Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The planet is at risk, which could be to the peril of its people. The current consumption rate of natural resources surpasses capacity and new ways are required to address the ecosystems threats and biodiversity losses the planet faces. This research reviewed the various threats Earth faces and ways to finance corrective action to ensure it remains inhabitable. The research aimed to review factors influencing fundraising of non-profit Environmental Funds and chose as case study, the World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa, given its long history in supporting conservation in the country. The research used the Seven-S strategy model as analysis framework and assessed four of the seven categories namely strategy, structure, systems and staff using data in the public domain. The World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa was found to be financially healthy, liquid and stable. This in itself confirmed its fundraising success over many years and not only during the period of review. It had a diversified funding mix and its largest type of income was derived from subscriptions and donations, which was confirmed by the reliance ratio calculations. There was a clear organisational purpose and direction, yet no specific fundraising strategy was stated. Findings from the supporter retention analysis indicated a possible shift in focus to obtain a larger unrestricted income base and to align with supporters that stay with the cause over longer periods. Structural aspects showed that there was a substantial increase of organisational sub-units supporting new programmes between 2008 and 2013. Contributed income mirrored the changes up to 2012 after which a drop in income was observed. Trustee composition changes and income derived from subscription and donation changes trended in similar patterns. Systems incorporating governance practices, financial reporting and auditing were observed to be sound and in line with good governance practices including King King Code of Governance. The staff analysis showed an increase in overall staffing numbers and concomitant rise in contributed income up to 2012. The retention of key managerial staff was prevalent.

Thesis (MScConsEcol (Conservation Ecology and Entomology)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / In the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, where wine grape production and biodiversity conservation are of major importance, innovative management of the landscape is necessary to integrate the two activities. Alternative farming, such as organic and biodynamic farming, focuses on the preservation of biological processes in agroecosystems with the aim of increasing the sustainability of these sytems. It has been demonstrated in other regions that alternative farming can enhance biodiversity. This study assessed the potential of alternative vineyard management to conserve biodiversity, in particular epigaeic arthropod diversity, relative to the more widespread integrated vineyard management in the CFR. A hierarchical design was used, consisting of three localities, with three land-uses nested within each locality. The land-uses were alternative vineyards, integrated vineyards and natural vegetation sites as reference habitats. Sampling was done in June and October 2006 using pitfall traps. Nested ANOVAs were used to test for differences in abundance and species richness of the total assemblages, functional feeding guilds and selected generalized predatory taxa. Assemblage patterns were assessed using hierarchical agglomerative clustering and non-metric multidimensional scaling. Canonical correspondence analyses were used to evaluate the effects of environmental variables, management practices and landscape variables on community composition. Alternative vineyards supported a significantly higher overall arthropod abundance and species richness, more diverse predatory, saprophagous, phytophagous and omnivorous guilds, as well as more abundant and speciose spider and rove beetle assemblages than the integrated vineyards. Integrated vineyards harboured a greater abundance of predators, whereas results for nectarivores, wood borers, parasitoids and carabid beetles were variable. The differences could be explained in part by higher non-crop vegetation complexity and reduced management intensity of the alternative vineyards. Community composition was influenced by a combination of management practices, the surrounding landscape and geographic locality, which highlighted the interdependence of the cultivated land and its surroundings.

Thesis (MSc (Conservation Ecology and Entomology)--Stellenbosch University, 2007. / A systematic conservation assessment is the first phase of a systematic conservation planning protocol; it uses spatial data and representation targets for the setting of priority areas and the assessment of risk to biodiversity. This thesis describes the findings of investigations on the use of data in systematic conservation assessments. Conservation planning can be done at different spatial scales (from global to local). Systematic Conservation planning can be done at different spatial scales (from global to local). Systematic conservation assessments rely on the use of surrogates for biodiversity and often, as well, socioeconomic criteria. Biodiversity surrogates can be classified as taxonomic, community and environmental. In Chapter 2, a literature review was performed (i) to quantify the use of biodiversity surrogates and socio-economic criteria in conservation assessments; and (ii) to test the hypothesis that surrogates are chosen in respect to the hierarchical organisation of biodiversity. In other words, fine scale conservation assessments are correlated with taxonomic surrogates, large scale conservation assessments are correlated with environmental surrogates, and assemblage surrogates are assessed at an intermediary scale. The literature review was based on a structured survey of 100 ISI journal publications. The analysis revealed that spatial scale had a weak effect on the use of biodiversity surrogates in conservation assessments. Taxonomic surrogates were the most used biodiversity surrogates at all scales. Socioeconomic criteria were used in many conservation assessments. I argue that it is crucial that assemblage and environmental data be more used at larger spatial scales. The allocation of conservation resources needs to be optimised because resources are scarce. A conservation assessment can be a lengthy and expensive process, especially when conducted at finescale. Therefore the need to undertake a fine-scale conservation assessment, as opposed to a more rapid and less expensive broader one, should be carefully considered. The study of Chapter 3 assessed the complementarity between regional- and local-scale assessments and the implications on the choice of biodiversity features at both scales. The study was undertaken in Réunion Island. A biodiversity assessment was performed at a regional scale and measured against a finer-scale assessment performed over a smaller planning domain. Two datasets composed of species distributions, habitat patterns and spatial components of ecological and evolutionary processes were compiled as biodiversity surrogates at each scale. Targets for local-scale processes were never met in regional assessments, while threatened species and fragmented habitats were also usually missed. The regional assessment targeting habitats represented a high proportion of local-scale species and habitats at target level (67%). On the contrary, the one targeting species was the least effective. The results highlighted that all three types of surrogates are necessary. They further suggested (i) that a spatial strategy based on a complementary set of coarse filters for regional-scale assessments and fine filters for local-scale ones can be an effective approach to systematic conservation assessments; and (ii) that information on habitat transformation should help identify where efforts should be focused for the fine-scale mapping of fine filters. Together with priority-area setting, the identification of threatened biodiversity features has helped to prioritise conservation resources. In recent years, this type of assessment has been applied more widely at ecosystem-level. Ecosystems can be categorised into critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable, following the terminology of the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Various criteria such as extent and rate of habitat loss, species diversity and habitat fragmentation can be used to identify threatened ecosystems. An approach based only on the criterion of the quantification of habitat loss was investigated in Chapter 4 for the Little Karoo, South Africa. Habitat loss within ecosystem type is quantified on land cover information. The study analysed the sensitivity of the categorisation process to ecosystem and land cover mapping, using different datasets of each. Three ecosystem classifications and three land cover maps, of different spatial resolutions, were used to produce nine assessments. The results of these assessments were inconsistent. The quantification of habitat loss varied across land cover databases due to differences in their mapping accuracy. It was reflected on the identification of threatened ecosystems of all three ecosystem classifications. Less than 14% of extant areas were classified threatened with the coarsest land cover maps, in comparison to 30% with the finest one; and less than 9% of ecosystem types were threatened with the coarsest land cover maps, but between 15 and 23% were threatened with the finest one. Furthermore, the results suggested that the identification of threatened ecosystems is more sensitive to the accuracy of habitat loss quantification than the resolution of the ecosystem classification. Detailed land cover mapping should be prioritised over detailed ecosystem maps for this exercise. This thesis highlighted the importance of ecosystems and processes as biodiversity surrogates in conservation assessments and suggested that results of conservation assessments based on these data, should be more widely presented in published articles. Finally, it also made apparent the important role of mapping habitat transformation for systematic conservation plans.

Thesis (MScConsEcol)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Rûens Silcrete Renosterveld (RSR) is a critically endangered vegetation type in the Overberg region of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. In the last few centuries about 80% of it has been severely transformed by agriculture. The RSR contains many unique and rare plants species, and has very high conservation value. It is recommended that all remaining areas of this vegetation type should be conserved. However, very few of these areas are formally conserved and most are on farms where they are used for grazing of domestic livestock. The RSR appears to be sensitive to overgrazing and to grazing at a time of the year when it is sensitive to major change. This study examined the effects different grazing regimes had on the RSR vegetation on farms in Buffeljagsrivier, a small farming community in the Eastern Overberg. Different methods were used to compare vegetation structure and composition, of heavily-, medium- and under-grazed areas. Information on the biodiversity in RSR areas was found to be scarce, with almost nothing known of the invertebrates. In this study a comprehensive checklist of plants and vertebrates in the study area was compiled. An insect order/family list and separate species lists of Lepidoptera and Orthoptera were also compiled. The insects were recorded by using different collecting and observation methods. A study was also made of the major plant/animal interactions occurring in the area. For this study, the focus was mainly on interactions with two dominant woody plants, Acacia karroo and Searsia glauca. Other interactions were also noted. Different grazing regimes affected both structure and plant composition in the different grazing camps. Some plant species were found to be more dominant in heavily-grazed areas and some more in under-grazed areas. Heterogeneity in grazing pressure of the camps contributes to make the whole area more diverse and may have enabled the high biodiversity to persist in the area. More than 400 indigenous plant species were recorded in the study area of which more than 30 plant species were found to be of conservation concern. 37 % of the overall species are endemic to the Cape Floristic Region. The study area contained 127 geophyte species. This is 51 % of all the known geophyte species that occur in the Langeberg Centre. A new plant species, Haworthia groenewaldii, was discovered in the study area. Overall, 214 insect families in 23 insect orders were also found in the study area. A total of 103 Lepidoptera species was recorded. About five moth species are possibly new to science and still need to be scientifically described. Some plants and insects were recorded beyond their known geographical ranges. Twelve different frog, 22 reptile, 30 mammal and 122 bird species were found to occur in the study area. Nineteen insect species from 14 insect families in four orders associated with Acacia karroo trees were found in the study area. Thirty-four insect species from 25 families, in six orders, were found to be interacting with Searsia glauca trees. Sixty one bird species were associated with A. karroo and 42 with S. glauca. Other interactions that were observed included caterpillars feeding on host plants. For the Lepidoptera list, the possible plant species on which the juveniles feed was also investigated. This study unequivocally showed that this geographical area has a very high overall biodiversity that needs to be conserved. It also found that grazing can affect the composition distribution and combination of this biodiversity. Much research is still to be done on plant/invertebrate interactions in the RSR. This study provides a baseline for further research on future actions to conserve this unusual and special area in terms of invertebrate biodiversity especially for generations to come. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Rûens Silkreet Renosterveld (RSR) is ʼn Kritiek Bedreigde veld soort,in die Overbergstreek van die Wes-Kaap Provinsie van Suid-Afrika. Omtrent 80% van RSR is uitgeroei deur landbouprakteike van die afgelopetwee eeue. RSR bevat baie unieke en skaars plant spesies en het dus ʼn baie hoë bewaringswaarde. Dit word aanbeveel dat alle gebiede wat die tipe plantegroei bevat, bewaar behoort te word. Baie min van die oorblywende RSR word formeel beskerm en die grootste gedeeltes wat nog oor is, kom voor op plase waar dit vir weiding ingespan word. Die veld soort is skynbaarbaie sensitief vir oorbeweiding, asook vir beweiding in die verkeerde seisoen. Hierdie studie het na die uitwerking van verskillende weidingsmetodes op natuurlike veld op aangrensende plase in Buffeljagsrivier, ʼn klein plaasgemeenskap in die Oostlike Overberg, gekyk. Verskillende metodes was gebruik om die plantegroei se samestelling en struktuur van ʼn lae, middelmatige en oorbeweide gebiede met mekaar te vergelyk. Inligting oor die biodiversiteit van RSR, veral oor invertebrate, was moeilik om in die hande te kry. Spesies lyste so volledig as moontlik was in die studie vir al die vertebrate en plante opgestel. Lyste is ook opgestel vir alle insek ordes en families, wat in die studiegebied versamel is. Daar is ook aparte lyste opgestel vir alle Lepidoptera en Orthoptera, in die studiegebied. Verskillende metodes was gebruik om insekte te versamel en te monitor. Die interaksies tussen plante en diere, wat voorkom in die studie gebied, is ook bestudeer Twee plantsoorte, Acacia karroo en Searsia glauca, is uitgesonder en so veel moontlik biologiese interaksies is opgeteken. Ander interaksies was ook aangeteken soos hulle in die veld aangetref is. Die studiegebied het meer as 400 plant spesiesbevat. Van die was meer as dertig van bewaringsbelang. Sewe-en-dertig persent van die plante wat aangeteken is, is endemies tot die Kaapse Plant Koningryk. Daar is altesaam 127 bolplant spesies gevind wat net meer as die helfte van alle bolplant species wat vir die Langeberg Kern aangeteken is. Haworthia groenewaldii is ʼn nuwe plant spesies wat in die studie gebied ontdek is. In die studie area is 214 insek families in 23 insek ordes opgeteken. Van die is 103 Lepidoptera species (waarvan vyf moontlike nuwe spesies is) aangeteken in die studiegebied. Negentien insek spesies van 14 insek families in vier ordes het interaksies met A. karroo getoon. Interaksies tussen vier-en-dertig insek spesies van 25 insek families in sesordes het met S. glauca getoon Een-en-sestig voël spesies was geassosieerd met A. karroo en 42 met S. glauca. Ander interaksies watgewaar is, sluit ruspes op voedselplante in. Twaalf verskillende paddas, 22 soorte reptiele, 30 soorte soögdiere en 122 soorte voëls was ook in die studie gebied aangeteken. Uit die huidige studie is dit duidelik dat die gebied ʼn baie hoë biodiversiteit besit wat beskerm moet word. Daar is ook bevind dat weiding die samestelling en struktuur van RSR kan beïnvloed. Verdere studies oor die plant/dier interaksies in RSR behoort gedoen te word en hopelik dien die huidige studie as ʼnbegin vir verdere navorsing oor hoe ons die unieke veld soort vir die nageslag kan bewaar.

Thesis (PhD (Botany and Zoology))—University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Natural ecosystems provide many services that are crucial for sustainability and health of human society. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems (i.e. goods and services) and can be classified into provisioning (e.g. fibre, fuel wood); regulating (e.g. water and climate regulation); supporting (e.g. soil retention) and cultural (e.g. aesthetic value). The growing global human population and other threats place enormous stress on the natural environment reducing its capability to provide services. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, more than 60% of ecosystem services worldwide are being degraded or used unsustainably. The need to safeguard ecosystem services is therefore urgent. Biodiversity underpins most ecosystem services, but the functional relationship between biodiversity and services is not well known. A wide range of strategies exist for safeguarding biodiversity, but no such approaches have been developed for ecosystem services. A key conservation strategy is the use of systematic conservation planning to identify priority areas where effort should be focused. There are calls for the inclusion of ecosystem services into conservation planning geared towards biodiversity. Ecosystem services have been used for many years as an additional rationale to justify biodiversity conservation and it is often assumed that conserving biodiversity will also conserve services. However, it is unclear how different facets of biodiversity relate to different services and to what extent conserving biodiversity will safeguard services. This thesis addresses a range of issues relating to the integration of ecosystem services into conservation planning in South Africa. I first investigated the status of ecosystem services in conservation planning worldwide by reviewing the conservation planning literature from 1998 to 2005. Ecosystem services are clearly not adequately addressed in conservation assessments. A critical barrier preventing the inclusion of ecosystem services in conservation plans is the lack of spatially-explicit data. I developed a methodology for mapping ecosystem services in South Africa and mapped the distribution of five important ecosystem services (surface water supply, water flow regulation, carbon storage, soil retention and accumulation). Using the five services to examine relationships within services and between biodiversity revealed a lack of congruence between services and different levels of congruence with biodiversity features. However, including ecosystem services in a biodiversity assessment captured at least thirty percent of each of three services selected for the study. Nevertheless, a biodiversity plan may not necessarily capture adequate amounts of ecosystem services. Ecosystem services should be planned for explicitly instead of relying on biodiversity data. I identified priorities that met targets for five services in the grasslands of South Africa. This thesis provides new insights on planning for biodiversity and ecosystem services. The results have immediate applicability for conservation planning in South Africa. Keywords: Conservation planning, conservation assessments, ecosystem functions, ecosystem processes, ecosystem services, natural capital, biodiversity, soil, water, carbon.

<p>This study aimed at analysing the South African government's attempt at reconciling poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation in the context of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The study analyses this, using the cases of Hluleka and Mkanbati Nature Reserves in the Eastern Cape Province. To achieve this aim, the study used qualitative research methodology, which employed a three-pronged approach.</p>

M.Sc. (Environmental Management) / South Africa is exceptionally rich in biodiversity. South Africa has been recognized as the third most biologically diverse country in the world, and has three globally recognized biodiversity hotspots; namely the Cape floristic, the Succulent Karoo and the Maputaland-Pondoland regions (NSBA, 2004). South Africa’s seas straddle three oceans, and provide a range of habitats from cool water kelp forests, to tropical reefs and deep ocean abyss (NSBA, 2004). Unfortunately, due to various pressures, many ecosystems are in trouble: 34% of terrestrial systems, 82% of river signatures, 65% of marine biozones and 8 estuarine types are threatened (NSBA, 2004). Mining has been identified as one of the sectors impacting negatively on biodiversity; the other significant pressures being agriculture, afforestration, urban and industrial development, extractive fishing, alien invasives and climate change (NSBA, 2004). The concept of ‘biodiversity offsets’ is relatively new and there are only generic methods whichare ill suited to determine appropriate biodiversity offsets in the South African context. The rationale for biodiversity offsets in South Africa is two-fold: firstly, South Africa contains biodiversity that is unique globally; secondly, its ecosystems underpin socioeconomic development and delivery of important services such as the reliable supply of clean water, ecotourism and coastal protection. Land-intensive development poses a significant threat to the countries remaining biodiversity. South African policies have, over the past few years, increasingly prioritised the conservation of biodiversity and important ecosystem services (Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, 2007). The motivation for this is a decline in global biodiversity (WWF & ZSL, 2012). Land use changes are the main motivation for identifying the need for creating a system within the planning process that tackles unavoidable and residual impacts to biodiversity. The implementation of EIA in South Africa in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (No. 107 of 1998) allowed for the formal evaluation of impacts to habitat, wildlife and other natural considerations to be done as a prerequisite for developers to receive approval for a project to go ahead (BBOP, 2000). The aim of this study was to compare the current South African biodiversity offset approach to that of offset banking and no net loss or net gain principles as a feasible and beneficial alternative. A structured interview process was conducted to ascertain current understanding and perceptions relating to biodiversity offsets, biodiversity offset guidelines and regulations, offset banking, relevant experience and perceptions to determine the current level of understanding in the mining sector and with environmental consultants. This aided in determining whether biodiversity offset practices in its current form in South Africa were understandable, can be implemented effectively and achieves the rationale of biodiversity offset banking.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

M.Sc. / Research into blood protozoans (haematozoans) infecting African tortoises is scanty with only a few records published, many during the early part of the last century. Little research had been done on the blood parasites of tortoises examined in this study namely, Kinixys lobatsiana, K. belliana belliana, K. natalensis, Geochelone pardalis pardalis, G. pardalis babcocki and Chersina angulata. The study therefore aimed to: 1) examine apicomplexan haematozoan parasites infecting several of South Africa’s indigenous tortoises and compare them with published species descriptions, especially from neighbouring Mozambique; 2) provide host details (identity, ectoparasites, host weight and gender, effects of blood parasites on host cells) and locality records in different seasons for described and new apicomplexan species; 3) describe new and recorded parasites using morphometrics and, if possible, ultrastructural characteristics 4) attempt apicomplexan DNA extraction, amplification and, if feasible, purification; and 5) establish a basis for future research as a result of the acquired knowledge. During the current study, 154 tortoises of six species in three genera, both captive and wild, and from four South African provinces (Gauteng, North West, Kwazulu-Natal and Western Cape) were sampled. Giemsa stained blood smears and use of image analysis enabled morphometric analysis of the apicomplexans and their effects on host cells, while some blood preserved in Karnovsky’s and Todd’s fixatives received detailed examination by transmission electron microscopy. Lastly, blood preserved in lysis buffer during collection, and with the highest parasitaemias, was subjected to parasite DNA extraction and amplification. Comparisons between a published account of apicomplexans recorded from K. b. belliana in Mozambique, and those found in the current study, identified two haemogregarine species. In the present research, Haemogregarina fitzsimonsi Dias, 1953 infected 2/27 (7%) wild North West K. lobatsiana, 2/3 (66%) captive Kwazulu-Natal K. natalensis, 7/14 (50%) captive Kwazulu- Natal K. b. belliana, 3/6 (50%) captive Kwazulu-Natal G. p. pardalis, 2/41 (5%) wild G. p. babcocki and 13/37 (35%) captive Gauteng G. pardalis. In addition, Haemogregarina parvula Dias, 1953, infected 2/14 (14%) captive K. b. belliana and 1/10 (10%) captive G. p. pardalis. An unknown species of haemogregarine, possibly also H. fitzsimonsi occurred in 6/16 (38%) Chersina angulata from the Western Cape. As well as haemogregarines, two haemoproteids were identified: Haemoproteus balazuci Dias, 1953 infected 2/27 (7%) wild North West K. lobatsiana, 2/2 (100%) captive Gauteng K. lobatsiana and 1/41 (2%) wild North West G. p. babcocki; Haemoproteus sp., a likely new species, was found in 1/3 (33%) captive K. natalensis. Infections with Haemogregarina and Haemoproteus were not concurrent in this study, but were found to occur concurrently in Dias (1953) findings, and only the two Haemogregarina spp. occurred together in captive Kwazulu-Natal G. p. pardalis tortoises, which do not occur naturally in the region. Haemogregarina fitzsimonsi did not appear region or host specific, since it infected 5/6 species of tortoises from all provinces sampled. Haemogregarina parvula apparently existed only in tortoises from Kwazulu-Natal. Furthermore, captive Gauteng female tortoises were found to have a higher rate of infection than males and heavier tortoises showed a lower intensity infection than lighter and younger tortoises. On average season appeared to have a slight affect on parasite prevalence, with a higher prevalence during the summer rather than the winter, possibly a result of the activity of the assumed vector, which may be the tick species Amblyomma marmoreum (found on G. pardalis) and/or Amblyomma hebraeum (found on C. angulata). For the new Haemoproteus sp., the small sample size meant that meaningful data on host-specificity and range was not gathered, but Hp. balazuci occurred in K. lobatsiana in the drier regions of the North West and Gauteng. Although DNA extraction was possible for H. fitzsimonsi, the technique requires further refinement and samples with greater parasitemias before it can be used with additional material, and sequencing can be attempted. Thus, new localities, hosts, host data and possible vectors (ticks) were recorded for the apicomplexan species identified by Dias (1953) and they were re-described using modern techniques. Also, possibly new Haemogregarina and Haemoproteus spp. were recorded, but their identity requires confirmation by DNA analysis. It is anticipated that these, and future results, will increase the knowledge of the ecology and biodiversity of apicomplexan haematozoans parasitising chelonian hosts in South Africa, with possible application to the conservation of these and other tortoise species around the world.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Three key objectives of transfrontier conservation are biodiversity conservation, local economic development and the promotion of peace and cooperation across international borders (Ramutsindela, 2004). Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA’s) may incorporate a variety of conservation land uses, and comprise of both consumptive and non-consumptive uses of wildlife (Hanks, 2003). It is critical that this mosaic of land uses is well managed and integrated in order to meet the conservation and socio-economic goals of TFCA’s. One challenge is that different conservation land use areas may have varying effects on wildlife. This study aims to further our understanding of these effects in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park of South Africa and Mozambique. The research uses the behavioural responses of wildlife as a way of determining the tolerance of wildlife to potentially disturbing activities. Four different conservation land use areas, namely trophy hunting, communal land, photographic tourism and exclusive photographic tourism were studied and compared in and around the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, southern Africa. The aim of this study was to firstly establish the diversity of mammals and the frequency of mammal sightings within each conservation land use area, and secondly, assess the response behaviour of five mammal species to an approaching vehicle. K-means cluster analysis was used on both the mammal sightings data and the response behaviour data in order to determine key influencing variables. Throughout the study period, the mammal diversity and frequency of mammal sightings were the highest in the private ecotourism concession, followed by the national park, and then the trophy hunting reserve and lastly communal land. The behavioural responses displayed by the five study mammals (African elephant, African buffalo, impala, chacma baboon and Burchell’s zebra) also varied considerably between the four conservation land use areas. The lowest response indexes and least number of flight responses occurred in the national park, followed by the private ecotourism concession, and conversely, a higher average initial response index and a greater occurrence of flight responses occurring in the trophy hunting reserve and communal land. According to the findings from the cluster analyses, the type of conservation land use impacts on the sighting potential and sighting quality of mammals, but so do iii topographical differences and seasons. These results can help in the management of each conservation land use area on its own and as an integrated part of a TFCA.