About This Project

African rhinos are of great economic and ecological importance within their range states, but are threatened by poaching for their horns as Traditional medicine, ornaments and status symbols. Recent research has focussed on anti-poaching, dehorning and horn treatments as deterrents, with less interest paid to improving longterm management of these shrinking populations. This study aims to analyse behavioural, demographic and genetic patterns to compile a 'Genetic Metapopulation Management Plan'.

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What is the context of this research?

The numbers of rhinos poached each year in South Africa rose from 13 in 2007, to 1215 during 2014. The second greatest direct threat to South African rhino populations after poaching, is poor management, which can lead to deaths from fighting and reduced birth rates if fenced reserves are too small for the population to function and grow. The increase in poaching has led to the need to rapidly remove rhinos from high poaching zones, to safer and better protected reserves, but without the luxury of time for adequate planning. This research is focussed on designing a management protocol for reserve managers to know how many rhinos of what ages and sexes to move to new areas, based on the ability to forecast prospective reproductive and genetic fitness of the newly established population.

What is the significance of this project?

As deaths from poaching continue to rise in South Africa, we're reaching the stage where the rate of population growth from natural births, is lower than the rate of decline from deaths, and this could have catastrophic consequences on the future of this species. This project is taking a proactive approach by assessing the importance of various demographic factors on maximising the potential population growth rates when rhinos are moved to smaller and safer reserves for their protection. It aims to provide reserve managers, rhino owners and conservationists with a 'rule of thumb' approach to relocating rhinos, during a crisis that does not allow much time for extensive forethought and planning. This will be an immediately implementable and practical conservation tool for wildlife managers.

What are the goals of the project?

The lab work for this project was previously concluded (apart from the possibility of adding some samples to strengthen the dataset if needs be) and the current mission is accessing large behavioural and demographic datasets to complement the genetic information.

The next goal is to combine all the data compiled and accumulated to commence the modelling stage. This will allow us to play with population parameters to simulate how various demographic factors, such as levels of relatedness of rhinos within social groups and ideal founder numbers for new populations, could influence population persistence.

The end goal will be to compile all this information into a "Genetic Metapopulation Management Plan" which will allow managers to decide which rhinos to move where, when, and why.