The study compared plant and avian diversity and species composition between four
habitats to review the potential implications of two distinct management practices on a
forestry estate, namely to rehabilitate riparian zones to grasslands or woodlands as the two
habitats that historically occurred on the property.The study habitats were Plantation (Pinus
trees in riparian zone), Bushland (recently harvested), Grassland (cleared of broadleaf
plants), and Woodland (control). At seven sampling sites per habitat, a vegetation assessment
was conducted, while birds were caught with mist nests. Plant species richness
increased from Plantation to Woodland, whereas most bird species and individuals were
found in Bushland. Plant and bird species composition differed significantly between
habitats. Bushland and Grassland birds were closely associated with exotic forbs. Grassland
attracted birds with diverse habitat and nesting-site associations, and Woodland birds
associated with woody plants. It is recommended that the majority of riparian zones be
managed as grasslands, although the exact affect of the biennial summer burning and
presence of exotic plants on birds needs to be investigated. To attract cavity-nesting birds to
the Estate, some suitable riparian zones should be rehabilitated to Woodland by planting
Ficus andAcacia trees, as these trees are the most abundant and frequently occurring in this
habitat. Rather than manage avian diversity per se, the African stonechat in Grassland and
lesser honeyguide in Woodland can be employed as indicators of the rehabilitation state of
the riparian zones.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:tut/oai:encore.tut.ac.za:d1000857 |
| Date | 27 July 2007 |
| Creators | Malan, G, Meyer, E, Panagos, MD |
| Publisher | South African Journal of Wildlife Research |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | |
| Rights | South African Journal of Wildlife Research |
| Relation | BioOne Research Evolved |
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