Conservation Orientated Projects

Brown Hyena Movement, Behaviour and Abundance, and Implications for their Long-term Conservation within the Sperrgebiet This project aims to intensively investigate the effects of diamond mining activities on the brown hyena population in the southern coastal Namib Desert. The results will substantially increase the knowledge of the behavioural and population ecology of brown hyenas in an ecologically unique ecosystem, the Succulent Karoo Biome (SKB), and will be applicable to land use planning and decision-making as new areas of the coastal Namib Desert are developed (mining and tourism industry). The research outputs will ultimately contribute to management strategies for the conservation of the brown hyena and its unique habitat. Brown hyenas are one of the SKB flagship species. Their occurrence within this biome, an internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot, is of extreme importance, especially as numerous large mammal species in this area have become extinct. The Sperrgebiet supports four mainland seal colonies. These provide a permanent, concentrated food source and are essential for the maintenance of a healthy and viable brown hyena population as other food items are scarce. Brown hyenas are the apex predators along the coast and fill the highest trophic level in the food chain, as other large predators are absent and as they feed and prey on marine predatory mammals. This unique predator-prey ecosystem is influenced by new and existing land development.
In this study we

• survey home range size, habitat use and activity patterns through GPS telemetry of coastal brown hyenas,
• determine changes in behaviour through the analysis of GPS data in the area most likely affected by mining disturbance, and
• gain spatial information (e.g. about location of core areas). The goal is to provide information about brown hyena behavioural ecology and the sensitive nature of their predator-prey ecosystem to reduce long-term threats and impacts posed by land use.

Demography of brown hyenas in inland areas of the Sperrgebiet Brown hyenas have been intensively studied in the Kalahari ecosystem during the 70ties. In contrast to these areas, Namib brown hyenas are apex carnivores with hardly any competitive pressure from other carnivores. Therefore this study tries to broaden the knowledge about brown hyenas in an undisturbed, different and unique habitat. The inland areas of the Sperrgebiet distinguish themselves from all coastal study sites, as there is no concentrated food source such as mainland Cape fur seal colonies nearby and therefore brown hyena density is expected to be lower, their home ranges are expected to be larger and they are expected to use a wider variety of food items and to depend more on density and movement of their prey species.

1. survey home range/territory size, habitat use and activity patterns through GPS telemetry of brown hyenas
2. determine their relative density
3. determine true density in some areas through camera trapping and den observations
4. determine feeding habits and diet composition through faeces analysis and stable isotope analysis, and
5. gain spatial information through GPS telemetry and mapping of the study areas.

The goal is to provide demographic information about brown hyenas in inland areas of the Sperrgebiet and to provide information about brown hyena occurrence and relative density for the biodiversity inventory mapping and sensitivity mapping for the entire Sperrgebiet.