Tarangire Ungulate Observatory (TUNGO)
POPULATION MONITORING OF HOOFED MAMMALS IN A FRAGMENTED LANDSCAPE
The Tarangire Ecosystem in Africa is a global hotspot for large mammals, but most of the area is not protected. We are conducting regular surveys of hoofed mammals (ungulates) throughout the ecosystem to monitor populations and provide scientific data for management. We are collaborating with the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, African Wildlife Foundation, Tanzania National Parks, and Tanzania's national anti-poaching enforcement authority to monitor ungulate populations around the Tarangire Ecosystem. Our efforts are focused on determining which populations are healthy, and which are declining, and pinpointing where rare species are located.
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You can read news from our scientists in the field by visiting our BLOG
You can read news from our scientists in the field by visiting our BLOG
Our project is a population monitoring program for 20 species of ungulate (hoofed mammals) in the Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem (TME) of northern Tanzania to ensure that reliable data are available for scientific management and conservation. Target ungulate species for our road surveys are: Masai giraffe, cape eland, African buffalo, fringe-eared oryx, eastern white-bearded wildebeest, Coke's hartebeest, Burchell’s zebra, greater and lesser kudu, gerenuk, impala, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, common waterbuck, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, steenbok, klipspringer, bush duiker, and Kirk’s dik dik. These species represent
large- and small-bodied ungulates of open and closed savanna habitats
and include browsers, grazers, and mixed feeders.
The dry savanna habitat of the TME is among the richest areas on the planet for large mammal diversity and abundance, and is a world hotspot for ungulate (hoofed mammal) diversity. The region’s wildlife is not only ecologically priceless but is a critical part of Tanzania’s economy. The total annual revenue from tourism in Tanzania was over US$ 822 million in 2005, with wildlife-based tourism making up the lion’s share of the sector. Wildlife-based tourism represents an important long-term source of income – but only as long as wildlife populations are managed sustainably. Ungulates are the majority of animals taken by hunters, and figure prominently in photographic tourism as icons of wild nature and symbols of a nomadic existence that has been lost in much of the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, the TME is now experiencing severe losses of wildlife due to poaching and habitat loss. Land management in the Tarangire Ecosystem is divided among National Parks, hunting blocks, village Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), and a private conservancy, with large areas effectively unprotected from poaching or habitat conversion. The TME has had little monitoring of wildlife populations in the past except sporadic and non-standardized aerial surveys, so authorities cannot scientifically manage habitat, establish hunting quotas, or judge whether conservation efforts are succeeding.
Robust, standardized, repeatable surveys are a necessary component of any scientific population management effort. Tanzanian National Parks conduct some wildlife population monitoring, but Game Controlled Areas, hunting blocks, and WMAs of the TME lack comprehensive monitoring and hunting quotas are assigned without reliable data on wildlife population status and trends. Reliable data are urgently needed. We use robust survey protocols and conduct systematic road surveys for 20 species of ungulates, which has never before been done in the TME despite the economic importance of these animals.
The dry savanna habitat of the TME is among the richest areas on the planet for large mammal diversity and abundance, and is a world hotspot for ungulate (hoofed mammal) diversity. The region’s wildlife is not only ecologically priceless but is a critical part of Tanzania’s economy. The total annual revenue from tourism in Tanzania was over US$ 822 million in 2005, with wildlife-based tourism making up the lion’s share of the sector. Wildlife-based tourism represents an important long-term source of income – but only as long as wildlife populations are managed sustainably. Ungulates are the majority of animals taken by hunters, and figure prominently in photographic tourism as icons of wild nature and symbols of a nomadic existence that has been lost in much of the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, the TME is now experiencing severe losses of wildlife due to poaching and habitat loss. Land management in the Tarangire Ecosystem is divided among National Parks, hunting blocks, village Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), and a private conservancy, with large areas effectively unprotected from poaching or habitat conversion. The TME has had little monitoring of wildlife populations in the past except sporadic and non-standardized aerial surveys, so authorities cannot scientifically manage habitat, establish hunting quotas, or judge whether conservation efforts are succeeding.
Robust, standardized, repeatable surveys are a necessary component of any scientific population management effort. Tanzanian National Parks conduct some wildlife population monitoring, but Game Controlled Areas, hunting blocks, and WMAs of the TME lack comprehensive monitoring and hunting quotas are assigned without reliable data on wildlife population status and trends. Reliable data are urgently needed. We use robust survey protocols and conduct systematic road surveys for 20 species of ungulates, which has never before been done in the TME despite the economic importance of these animals.
