Environment and Ecology Research Vol. 7(6), pp. 313 - 334
DOI: 10.13189/eer.2019.070602
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Post-Late Glacial Maximum Palaeoecological Species Integrity, Phylogeography and Management of Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus)

Deon Furstenburg ^1,*, Jennifer L Currie ^2
1 Wildlife Science and Animal Production, Geo Wild Consult (Pty) Ltd, South Africa
² Bontebok Breeders South Africa, Kasouga Conservancy, South Africa

ABSTRACT

Re-evaluation of bontebok following a multidisciplinary approach indicate its native habitat as the now submerged Palaeo-Agulhas Plain off the southern South African coast, and dominated by C₄ grasslands and savannah. Large grazer populations migrated across the plain and around the eastern end of the Cape Folded Belt into the Eastern Cape interior following climate oscillations and geographic-shifts of the winter-/summer-/all-year rainfall isohyets. Presently 77% of all bontebok are found on private farmland with grassland bioregions in the Eastern Cape, Free State and other. Bontebok showed enhanced performance in these grasslands if compared with poor performance on south-western Cape Lowland Renosterveld (SWC-LRV). Renosterveld (RV) was previously perceived as the bontebok's native habitat of origin. We argue that bontebok became trapped in RV due to sea-level rises and consequent multiple species congestion. Bontebok meta-population management on private farms showed significant species improvement when compared with government conservation actions in SWC-LRV. Geographic habitat constraints appear to have been the greatest factor limiting bontebok integrity. IUCN recognizes a global population size of 1,618 as reported by the Non-Detriment Finding of the Scientific Authority of South Africa, whereas actual population size is more than 7,000. We quantify post-1930s bontebok performance against phylogeographic and palaeoclimate proxies.

KEYWORDS
Bontebok, Damaliscus pygargus pygargus, Zoo-phylogeography, Palaeoecology, Game Farming, Genetic Integrity, Meta-population Management

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Deon Furstenburg , Jennifer L Currie , "Post-Late Glacial Maximum Palaeoecological Species Integrity, Phylogeography and Management of Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus)," Environment and Ecology Research, Vol. 7, No. 6, pp. 313 - 334, 2019. DOI: 10.13189/eer.2019.070602.

(b). APA Format:
Deon Furstenburg , Jennifer L Currie (2019). Post-Late Glacial Maximum Palaeoecological Species Integrity, Phylogeography and Management of Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus). Environment and Ecology Research, 7(6), 313 - 334. DOI: 10.13189/eer.2019.070602.