CHANGES IN VEGETATION IN THE KNP RELATED TO ELEHANT ACTIVITY ...........92 MICHELLE HOFMEYR AND HOLGER ECKARDT ..................................................................................92 Research requirements..................................................................................................................98 ELEPHANT-INDUCED CHANGES TO THE COMPOSITIONAL AND STRUCTURAL DIVERSITY OF RIPARIAN WOODY VEGETATION IN RELATION TO SURFACE WATER DISTRIBUTION................................................................................................................100 ANGELA GAYLARD ..........................................................................................................................100 Management implications...........................................................................................................101 Biodiversity consequences ..........................................................................................................102 Future research...........................................................................................................................102 SPATIAL DEMOGRAPHY OF SELECTED TREE SPECIES IN THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, IN RELATION TO ELEPHANT IMPACTS. ...........................................103 MICHELE HOFMEYR .........................................................................................................................103 Baobabs (Adansonia digitata) ....................................................................................................104 Marula (Sclerocarya birrea) ......................................................................................................104 False Marula (Lannea Schweinfurthii) ......................................................................................104 Baobab and Star Chestnut ..........................................................................................................104 Marula and False Marula...........................................................................................................105 Summary......................................................................................................................................106 A SURVEY OF THE IMPACT OF HABITAT MANIPULATION AND ELEPHANT ON SOME ASPECTS OF BIODIVERSITY IN THE SABI SAND WILDTUIN.............................109 MIKE PEEL – UNPUBLISHED REPORT JULY 2003..............................................................................109 THE INFLUENCE OF HABITAT MANIPULATION ON HABITAT SUITABILITY FOR HERBIVORES IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE AFFECT OF ELEPHANT IMPACT ON THE VEGETATION OF THE SABI SAND WILDTUIN............................................................112 JONATHAN SWART – SABI SAND WILDTUIN – UNPUBLISHED REPORT MARCH 2003......................112 ELEPHANT IMPACT ON TREES SURROUNDING ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL WATERPOINTS IN SABI SAND WILDTUIN, SOUTH AFRICA............................................114 KAY HISCOCKS (LATE), MIKE PEEL AND JUDITH KRUGER – UNPUBLISHED 2003...........................114 THE IMPACT OF ELEPHANTS ( LOXODONTIA AFRICANA ) ON THE LIMPOPO RIPARIAN FORESTS IN THE SEMI ARID REGION OF THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE ...115 GCO DE BEER ..................................................................................................................................115 Change in tree density.................................................................................................................117 Change in population structure ..................................................................................................117 Change in utilization pattern from palatable species to all species ..........................................118 CONCLUSION/ DISCUSSION.............................................................................................................120 RECOMMENDATIONS......................................................................................................................120 A NEIGHBOUR’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE NEW MANAGEMENT POLICY OF THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK.........................................................................................................122 MICHELLE D. HENLEY .....................................................................................................................122 Factors affecting an elephant management policy ....................................................................122 Ecosystem resources influencing elephant populations.............................................................122 Climatic influence .......................................................................................................................123 Principal woody forage species..................................................................................................124 Favoured woody species.............................................................................................................124 The importance of historical perspectives..................................................................................125 Final recommendations ..............................................................................................................125 THE COMPARATIVE USE OF WOODY SPECIES IN DIFFERENT HABITATS BY ELEPHANTS IN TEMBE ELEPHANT PARK, MAPUTALAND, NORTHERN KWAZULU- NATAL................................................................................................................................................128 W.S. MATTHEWS AND B. R. PAGE...................................................................................................128 90 Type, Intensity and Age of Utilisation ........................................................................................128 Habitat Use and Size Class Selection.........................................................................................130 Some conclusions from study......................................................................................................131 THE ROLE OF ELEPHANT IN CREATING DIVERSITY IN VEGETATION STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND COMPOSITION, AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR BIODIVERSITY 138 CHARLES KAY ..................................................................................................................................138 VEGETATION – ELEPHANT INTERACTIONS........................................................................140 NORMAN OWEN-SMITH....................................................................................................................140 SOME RECENT FINDINGS RELEVANT TO THE ELEPHANT POPULATION QUESTION ..............................................................................................................................................................142 BOB SCHOLES...................................................................................................................................142 The elephant-tree system has at least three stable states...........................................................142 The habitat structure consequences of changes in the climate and atmospheric composition depend on elephant numbers, rather than the other way around..............................................143 PREDICTING THE IMPACT OF ELEPHANTS ON WOODY PLANT DIVERSITY..........145 T.G. O’CONNOR, P.S. GOODMAN AND B. CLEGG............................................................................145 Elephant foraging ecology: constraints .....................................................................................145 Elephant foraging ecology: consequences .................................................................................146 Key determinants of the individual and population response of woody plants to elephant utilization.....................................................................................................................................147 Local extirpation in relation to reserve or ecosystem characteristics.......................................148 Elephant carrying capacity.........................................................................................................150 Conclusion...................................................................................................................................150 THE ROLE OF ELEPHANT IN CREATING DIVERSITY IN VEGETATION STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND COMPOSITION, AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR BIODIVERSITY 151 LINDSEY GILLSON ............................................................................................................................151 MODELLING ELEPHANT EFFECTS ON SEMI-ARID SAVANNAS. ...................................152 PETER BAXTER AND WAYNE GETZ..................................................................................................152 Where does this lie on the conjecture-hypothesis-fact spectrum?.............................................153 VEGETATION-ELEPHANT INTERACTIONS FROM AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE..................................................................................................................................154 J. J. MIDGLEY ...................................................................................................................................154 Summary......................................................................................................................................154 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................155