Determining Buffalo Behaviour, Movement, Disease and Energy Costs to Assist their Management and Conservation

Coexistence between humans and wildlife is one of the most important issues in modern biodiversity conservation. Protected areas provide a haven for wildlife but as human population grows, there is an increased demand for space and thus increased contact between humans and animals. As large mammals also have large space requirements, this can often lead to conflict. To ensure the welfare of both animals and people in protected areas, it is crucial to understand the basic ecology of target species, such as population estimates, distribution and movement. Similarly, to encourage local participation in protected areas, it is important that people understand the benefit of having designated areas for wildlife. This project will be focused on the Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in Great Fish River Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The project aims to address different aspects of large mammal ecology in order to answer several questions:

- How many buffalo are currently in the reserve and is the population increasing or decreasing?
- Where are the buffalo spending most of their time and do they have preferred travel routes and habitats?
- Are the buffalo facing stressors or barriers to movement related to predator interactions and human-wildlife conflict that is resulting in unnecessary energy constraints?
- Is there a risk of parasite and pathogen infection of local people and livestock due to consumption of and proximity to the buffalo?
- What is the opinion of the local people on the buffalo and the protected area in general?

This study will answer these questions through initial desk-based research about previous studies, the reserve and Cape buffalo ecology which will be followed by field work in South Africa in collaboration with the University of Fort Hare. Camera trap arrays and direct observation will be used to create population estimates and assess habitat use and movement throughout the reserve. Similarly, biologging sensors such as GPS trackers and triaxial accelerometers will be placed on multiple individuals to investigate distribution, movement and energy expenditure. Samples will be taken from these individuals to assess the pathogens and parasites of the buffalo population. There will also be a survey conducted among local people to investigate the best way to implement management practices which will benefit the community, such as the sale of game.

This project will provide important new information into the Cape buffalo population in GFRNR, including novel insight into the energy expenditure of Cape buffalo as well as their population size, distribution and movement throughout GFRNR.