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Giraffe Metapopulation Demography

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Tarangire: Human-Wildlife Coexistence in a Fragmented Ecosystem

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 243))

Abstract

The Masai giraffe is the national animal of Tanzania and a globally iconic megaherbivore, but numbers have declined precipitously and the subspecies is now listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. We studied the Masai giraffe population in the Tarangire Ecosystem over nine years to quantify population structure and demography of a large, free-living, wild megaherbivore population inhabiting a coupled human-natural system. This system supports a high density of giraffes and is representative of the current diversity of threats and conservation opportunities across the range of the species. We describe population structure (subpopulations within a metapopulation) and demographic structure (age and sex distributions) among subpopulations defined three ways: geographically discrete areas defined by human administrative boundaries; and subpopulation units derived from two types of social relationships among giraffes. The Tarangire giraffe metapopulation still functions via natural movements among subpopulations. Demographic variation exists among subpopulations, so maintaining habitat connectivity to ensure giraffe movements across the greater Tarangire Ecosystem is essential to long-term population viability.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Defined as animals reaching up to 1000 kg in mass (Owen-Smith 1988).

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Acknowledgements

We conducted this research with permission from the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, Tanzania National Parks, the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, Tanzania Wildlife Authority, and Manyara Ranch Conservancy. We are grateful for financial support for field work from Sacramento Zoo, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Tulsa Zoo, Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Berlin, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, Zoo Miami, Toronto Zoo, and Save the Giraffes. We thank Microsoft Azure for computing support. Logistical support was provided by Asilia Africa, & Beyond, Nomad Tanzania, and Tarangire Safari Lodge.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wild Nature Institute, Concord, NH, USA

    Derek E. Lee

  2. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Derek E. Lee & Monica L. Bond

  3. University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Monica L. Bond

Authors
  1. Derek E. Lee
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  2. Monica L. Bond
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Correspondence to Derek E. Lee .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Wildlife Management Studies, The School for Field Studies, Karatu, Tanzania

    Christian Kiffner

  2. Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Monica L. Bond

  3. Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA

    Derek E. Lee

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Lee, D.E., Bond, M.L. (2022). Giraffe Metapopulation Demography. In: Kiffner, C., Bond, M.L., Lee, D.E. (eds) Tarangire: Human-Wildlife Coexistence in a Fragmented Ecosystem. Ecological Studies, vol 243. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93604-4_9

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