DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute Annual Report July 2004 – December 2005 Department of Zoology University of Cape Town Private Bag Rondebosch 7701 SOUTH AFRICA +27 (0)21 650 3290 [email protected] http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za University of Cape Town Contents Introduction 1 Personnel 3 Research Programmes & Initiatives • Cooperative Breeding & Sociality in Birds 7 • Life-history, Rarity and Conservation of 11 Southern African Birds • Ecology of Migration 15 • Gamebird Research 17 • Systematics & Biogeography 19 • Seabird Research 23 • Island Conservation 29 • Raptor Research 31 • Land-use & Biodiversity 33 • Environmental & Resource Economics 37 and Water Resources & Estuarine Conservation • Research Associates 39 Board Members: • Post-doctoral Fellows 41 Mr H. Amoore (UCT, Registrar) Conservation Biology Coursework Masters Dr G. Avery (Wildlife and Environment Society of Southern Africa) Assoc. Prof. J.A. Day (UCT, ex officio, HoD, Zoology) • Conservation Biology Masters Overview 45 Prof. C. de la Rey (UCT, ex officio, Chairman, URC) Prof. M.A. du Plessis (UCT, ex officio, Director PFIAO) Mr A. Frost (WWF-SA) The Roberts VII Project 47 Prof. M.T. Hoffman (UCT, ex officio, Director IPC) Prof. B.J. Huntley (SANBI, co-opted) Niven Library 49 Mr P.G. Johnson (co-opted) Dr I.A.W. MacDonald (co-opted) Scientific Publications 55 Prof. M.E. Meadows (UCT) Dr K. Mokhele (National Research Foundation) Mr C.A.F. Niven (FitzPatrick Memorial Trust) Semi-popular Publications 61 Mr J.D.F. Niven (FitzPatrick Memorial Trust) Mr P.N.F. Niven (FitzPatrick Memorial Trust) Prof. B.D. Reddy (UCT, Dean of Science, Chairman) Seminars 65 Prof. T.J. Robinson (University of Stellenbosch, co-opted) Prof. L.G. Underhill (UCT) Mr F. van der Merwe (co-opted) Appendix Dr G. Verdoorn (BirdLife South Africa) • Financial Report 67 The Annual Report may also be viewed on the Percy FitzPatrick Institute's website: http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za Introduction Introduction The reporting period represents the building phase of the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence (CoE) at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute and its integration into the Institute as it had existed previously. This process has required significant effort from a number of the Institute’s staff and is part of a process of ongoing strategic adaptation. The year 2005 also represents the birth of the Seventh Edition of Roberts Birds of Southern Africa (Roberts VII) as arguably one of the sub-region’s most comprehensive handbooks, and dealing with our best-known animal taxon. The Institute’s publication outputs have once again been solid. Most pleasing is that the quality of our research publications (as measured by SCI impact factors) is steadily improving. This annual report is the first of a new cycle of annual reports that will be synchronised with the calendar year. To this end, the current reporting period covers an 18-month block during which significantly positive changes have taken place at the Institute. As one of only six national Centres of Excellence (CoE), the “DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute”, has established a sound foundation upon which its medium- term future can be built. One of the key approaches to promote research excellence at the Institute, has been to blend into the pre-existing Institute, a strong mix of four young dynamic team members at partner institutions (Northern Flagship Institution, and the Universities of Pretoria, Wits and Stellenbosch), and a cadre of eight top-class postdoctoral researchers. With the establishment of the CoE, a second Advisory Board has been formed to specifically act on behalf of the Department of Science & Technology (as primary funder), and the National Research Foundation (NRF) (as the disbursers of the funding). While this Annual Report has traditionally been prepared for the Annual General Meetings of the Advisory Board of the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, it will in future also serve the purpose of informing the CoE Board. Although there have been some initial growth pains in establishing the precise nature of the relationship between the Boards (and the entities that they represent), we are now moving in the direction of significant strategic integration of the previous Percy FitzPatrick Institute and the CoE. In short, the former will in effect ‘gain’ the contributions of a number of external team members who are based at other tertiary education institutions. Similarly, the CoE will benefit from the Institute by inheriting a significant potential to leverage further funds towards its own ends. In a practical sense, the CoE funding has enabled the appointment of a well integrated biologist, Dr Penn Lloyd, as a full staff member (Manager of the CoE) of the Institute. Penn Lloyd has worked as a postdoctoral associate at the Institute for some years, and more recently completed a postdoc with Prof. Tom Martin at the University of Montana. He will continue to build on the significant research foundation that has been put in place at the Koeberg Bird Life-History Programme over the past five years. The CoE funding has also enabled the Percy FitzPatrick Institute to internationally advertise the Pola Pasvolsky Chair in Conservation Biology as a full-time position. To this end, Dr Graeme Cumming has been appointed to the Chair as from 01 January 2006. Graeme Cumming grew up in Zimbabwe, completed his BSc Hons at Rhodes and graduated as a Rhodes Scholar with a PhD from Oxford. More recently, he spent five years in various academic positions in the USA. Dr Cumming has significant interests in African conservation and is primarily a spatial ecologist. His appointment brings to an end the dormancy that has arisen out of the unfortunate shortfall created by the process of inflation in the period between the drawing up of Mrs Pasvolsky’s will, and her death in 1999. The CoE also enables us to invest in much-needed support staff in the form of a secretary, Ms Nokuthula Malamlela, and a web coordinator, Ms Melissa Stander. A well-known and dynamic conservation biologist from Cambridge, Dr Andrew Balmford, joined the Institute for a year starting in August 2004, as the Pola Pasvolsky Visiting Chair. While he was in Cape Town, Prof. Balmford was not only exceptionally productive (see publication list), but he also interacted with, and co-supervised two of the Conservation Biology MSc student research projects. He also completed a detailed review of the coursework MSc Programme. The coursework MSc in Conservation Biology Programme produced a full house of 15 graduates (2004/5 cohort), and another 11 students are in the final throes of their research projects (2005/6 cohort). Once again, we have attracted in excess of 60 applications from across the world, 14 of whom were offered places for the course that commences in January 2006. Most pleasing is the pattern of funding of successful African students (i.e. non-South Introduction 1 African). Over the reporting period, the Tropical Biology Association previously formed part of BLSA's contribution to the Niven Library (TBA) has provided five of their top alumni (from Cameroon, Kenya, holdings is placing an increasing burden on the finances of the Tanzania and Uganda) with full scholarships. In addition, Institute. Conservation International (CI) funded two students, Wildlife Dr Richard Dean retired at the end of 2005 after over two decades Conservation Society (WCS) one, the Lesotho Government one, and of highly productive years at the Fitztitute. We trust that both Richard the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and BirdLife and ourselves will find many excuses to continue our relationship as International jointly one. he clearly still has much to offer both African ornithology and the The success of the Conservation Biology course relies heavily on Fitztitute. See Dedication on page 6. the academic expertise of colleagues from Archaeology, Botany I regret having to report the tragic death in May 2005 of Kirsten (including the Leslie Hill Institute of Plant Conservation), Economics, Louw, a PhD student at the Fitztitute and one of South Africa’s most Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Statistical Sciences, and Zoology. In talented young naturalists. addition, we have over the reporting period contracted the expertise Prof. Daya Reddy, Dean of Science, retired from the deanship at of a range of experts from across the world including Dr Andrew the end of 2005, after seven years as chairperson of the Institute’s Knight (Australia), Dr Norman Myers (Oxford, UK), Prof. Tony Advisory Board. This period has both represented some of the worst Starfield (Minnesota, USA), and Prof. Christian Wissel (Lepizig, and some of the best years of the Institute, and we are grateful to Germany). The latter three in particular have contributed significantly Prof. Reddy for his unwavering support of the Institute throughout. to the CB Programme over many years, and we are grateful to them We wish him well in his future endeavours. At the same time, we for their continued interest in, and support of our students. welcome his replacement, Prof. Kathy Driver (formerly from Wits), to Late in 2005, I attended the Society for Conservation Biology’s the Advisory Board. We look forward to a fruitful and mutually annual research symposium in Brazil. It was particularly pleasing to beneficial relationship over the years to come, and wish her a note that 25 researchers with student or staff association to the Percy stimulating and satisfying stint at the helm of UCT’s Faculty of FitzPatrick Institute, were listed as authors or co-authors on the Science. scientific programme. Several prominent conservation biologists at Once again I have been privileged to have had the full support of the meeting remarked positively on the impact that our Conservation the Advisory Board; many Board members assisted me with specific Biology Programme at UCT is having.