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Fencing for Purpose: A Case Study of Elephants in South Africa

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Fencing for Conservation

Abstract

Fencing is a major conservation management intervention, but its implementation, particularly within the African wildlife scenario, is poorly understood. I describe the issues around implementation using African elephant Loxodonta africana management in South Africa as a case study. Boundary fencing to prevent human–elephant conflict is the main purpose of such fencing, and this has been very successful except where maintenance has been neglected. Hard border fences have ecological consequences, and in some circumstance permeable fences, that prevent only elephants from crossing, may be appropriate, particularly for protecting key habitats within reserves. Rivers and lakes provide a challenge to fencing. Virtual fences using remote sensing may provide a strong tool for mitigating human–elephant conflict. Careful attention needs to be given to solving maintenance issues. Fencing is here to stay, but its implementation requires careful linkage to the specific management objectives in order to maximise efficiency and reduce ecological and financial costs.

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Acknowledgements

Data from the Elephant Owners and Managers Association survey in 2001 were provided to me for analysis and interpretation, and I thank and acknowledge Dick Carr who conducted the survey, and Dick Carr and Marion Garai who initiated and planned the survey. Thanks to the management staff of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife for interesting discussions around the management of Ithala Game Reserve and iSimangaliso Wetland Park, particularly Rob Blok and Tony Conway. Many of the ideas and results presented here are shared, and developed in partnership with the management teams. Funding was provided by University of KwaZulu-Natal, Distell (PTY) Ltd to the Amarula Elephant Research Programme, and the National Research Foundation Grant FA2006032300024. Thanks to Norman Owen-Smith and Michael Somers for comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Amarula Elephant Research Programme, School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, Westville Campus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, X54001, Durban, 4000, South Africa

    Rob Slotow

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  1. Rob Slotow
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Correspondence to Rob Slotow .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Wildlife Management, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa

    Michael J. Somers

  2. Australian Wildlife Conservancy, PO Box 432, Nichol's Point, 3501, Australia

    Matthew Hayward

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Slotow, R. (2012). Fencing for Purpose: A Case Study of Elephants in South Africa. In: Somers, M., Hayward, M. (eds) Fencing for Conservation. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0902-1_6

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