Module 16 - Conservation

Question 1

What is Habitat Management

Answer 1

a dynamic process, a life long study and the techniques are constantly being revised. It contains manipulation of the vegetation through:

• fire (controlled burning techniques);
• erosion control;
• road placement / maintenance;
• bush clearing and management of alien plant species; - manage the balance between grazers and browsers.

Question 2

Why is an understanding of habitat management important for a nature guide

Answer 2

It gives a guide greater insight into ecology, the influence on nature by human, as well as the manipulation of the nature.

Question 3

The three primary objectives of conservation

Answer 3

• Conserve essential ecological processes that support life (e.g. forests for oxygen & CO2) - The sustainable use of species and ecosystems.
• To ensure genetic and bio-diversity.

Question 4

The greatest threats to the natural environment

Answer 4

The greatest threats to the natural environment comes from human influences:
Pollution and climate change which comes from the over population of humans.

Question 5

3 main reasons for burning:

Answer 5

1. removing moribund (dead organic material from previous season);
2. control bush encroachment (organic material that has accumulated which is caused by
   overgrazing, imbalance or drought).
3. develop grass cover for soil and water conservation

Question 6

3 main factors for burning

Answer 6

the season;

availability and amount of burnable material; occurrence of browsers which eat the new shoots.

Question 7

When burning?When not burning?

Answer 7

as close as possible to first spring rains; it is important to have dense perennial grass (lives for more than two seasons); it is important to have dry grass when burning to combat bush encroachment.

When not burning?
too early before / late after spring rain; when the veld is in poor conditions; in areas with low rain.

Question 8

Different types of fire

Answer 8

• Head-fire: burning downwind, fire is fast moving, max temperature existing well above the
top of the grass therefore the fire does not damage parts of the plants at or just below the
soil but it can trap animals or humans easily.
• Back-fire: burning against the wind, slow moving.
• Cool-fire: burn on cool days with less or no wind, used to remove moribund (leads to less
damage).
• Hot-fire: burn on hot days with lots of wind, used to control bush encroachment.
Fire Breaks: Designed to reduce the chance of fire transferring from one area to another; rivers (natural), roads or fire (not natural):

Question 9

Bush encroachment

Answer 9

Organic material (woody plants such as sickle bush) that has accumulated and harm the vegetation (especially grasses).

Question 10

Bush encroachment caused by

Answer 10

Overgrazing, 
seepline destruction, 
fire, 
natural drought, 
human modifications, 
incorrect placement of roads, 
imbalance of numbers between browsers and grazers.

Question 11

Alien invaders:

Answer 11

Plants of exotic origin invading areas and harm indigenous plants and/or soil, e. g. Guava, Silver wattle, Australian Blackwood.

Question 12

Bush encroachment & alien invaders control methods:

Answer 12

Stump and stem treatment with herbicides (chemical); fire; mechanical; biological (animals).

Question 13

Erosion control:

Answer 13

• Mattress packing: layers of bushes prevent fast running water, spiny plants are often used
  like Sicklebush which also keep animals away
• Gabions: against Gully erosion
• Road placement/maintenance
• Mitre drain: in combination with soil bolsters, prevents water from running too fast along
  the road, water gets blocked by the soil bolster and can run towards the mitre drain
  where the water seeps into the surrounding vegetation.
  Seepline: The point where the water hits the surface again (see Catena in Module 2). This area is very sensitive. Don’t build roads and avoid to driving there. Seeplines leads to erosion.

Question 14

WATER-INDEPENDENT ANIMALS

Answer 14

• Water-dependent animal needs water on a daily basis (e. g. impala, warthog, waterbuck) - Water-independent animal usually never needs to drink because they receive sufficient
  moisture through their food (e. g. eland, steenbok, klipspringer)
• Mobile water dependent animal need water on a regular basis but not every day (e. g.
  rhino, zebra, wildebeest)

Question 15

Transfrontier-Park

Answer 15

a reserve which lays on the land of different countries, main target is
wildlife conservation (e. g. Great Limpopo Transfrontier-Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park).

Question 16

Biosphere Reserve

Answer 16

a protected area (e. g. Kruger-to-Canyon Biosphere Reserve,
Waterberg Biosphere Reserve). Contributing to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic diversity. Supporting research, monitoring and environmental training.