method with baited camera traps on a gradient of land use in three different specific sites and also compare urban and rural morphometrics throughout KwaZulu-Natal. Nile monitor limbs, body width, tail base, heads, and body mass were larger in rural areas but only marginally. Furthermore, we found greater population size estimates with increased habitat modifications (golf course > farmland > nature reserve), but the average estimated snout-vent length decreased. Reduced size may result from intraspecific or interspecific competition and different predation dynamics in urban and rural ecosystems. More independent trigger events of potentially competing diurnal mesocarnivores were recorded in the nature reserve and farmland than on the golf course. Despite the larger population size estimate of monitors, there was evidence of poaching at the golf course. One individual was stolen from a trap, and four instances of deployed snare traps were recorded.
The inclusion of dead individuals for morphometrics has shed light on the added threats caused by domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), people and vehicles for urban monitor populations. It is concluded that Nile monitors are successfully persisting in the mosaic urban landscapes of KwaZulu-Natal but are not as successful as some other urban varanids. The use of anthropogenic land-use, and thus conflict with people, will likely increase with continued land-use change. Future research should investigate Nile monitor interactions with people and pets as well as conflict mitigation strategies and both their urban and rural spatial ecology.
Recruitment and presence of native migratory fish species in the uThukela River estuary and lower uMngeni River catchment, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
(2024) Africa, Leawin Virgenise.; Downs, Colleen Thelma.
African rivers provide significant sources of freshwater and are ecologically and economically important to human livelihoods, especially regarding income and food sources. In Africa, ~200 million people consume freshwater fish daily, and ~10 million people are gaining an income associated with freshwater fisheries. Unfortunately, African rivers are some of the most unpredictable rivers as they fall victim to extreme variability in precipitation. These rivers and streams are under threat to anthropogenic activities, such as the building of dams, weirs and locks, water extraction, modified river embankments, water quality issues, flow modifications from hydropower dams, and climate issues, that are significant threats to all fish species. Estuaries are unique and highly productive systems that are rich in biodiversity, as they are tidal-driven. An intricate flow dynamic connecting freshwater systems, estuaries, and the sea needs to be maintained for optimum ecosystem functioning. Thus, rivers are fundamental to the connectivity they provide. Physical barriers decrease the ecological connectivity of river systems. This has a major impact on various fish species, especially migratory fish. Migratory fish are major ecological drivers that can shape the structure and function of ecosystems. They are fundamental in maintaining food webs as predators or prey. Many flagship migratory species (i.e. yellowfish (Labeobarbus spp.) and eels (Anguilla spp.) in South Africa are prevented from reaching their breeding grounds. Four of the globally nine recognised species of anguillid eels are located and documented along the East flowing African Rivers, including those in South Africa. A few studies have been conducted on the recruitment of glass eels into the rivers and estuaries in the Western Indian Ocean. There are limited studies on the location of spawning areas of African freshwater eels. Relatively little is known about the migratory requirements of African fish species; only a few quantitative studies have been conducted to support the understanding of the migratory habits of these fish species and their dependency on free-flowing and connected rivers. This study investigated the recruitment of African freshwater glass eels into the uThuleka River. Environmental data were collected. Glass eel species were identified by their tail and caudal fin pigmentation together with DNA barcoding. The findings included seasonal variation in recruitment, but the majority of glass eels were caught in the wet season, in warmer temperatures, during high spring tides and at night. These findings should encourage more frequent sampling in estuaries across all seasons along the Western Indian Ocean coast, as the timing of glass eel recruitment can be used to locate where the African Freshwater glass eels’ breeding area is. Additionally, this study aimed to characterise the risk of multiple stressors, including instream anthropogenic barriers, on the ecology of fish communities and their environmental drivers in the lower part of the uMngeni River catchment. Various fish sampling methods were used to capture fish and investigate their species diversity and evenness. Statistical analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between fish communities and environmental variables, including barriers. The findings showed distinct fish community structures found across all sites in the catchment, which were susceptible to multiple stressors impacting migratory fish, especially velocity and mean depth. These stressors result in impaired river connectivity, which reduces a fish’s ability to recolonise a river's range sufficiently. Restoring and considering river connectivity in the lower uMngeni catchment can potentially improve fish communities.
An exploratory study of bullying in the University of KwaZulu-Natal residences.
(2024) Ntshangase, Naniwe Innocentia.; Sibisi, Nomakhosi Nomathemba.
Bullying in university residences is a pervasive but often overlooked issue even though it disrupts the academic success and overall well-being of students. At the University of KwaZulu-Natal, bullying takes many forms and creates a hostile environment for students living in both on-campus and off-campus residences. This study investigated the nature, causes, and impacts of bullying in UKZN residences and it also explored intervention strategies that could help reduce incidences of bullying. Fifteen undergraduate students (n = 15), two Risk Management Services personnel (n = 2), and two Residence Liaison Officers (n = 2) with personal experiences of bullying were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. This approach was aligned with the study's qualitative research design, which aimed to explore participants' experiences in depth. These interviews provided crucial insights into the nature of the bullying problem in UKZN residences. The routine activity theory was employed to analyse why certain environments made students more vulnerable to bullying than others, while the social learning theory explained how bullying behaviours were acquired and reinforced within the residential settings under study.
The findings were that emotional, cyber, and physical bullying were the most prevalent forms of bullying that the students encountered. Factors that contributed to bullying included power imbalances, social hierarchy, substance abuse, and negative childhood experiences. These behaviours had severe consequences for the victims and significantly impacted their mental health, academic performance, and social lives. Many victims reported experiencing depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. They also struggled academically due to stress, lack of concentration, and absenteeism, while socially they experienced isolation and withdrawal from peer interactions. To address these issues, the study recommends implementing awareness campaigns and student-centred programs that foster positive relationships and reduce the occurrence of bullying in residences. Creating a safer and more inclusive living environment is essential for enhancing student well-being and academic success.