CLIMATE-CHANGE VULNERABILITIES AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES FOR AFRICA’S CHARISMATIC MEGAFAUNA CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS Jonathan Mawdsley Martha Surridge RESEARCH SUPPORT Bilal Ahmad Sandra Grund Barry Pasco Robert Reeve Chris Robertson ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Deb Callahan Matthew Grason Anne Marsh Ralph and Alice Mawdsley Christine Negra Thomas Nichols Conn Nugent Stacia Van Dyne REVIEWERS Matthew Lewis, WWF Shaun Martin, WWF Dennis Ojima, Colorado State University Robin O’Malley, USGS Wildlife and Climate Change Science Center Karen Terwilliger, Terwilliger Consulting, Inc. Cover photo credit: Martha Surridge CITATION OF THIS REPORT The Heinz Center. 2012. Climate-change Vulnerability and Adaptation Strategies for Africa’s Charismatic Megafauna. Washington, DC, 56 pp. Copyright ©2012 by The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment. The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment 900 17th St, NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 737-6307 Fax: (202) 737-6410 Website: www.heinzctr.org Email:
[email protected] Climate-change Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Strategies for Africa’s Charismatic Megafauna TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 1 Introduction 3 Methods 6 Results and Discussion 8 Future Directions 10 Species Profiles The Big Five African Elephant 11 African Lion 13 Cape Buffalo 15 Leopard 17 Rhinoceros, Black 19 Rhinoceros, White 21 African Wild Dog 23 Bongo 25 Cheetah 27 Common Eland 29 Gemsbok 31 Giraffe 33 Greater Kudu 35 Hippopotamus 37 Okapi 39 Wildebeest, Black 41 Wildebeest, Blue 43 Zebra, Grevy’s 45 Zebra, Mountain 47 Zebra, Plains 49 Literature Cited 50 Climate-change Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Strategies for Africa’s Charismatic Megafauna EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The phrase “African animals” brings to mind elephants, lions and other iconic large mammals often referred to as “charismatic megafauna.” The powerful appeal of these animals is demonstrated in the many African wildlife documentaries on television and enduring public support for zoos and museums featuring African animals.