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| January 2005 |
Feature |
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Putting value to the crocodiles of the OkavangoKarin Theron
A team of seven full time scientists have been in the Okavango Swamps, Botswana, for almost three years now, trying to save the threatened crocodile population. This team, funded by the Earthwatch Institute, USA and the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF) and headed by crocodile specialist, Dr. Alison Leslie from the University of Stellenbosch, is not only researching the crocs, but also educating the population about the importance of crocodiles in the ecosystem. The research not only focuses on the ecology, physiology and conservation of the Nile crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus, but also investigates the extent of human/crocodile conflict in the area and the feasibility of a sustainable utilisation programme for crocodiles in Botswana. Results from this research will also assist wildlife managers responsible for decision making within the fragile Okavango ecosystem.
They will also provide scientific expertise and detailed biological information to assist crocodile farmers in Botswana and other parts of Southern Africa. The first Aquaculture and Research Trust focusing on crocodile and fish farming was recently founded in Botswana and Dr. Leslie and her team, as one of the 5 partners, are positive that this will combine education and conservation with commercial farming and job creation. In late August 2004 Dr. Leslie organised and convened a workshop called Crocodiles of the Okavango at a lodge in Maun, Botswana. The purpose was to provide both theoretical and practical training in crocodile biology and handling techniques to wildlife students and staff of the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks. "The hands-on aspect of the workshop undoubtedly increased the delegates' understanding of scientific research in general which is vital as they are the future managers of the ecosystem. It also provided an opportunity to report back to wildlife officials on project progress and recent findings of the Okavango Crocodile Project," dr. Leslie explained. This project just won the "Principal Investigator of the Year Award" from the Earthwatch Institute. Earthwatch annually supports over 130 projects and 250 scientists from all over the world and it is one of the few organisations in the world funding long term research. The Earthwatch research programme is divided into seven categories, namely Endangered Ecosystems, Oceanic, Biodiversity, Cultural Diversity, Global Change, World Health and Origins of our future. For Earthwatch this is a high profile project as the Okavango Delta is the world's largest site recognized by the Ramsar convention on wetlands of international importance and it is a unique ecosystem providing habitat for an astounding abundance of African mammals, birds, fishes, amphibians and reptiles. The Nile crocodile is at the pinnacle of this tropical wetland food web. The project even has the backing of the Office of the President of Botswana. Earthwatch also provides the opportunities for people all over the world who are serious about conserving our natural heritage to not only donate money to research projects, but work for one to three weeks as volunteers on projects sponsored by Earthwatch. On this project for instance Earthwatch organises ten annual expeditions of about eight volunteers per team who then work in the field, supporting the full time researchers at their base camp in the delta. (See the Earthwatch website at www.earchwatch.org to find out more.)
The Okavango Delta is Africa's largest and most beautiful oasis. The Okavango River rises in the highlands of Angola and flows inland, never to reach the sea. The Nile crocodile is the largest semi-aquatic predator and a keystone species that has been heavily exploited by hide hunters and farmers since 1957. No management plan currently exists for the Okavango crocodile and until 2002, when the Okavango Crocodile Research Project got underway, no research or monitoring had been carried out on this population for well over a decade. Dr. Leslie is a full time senior lecturer and chairperson of the Department of Conservation Ecology, Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences at the University of Stellenbosch. She visits her research team at least six times a year and gives all the administrative support needed from her office in Stellenbosch. Her love for the Okavango started when she was a child and after she finished a BSc-degree in Zoology and Botany at Stellenbosch, she worked as a volunteer in Costa Rica, studying sea turtles. This later became her masters degree project and is where her love for reptiles started. After she did her PhD on the crocodiles of Lake St. Lucia, she saw the opportunity to start a research project on the Nile crocodiles in the Okavango. Dr. Leslie explains her love for crocodiles: "What fascinates me about crocs is how well adapted they are to their environment. They have been around for 280 million years and have hardly changed in the past 80 million years - that says a lot! I think what draws me to them is that they are, 9 times out of 10, the underdogs and yet they are only going about their daily business, driven purely by instinct…. struggling for survival due to pressure from human population expansion, etc. As crocodiles can live for up to 80 years, we shall need at least another six to eight years on this project, if not the next twenty years!" "I firmly believe in sustainable utilization and unless a value is placed on an animal in Africa, nobody is going to help conserve it. Therefore our research not only focuses on the crocodiles themselves, but on them as one species in the bigger ecosystem. The information gathered on crocodilian parasites can for instance be related to water quality and perhaps eventually to human health." "To teach the people of Africa the value of both the crocodiles and
their fragile ecosystem, we have monthly school programs, as well as regular
meetings with the chiefs and elders of the villages and lodge managers. We want
to really make a difference, therefore we have to stay put and help the Botswana
Department of Wildlife and National Parks implement the management plan that
comes from our research," she emphasises. More information: Contact Karin Theron at tel. 021 - 852 7771 or cell. 083 290 6737.
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