Drivers of Bird Species Richness within Moist High-Altitude Grasslands in Eastern South Africa.

ABSTRACT: Moist high-altitude grasslands in South Africa are renowned for high avifaunal diversity and are priority areas for conservation. Conservation management of these areas conflicts with management for other uses, such as intensive livestock agriculture, which requires annual burning and leads to heavy grazing. Recently the area has become target for water storage schemes and renewable electricity energy projects. There is therefore an urgent need to investigate environmental factors and habitat factors that affect bird species richness in order to optimise management of those areas set aside for conservation. A particularly good opportunity to study these issues arose at Ingula in the eastern South African high-altitude grasslands. An area that had been subject to intense grazing was bought

SUBMITTER: Maphisa DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5051898 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature