Reconstructing historical distribution of large mammals and their habitat to inform rewilding and restoration in central Tanzania
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Date
2023-07
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NM-AIST
Abstract
In the anthropogenic landscapes where historically wildlife existed, there can be a potential for
rewilding to reverse extinction. However, there is limited literature providing approaches to
achieving successful rewilding. The current study aimed at providing empirical based
methodological procedures for the successful rewilding of large mammals at the University of
Dodoma (UDOM) and nearby degraded landscapes by assessing past and current vegetation
and wild mammals’ occurrence and soil fertility. The past occurrence of mega-herbivores and
their habitat was assessed using literature survey, past vegetation maps and key-informant
interviews. The EBSCOhost-database and Google Scholar search-engine were used for
literature searching. A field survey was conducted at UDOM, one of the remaining habitat
patches in central areas of Dodoma, Tanzania to examine present plant diversity, soil nutrients
and seedbank status. The results indicated that historically, the study area was Savanna woodland but later anthropogenic activities had resulted in Land-Use Land-Cover Changes
(LULCC) that led to wild animals’ extirpation leaving remnants in the surrounding protected
areas. While the key informant interviews verified the local loss of mega-herbivores, data
collected at UDOM in 2022 indicated vegetation transformation to Dichrostachys cinerea dominated bushland. The study further revealed moderate soil fertility with relatively high
seedbank. These results indicated that the study area occupied specular wild-mammal
populations that were later extirpated leaving the area transformed into bushland. For rewilding
programmes, among other things, the information generated from this study is essential and
should be used to guide the long-term success of re-introduction at UDOM and its adjacent
areas with/without modification.
Sustainable Development Goals
A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology
Keywords
Research Subject Categories::NATURAL SCIENCES