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The impacts of herbivory on vegetation in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana: 1967–2001

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Abstract

Browsing and grazing pressure on vegetation in the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana was analyzed using remotely sensed imagery comprising CORONA photographs of 1967 and Landsat TM and Landsat ETM imagery of 1989 and 1994 and 2001, respectively. Comparison of temporal variations in the spatial distributions of different vegetation types and changes in the abundance of selected wildlife species demonstrate a persistent decrease in capacity of the environment to support wild animals, due to increasing abundance of poorly preferred browse species and increasing scarcity of favored varieties. Given the long-term direction of change showing continued deterioration of habitat conditions and the limited prospects for reversal of this trend, it is apparent that there is immediate need to realign wildlife management strategies in ways that can enhance the sustainability of wildlife and the supporting environment.

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Notes

  1. CORONA (a codeword and not acronym) photographs are Cold-war intelligence satellite photographs that were secretly acquired by the CORONA satellite under the disguise of the Discovery Programme. The photographs were made available for civilian use on 24 February 1995 through Executive Order 12937 (signed by President Bill Clinton on 22 February 1995) which declassified CORONA, ARGON, and LANYARD imagery (Ruffner 2007). Very few studies have attempted to use CORONA photographs for environmental monitoring.

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Acknowledgments

The author sincerely thanks START International, Canon Collins Educational Trust for Southern Africa and SAFARI 2000 for co-funding research work which allowed compilation of this paper and the anonymous reviewers for their instructive comments and suggestions.

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  1. Agricultural Research Council, Institute for Soil, Water and Climate, PB X79, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Hamisai Hamandawana

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Correspondence to Hamisai Hamandawana.

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Hamandawana, H. The impacts of herbivory on vegetation in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana: 1967–2001. Reg Environ Change 12, 1–15 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-011-0230-0

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