Research on wildlife and protected areas is aimed at improving understanding of the complex systems, ecological, economic and social aspects, for which ZAWA is responsible.

The strategies for research emphasizes the need for intimate involvement of research in management, that research is in fact one aspect of management as the basic tenet of adaptive management theme. Focused research will ensure that management acts are used as experimental tests of our understanding of the systems managed and that as a result, inquiry will be directed towards questions of management significance.

Since research is expensive in terms of funds and manpower, the strategies on research seek to:

•  Provide a logical framework and guidance in identifying research priorities needed by management to achieve its goals and contribute to conservation science in a cost effective manner.
• Provide a framework for mutual functioning of research and management to form a continuum of activities operating together in a system of adaptive management.
• Provide a basic requirement that research and management be formally structured to operate with integrated adaptive management teams as the basic functional unit.
• Provide support and guidance for collaborative effort in research with local and foreign individuals, academic/research institutions, Non Governmental Organizations and other Governments Agencies in order to reduce the high costs of research in terms of; time, equipment and trained manpower.
• Provide guidelines under which local and foreign volunteers will participate in various research activities.

Research Policy
 

COUNTRYWIDE LION RESEARCH

Be part of the countrywide Lion study!

The African Lion, Panthera leo, has recently emerged as a species of global conservation concern (McCarthy 2004). 

Researchers estimate populations in the range of 20,000 to 40,000 throughout Africa showing a drastic decline from 100,000 estimated by Nowel and Jackson in 1996.  These estimates have been questioned but what is evident is that lions have declined drastically over much of their former range and that there is lack of reliable data.  Dr. Paula White, now conducting research on Lions in the Luangwa Valley echoes the need to determine the distribution and abundance of lion in Zambia.

Discussions on international fora have identified habitat loss, declines in wild prey populations and human –lion conflict as primary threats to the remaining lion populations.

Paula says Zambia’s centralized geographical location, vast tracts of high-quality habitat, and low human population density render it a potential stronghold for the remaining lion populations in Southern Africa.   Yet, little is known about the status of lion in Zambia.  Adding to the sense of urgency to acquire more reliable data on occurrence, distribution and abundance is the fact that trophy hunting of lions is a very important source of revenue for Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA).  Zambia is one of the top four lion -trophy producing countries in the World (Whitman, 2002).

ZAWA realizes that hunting without reliable information could be unsafe for the wild lion populations.  Unsustainable levels of trophy hunting or ultimate removal of breeding males can trigger lion population decline through social disruptions and infanticide (Packer et el, 2000).  In this vein, a countrywide study to have an indication of occurrence, distribution and abundance has been instituted through a lion sighting form, which can be down loaded or collected from the licensing office. Please complete it and send it back.

Please fill in the questionnaire and return it to Licensing office or Department of Research at Chilanga.

JUMBO RESEARCH

Collaring of elephants in Sioma and Mosi-oa-Tunya National Parks!

The Zambia Wildlife Authority and its sister organisations in Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have established a project called the Kavango/Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Areas Project (KAZA TFCA).

One of the objectives of this project involves the study of elephant’s transborder movements. In this respect, Conservation International an NGO based in Botswana embarked on a programme to deploy satellite telemetry collars on elephants within the mega population found in the vast range from northern Botswana, Namibia’s Caprivi Strip, through southern Zambia to south eastern Angola. Information on the elephant’s positions will be obtained via satellite and downloaded into GIS software to produce maps and establish seasonal movement patterns over this vast range. It is hoped that this project will lead to the discovery of unknown elephant routes and assist in preserving long held migratory corridors.

Each collar weighted about 6 -7kgs once fitted and was fitted loosely to reduce discomfort on the elephant.  The collaring was done with minimum stress on the animals.

From each elephant, 1cm² of skin from the ears was taken and preserved for DNA analysis. The results of this exercise will be released latter after laboratory analysis by Genetists from Oregon State University.

A total of 8 elephants were collared, 5 in Sioma Ngwezi and three from Mosi-oa-Tunya National Parks. [Three elephants whose age ranged from 20-45 years and five bulls aged between 25-45 years were collared in the two national parks].

In the reconnaissance flights, the crew found 315 elephants in Sioma Ngwezi National park, and 177 in the Mosi-oa-Tunya Zoological National Park.  The problem of elephants destroying vegetation in the Zoological Park is a big management challenge.  Removal of fences within the park would reduce pressure.

Team members included

1.       Mike Chase, PhD-Wildlife Ecologist Conservation International

2.       Larry Patterson,DVM,PhD VET Kalahari Game Services

3.       Kelly Landen, Public Relations Officer-Elephants Without Borders

4.       Dr.Ursula Bechert, Genetic Scientist-Oregon State University.

5.       Jones Masonde-Wildlife Ecologist- ZAWA

6.       Peter Peristein-Pilot

7.       Micheal Helding -Pilot

8.       Thandezni Nkala- Driver

LUSENGA PLAINS

Translocation of game!

Lusenga Plains National Park No.7 located in the northern part of Zambia (9° 24’ 37’’S, 29° 13’ 52’E), in Kawambwa District, Luapula Province, is approximately 880 km² and was established in 1971 and declared as such in 1972.  In the southwestern corner of the park is an oval shaped plain measuring about seven by five kilometres.  The name of the park is derived from this plain.  The park once reported to have had high diversity of animal life is almost depleted of game. 

The planning process for the production of the General Management Plan initiated in 2004 identified many management problems that could have led to the local extermination of most species in the park.

Key management objectives set for the park revolved around addressing these problems and issues.  As a long-term strategy of safeguarding the park it was envisaged during the planning process that developing tourism is the way forward for the park. In light of this strategy, two major activities were identified:

1.       Extend the park boundary to include the surrounding falls.

2.       Restock the park to increase diversity of animal life.

These activities would tremendously increase the tourism potential and are to be reinforced with other key activities such as: improvement of access to and within the park; improving the management of the park; involvement of local communities and local authorities in the management of wildlife resources provided that cost and benefit sharing in management of resources is equitable.

Before restocking the park with animals, however, it is worthy asking ourselves;

-                      Which animal species should be reintroduced? In what numbers?

-                      Where are they going to come from?

-                      Have the environmental conditions not changed?

-                      What led to the animals extermination? Have these factors been addressed now?

-                      How is the translocation going to be done?

-                      What are the costs of the pre-translocation preparations?

The goal of the programme is to re-introduce and introduce animal species into Lusenga Plains National park for the purpose of restoring its ecological integrity and promoting tourism development in the park and the surrounding areas.

The animals to be translocated are those that are not common and those that have not been seen for the last five years.  Other factors that could determine the selection of species would be the tourism charisma of the species and the cost of translocation.  The table below shows the proposed animal species for restocking of the park:

STUDIES IN THE SECURING ENVIRONMENT FOR ECONOMIC DIVERSITY (SEED) AREAS

Learns from SEED Areas important for ZAWA!

The Zambia Wildlife Authority is implementing the SEED programme, which consists of 4 components, one of which is tourism and protected Areas, in Kafue and Mosi-oa-Tunya National Parks.  The two parks are benefiting because of their potential in tourism, which is threatened by loss of biodiversity.  The purpose of the project in these areas is to reverse the trends of losing biodiversity by securing critical habitats and species in these parks.  The following studies have been instituted in order to improve the management of the parks

1.             Design and Test a Vegetation Monitoring System for KNP

2.             Investigate the feasibility of establishing Block Tourism Concession (Non-Consumptive) in KNP.

3.             Designing a Fire Management Plan for KNP and the surrounding GMAs

4.             Study to establish a Monitoring Programme on the Health of Animal Species in MNP.

5.             Develop a Tourism based Business Plan for KNP

It is hoped that the concepts and principles developed in these studies will be used in parks outside the SEED areas.

TSETSE RESEARCH

Luambe will be the place for Tsetse Studies!

The University of Stellenbosch, Centre for Invasion Biology, together with Iowa State University have been studying the interactions between population structure, gene flow, physiological tolerances, and climatic predictions of the distributions of Tsetse, especially Glossina pallidipes, G. morsitans, and G. Morsitans centralis.  Studies have been conducted in Kenya and Tanzania.

Zambia has been found to be a special area because of the overlap in distributions of these species and especially the subspecies of G. morsitans.  Some years back, Tim Robinson and others built several fascinating models attempting to explain tsetse distributions on the basis of climate. These were largely top-down, correlation models, and what Dr. Terblanche and others would like to do is verify that physiology and genetics of the flies is in keeping with what these models have found.  These studies will be done in the Luangwa Valley (Luambe) and their main interest is to determine the responses of tsetse to climate change and how this might affect activities, dispersal and trypanosomiasis and transmission rates.

BABOON RESEARCH

Baboon Phenotypic and Mitochondrial Study in Luangwa and Kafue River Basins!

Dr. Jane E. Phillis-Conroy and Dr. Cliford Jolly have directed AWASH National Park Baboon Research project for more than 2 decades, and have extensive experience in observing, capturing and studying morphological genetical features of baboons (anubis, hamadryas, yellow and hybrid) in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia.  The AWASH project is well known for its multidisciplinary approach to exploring this hybrid zone, and for its contributions to understanding the nature of genetic variation and intra-taxon relations within the genus papio.

Extensive field experience in observing, and characterizing, phenotypic variation in baboons is one important pre-requisite of this study since their goal is to trace phenotypic variation along a south-north transect in the Luangwa valley, across the Muchinga escarpment and along the Kafue River drainage

The second major component of this study is analysis of mitochondrial and micro-satellite markers extracted from feacal samples collected from localities mapped by GPS coordinates. This will be done in Dr. Jolly’s laboratory (one of the leading laboratory of non-human primates genetics) and under his supervision, and will build on the highly informative preliminary findings from samples collected in a pilot study in 2004.

OTHER STUDIES IN LUANGWA VALLEY – LUAMBE NATIONAL PARK

PhD & MSc. Studies in Ecology in Luangwa Valley!

A number of PhD and MSc students are carrying out research in different aspects of ecology of Luambe National park.  One of the students is studying the ecology of Serval while the other is studying the ecology of the Leopard.