Changing wildlife populations in Nairobi National Park and adjoining Athi-kaputiei Plains
There is mounting concern about declines in wildlife populations in many protected areas in Africa
Abstract
There is mounting concern about declines in wildlife populations in many protected areas in Africa. Migratory ungulates are especially vulnerable to impacts of changing land use outside protected areas on their abundance. Range compression may compromise the capacity of migrants to cope with climatic variation, and accentuate both competitive interactions and predation. We analyzed the population dynamics of 11 ungulate species within Kenya’s Nairobi National Park, and compared them to those in the adjoining Athi-Kaputiei Plains, where human settlements and other developments had expanded. The migratory wildebeest decreased from almost 30,000 animals in 1978 to around 5,000 currently but the migratory zebra changed little regionally. Hartebeest, impala, eland, Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, waterbuck, warthog and giraffe numbers declined regionally, whereas buffalo numbers expanded.
Citation
Ogutu, J.O., Owen-Smith, N., Piepho, H.P., Said, M.Y., Kifugo, S.C., Reid, R.S., Gichohi, H., Kahumbu, P., Andanje, S., Changing wildlife populations in Nairobi National Park and adjoining Athi-kaputiei Plains: Collapse of the migratory wildebeest, The Open Conservation Biology Journal, vol.7, pp.11-26, 2013