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ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCES POPULATION STATUS, DEMOGRAPHY AND TIME BUDGET OF THE AFRICAN BUFFALO (SYNCERUS CAFFER SPARRMAN, 1779) AND ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS IN CHEBERA CHURCHURA NATIONAL PARK, ETHIOPIA BY ABERHAM MEGAZE ADVISORS PROFESSOR M. BALAKRISHNAN DR. GURJA BELAY MAY, 2016 POPULATION STATUS, DEMOGRAPHY AND TIME BUDGET OF THE AFRICAN BUFFALO (SYNCERUS CAFFER SPARRMAN, 1779) AND ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS IN CHEBERA CHURCHURA NATIONAL PARK, ETHIOPIA BY ABERHAM MEGAZE A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES OF THE ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN BIOLOGY (ECOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMATIC ZOOLOGY STREAM) ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA MAY, 2016 i Addis Ababa University School of Graduate Studies This is to certify that the thesis prepared by Aberham Megaze, entitled: Population status, demography and time budget of the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer Sparrman, 1779) and anthropogenic impacts in Chebera Churchura National Park, Ethiopia and submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (Ecological and Systematic Zoology) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the Examining Committee: External Examiner --------------------------------Signature-----------------Date----------------- Internal Examiner ---------------------------------Signature ----------------Date---------------- Advisor----------------------------------------------Signature-----------------Date--------------- Advisor----------------------------------------------Signature-----------------Date--------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chair of Department or Graduate Program Coordinator ii Population status, demography and time budget of the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer Sparrman, 1779) and anthropogenic impacts in Chebera Churchura National Park, Ethiopia Aberham Megaze ABSTRACT: An investigation on the population status, structure and habitat association of the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer Sparrman, 1779) and anthropogenic threats in Chebera Churchura National Park (CCNP), Ethiopia was carried out during 2012–2015. The study area was stratified into four habitat types, viz., grasslands, woodlands, montane forests and riverine habitat. Sample counts were carried out in an area of 1,215 km2. The estimated buffalo population was 5,193 individuals, with the population density of 4.27/ km2. The population estimates for wet and dry seasons were 5,788 and 4,599 heads, respectively. Males comprised 42.56%, while females 46.68% of the population (M: F=1.00: 1.10). Age structure was dominated by adults, which constituted 52.49% of the total population. Subadults comprised 24.30%, young 12.44% and unidentified sex of the population was 10.75%, with a significant difference between young and adults. Larger herds of up to 30 individuals were observed during the wet season and smaller herds of a minimum of four individuals were seen during the dry season. The mean herd size during the wet and dry seasons was 29.59 and 16.95, respectively. Buffaloes were observed more in the riverine vegetation types during the dry season. Relative abundance of food sources, green vegetation cover and availability of water were the major factors governing their distribution in the present study area. Buffalo spent a greater proportion of the time in feeding and resting activities. Feeding and resting were the predominant activities (87.14% of the diurnal active period), with 48.95% time spent feeding during the dry season, and 44.91% during the wet season. Daytime grazing and resting periods during the wet season were estimated to be 5.39 h and 4.98 h, respectively. Morning and the late afternoon activity peaks were more pronounced during the dry season than the wet season. The main threat of the African buffalo in the study area was poaching, wildfire, livestock grazing, illegal farming and expanding human settlements. Questionnaires survey, group discussions and direct field observations indicated that, firewood collection, setting fire, hunting, livestock grazing and farming were having great impacts on biodiversity conservation in CCNP. Crop damage, livestock loss, human injures and illegal resource access were the major problems encountered in CCNP resulting in conflicts between local people and Park officials, and also human and wildlife. To mitigate these problems, the local people have adopted intensified vigilance, use of guard animals, fencing, use of repellents and killing problematic wild animals. Even though most of the respondents of the questionnaire survey had positive attitude towards conservation areas and wildlife, they were not satisfied by the benefit from the Park. Proper conservation measures incorporating all stakeholders have to be implemented to solve the problems and safeguard the wildlife in the Park. Key words: Activity patterns, habitat association, natural resource use, human–wildlife conflict. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is a pleasure to acknowledge the support I have had from many people and organizations during my study period. It is impossible to name them all. Yet, I acknowledge all of them for their help in shaping my ideas in to the form of this thesis. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisors, Professor M. Balakrishnan and Dr. Gurja Belay for their initiation, encouragement, enthusiastic advice, assistance and unreserved support from the beginning to the end of this research work. They shared their knowledge and experience after each field sessions. I also appreciate their friendly approach, valuable comments, suggestions and structuring of the draft manuscript. In addition, their fast and urgent response to the problems and their love always persist in me. This helped me to finalize the thesis on time and boosted my confidence in my field of specialization. I would also like to express my special appreciation to Professor Afework Bekele and Dr. Abebe Getahun for their encouragement during the last three years during my course work and seminar presentations by providing critical comments, and teaching me the science of wildlife conservation. This helped me much during my writing up of this dissertation. I wish to thank all members of the staff of Chebera Churchura National Park (CCNP), in particular the Warden of the Park, Ato Seyoum Hail and expert Gebremeskel Ambaye, who have devoted their time with me in all my work as well as for their concern in supporting my work in the Park and providing assistance during the research work. My appreciation and thanks also go to the members of Southern Nations Nationality and People’s Regional State (SNNPRS) Tourism Bureau for allowing me to conduct this research in CCNP. I am thankful to the Park scouts, Ato Demisse Helamo and Bekele Bashawu for helping me to translate the interviews and group discussions in their local languages with the local community, and for the time spent while I was in the field. They also saved my life when elephants, buffaloes and snakes thought to attack, and they were a permanent source of information. I also sincerely acknowledge the local people of Dawro Zone and Konta Special Woreda for their unfailing cooperation, patience, hospitality and willingness to share their indigenous knowledge to discuss and respond to my interview voluntarily without which this work would not have been successful. iv I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Wolaita Sodo University for sponsoring my graduate study. I also thank Addis Ababa University School of Graduate Studies and Thematic Research Project of Animal Diversity for partial financial support, and the Department of Zoological Sciences for facilitating my work. I am also grateful to the staff of the National Herbarium for their help in the identification of plant samples. I am also to acknowledge Idea Wild, for the support in offering field equipment. I am also extremely grateful to my family, who have in one way or the other encouraged and helped me to successfully complete this investigation on time. Finally, I wish to thank all my friends in the Department of Zoological Sciences, who have in one way or the other helped me to successfully complete this study. Aberham Megaze v DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my family, who helped me from the beginning to the end of this research work! vi Table of Contents Page ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ iv DEDICATION.............................................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... xiii APPENDIX...................................................................................................................................xv LIST OF PLATES ..................................................................................................................... xvi ACRONYM ..............................................................................................................................
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